JPH03246802A - Headlight for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the degree of freedom for molding a vehicle at the front section of the vehicle by integrally forming the first discharge gap and the second discharge gap in one discharge lamp bulb, and providing a common terminal inserted and fixed with tip portions in both gaps. CONSTITUTION:Two discharge gaps 8, 9 for a main beam 4 and a sub-beam 6 are provided in one discharge lamp bulb 2, thus only two discharge lamps are required to be fitted. The degree of freedom for molding a vehicle at the front section of the vehicle can be increased, a device is miniaturized, and the device is obtained at a low cost. A common terminal 5 connecting both gape 8, 9 is integrally provided in the discharge lamp bulb 2 during production, thus the device can be manufactured with good workability.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp that utilizes light obtained by discharge light emission.

(Prior Art) In recent years, instead of conventional filament type vehicle headlamps, vehicle headlamps of a type that utilize discharge light emission have become popular.

By the way, vehicle headlights can be switched between a main beam that illuminates a long distance, and a sub-beam that dims or directs the beam downward so that it does not glare toward oncoming vehicles when passing by. It is necessary to have a structure.

Therefore, in conventional headlights that use discharge light emission, one discharge lamp bulb is arranged for one set of lenses and reflectors, and the main beam headlight and sub-beam headlight are independent. It had four headlights.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional device as described above, the main headlight and the sub headlight are each independent headlights. This requires a large space at the front of the vehicle, making it impossible to increase the degree of freedom in shaping the vehicle in this area, and also increases the size and cost of the lighting device.

In addition, in a headlamp using discharge light emission, in order to emit a main beam and a sub beam with one headlamp, a configuration as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 may be used.

That is, in FIG. 3, 15 is a discharge lamp bulb, into which the main beam end T-4 and the sub-beam terminal 6 are inserted from both sides, and the common terminal 5 inserted together with the main beam terminal 4 is disposed in the center. In this example, switching between the main beam terminal and the sub beam terminal is performed by switching the energization to the main beam terminal 4 and the sub beam terminal 6. On the other hand, the one shown in FIG. 4 has a discharge lamp bulb 16 for the main beam and a discharge lamp bulb 17 for the sub beam on the same optical axis 10, and also switches the energization to the main beam terminal 4 and the sub beam terminal 6. , switching between main and sub.

However, in the example shown in FIG.
Since the main terminal 1, terminal 4 and common terminal 5 are inserted on one side (158 part in Fig. 3), it is necessary to wire both terminals 4 and 5 at least a certain distance apart to prevent short circuits. However, there was a problem that the device became larger.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 4, two discharge lamp bulbs 16.17 must be prepared in advance and both bulbs 16.17 must be connected via the common terminal 5.
There was a problem with poor workability.

This invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and is capable of increasing the degree of freedom in shaping the front part of a vehicle, and is also capable of manufacturing a small, low-cost, and highly workable front part of a vehicle. The purpose is to provide illumination.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention reflects main beam or sub beam light obtained by discharge light emission with a reflecting mirror, and uses the reflected light to direct the vehicle forward. In a vehicle headlamp that emits a a second discharge gap formed at a position offset in the forward direction of the vehicle with respect to the first discharge gap, and into which a sub-beam terminal is inserted and fixed, the first discharge gap and the second discharge gap being one A common terminal is formed integrally within the discharge lamp bulb and is provided between the first discharge gap and the second discharge gap, the tip of which is inserted and fixed into both gaps. shall be.

(Function) In the present invention, two discharge gaps for the main beam and the sub-beam are provided in one discharge lamp bulb, so that only two discharge lamps need be provided at the time of mounting. For this reason,
The degree of freedom in shaping the vehicle at the front of the vehicle can be increased,
Furthermore, since the device is miniaturized, this type of device can be obtained at low cost. Further, since the common terminal connecting both gaps is integrally provided within the discharge lamp bulb during manufacturing, the manufacturing process can be performed with good work efficiency.

(Explanation of Examples) Hereinafter, this invention will be explained based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

In the figure, 1 is a reflecting mirror, and the optical axis 10 of this reflecting mirror 1 is
A discharge lamp bulb 2 is arranged above.

A first discharge gap 8 for generating the main beam is formed within the discharge lamp bulb 2 at approximately the focal point of the reflecting mirror 1, and a first discharge gap 8 is formed at the optical axis 10'' of the reflecting mirror 1. A second discharge gap 9 for generating a sub-beam is formed on the front side of the vehicle (on the right side in the figure) of the first discharge gap 80.

A main beam terminal 4. is connected between the discharge lamp bulb 2 and the drive circuit 3. Common terminal 5. They are connected by sub-beam terminals 6, of which the main beam terminal 4 is inserted and fixed in the first discharge gap 8, and the sub-beam terminal 6 is inserted and fixed in the second discharge gap 9.

Further, between both discharge gaps 8.9, the tip portion 5A is T
A letter-shaped common terminal 5 is arranged, each tip of the T-shape is inserted and fixed into the first discharge gap 8 and the second discharge gap 9, and the other end is taken out to the drive circuit 3 side. It is.

Note that a light shielding plate 7 is provided below the second discharge gap 9, which blocks the light generated in the second discharge gap 9 going downward, and blocks the light reflected upward by the reflecting mirror 1. There is.

The above is the configuration of the vehicle headlamp according to this embodiment,
Next, its effect will be explained.

First, when a voltage is applied to the main beam terminal 4 and the common terminal 5 by the drive circuit 3, the first discharge gap 8
Light that becomes the main beam is generated inside. That is, since the first discharge gap 8 is provided at substantially the focal point of the reflecting mirror 1, the light generated within the discharge gap 8 @1 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 1 as substantially parallel light rays. Therefore, this reflected light is refracted by a lens (not shown) provided at the front (rightward in FIG. 1) so as to have a desired light distribution characteristic, and is irradiated forward as a main beam for distant irradiation.

On the other hand, when a voltage is applied to the sub-beam terminal 6 and the common terminal 5 by the drive circuit 3, light that becomes a sub-beam is generated within the second discharge gap 9. That is, since the second discharge gap 9 is provided at a position slightly offset toward the front of the vehicle than the first discharge gap 8, the light reflected by the reflecting mirror 1 becomes diffused light. In this case, the light going below the second discharge gap 9 is reflected upward by the reflecting mirror 1;
Since a shielding plate 7 is provided below the second discharge gap 9, light going downward is blocked.

Therefore, the upwardly reflected component of the light generated in the second gap 9 is limited, and the light is refracted by a lens (not shown) provided in front so as to have a desired light distribution characteristic, and is used as a sub-beam for passing each other. You will get it.

By the way, in this embodiment, two discharge gaps 8 and 9 are formed within one discharge lamp bulb 2, and main beam terminals 4. Since only one of the common terminals 5 or the serve beam terminals 6 is inserted and fixed, the portion where the terminals are fixed can be made smaller than in the past.

Further, since only one terminal is inserted into the terminal insertion portion of each discharge gap 8.9 as described above, the wiring of each terminal can be separated from each other, and short circuits can be reliably prevented.

In addition, since the common terminal 5 is integrally formed between the gaps 8 and 9 in one discharge lamp bulb 2, the conventional process of connecting the two discharge gaps with the common terminal can be omitted (conventional example). (see FIG. 4), this type of device can be obtained with good workability.

Next, a method for manufacturing a vehicle headlamp as described above will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the main beam terminal 4 is inserted from one side A of a cylindrical glass 20 made of quartz glass, and the inserted portion 20a is heated. When the temperature of the glass rises by 1" to above its softening point, the insertion part 2pa is compressed to form the fixing part 21 as shown in FIG.
Seal and fix.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the "T"-shaped common terminal 5 is inserted from the other side B of the cylindrical glass 20 and placed in the center portion 20b of the cylindrical glass 20, and as shown in the above (a). , (
Heating and compression as in b).

Seal.

As a result, a fixing part 22 is formed in the center of the cylindrical glass 20 to divide the inside of the glass into two and seal it, and at the same time, as shown in FIG. Of the portions 5A, portions 5a and 5c partially protrude from the fixing portion 22 in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical glass 20 and are fixed, while the portion 5b protrudes to the outside through the cylindrical glass 20.

Furthermore, the sub-beam terminal 6 is inserted into the cylindrical glass 20 from the direction B, and the same processes as in Section 1 (a) and (b) are performed to form the fixing portion 23, and the sub-beam terminal 6 is hermetically fixed.

Thus, the cylindrical glass 20 has fixed parts 21.23 on both sides.
By further sealing the central portion with the fixing portion 22, two cavities 24 and 25 are formed.

Thereafter, small holes are made in each of the two cavities 24 and 25, and after degassing, gases, metal compounds, etc. necessary for discharge light emission are filled.

In this way, the discharge lamp bulb 2 as shown in FIG. 1 is formed, and by connecting each terminal 4, 5, 6 to the drive circuit 3, a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention is completed.

In the above embodiment, the two cavities 24 and 25 were filled with gas and metal compounds of the same composition, but by filling the two cavities 24 and 25 with gas and metal compounds of different compositions, the main It can be configured to change the color of emitted light when the beam is lit and when the sub-beam is lit.

In this case, since the emitted light colors are different when switching between the main and sub modes, a passing beam having a clear cutoff line with a bright/dark boundary line is obtained.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in ``1,'' the vehicle headlamp includes a first discharge gap formed at approximately the focal point of the reflector and into which the main beam terminal is inserted and fixed; A second discharge gap is formed on the optical axis at a position offset in the forward direction of the vehicle with respect to the first discharge gap, and into which the sub-beam terminal is inserted and fixed. The discharge gap is formed integrally within one discharge bulb, and a common terminal is provided between the first discharge gap and the second discharge gap, the tip of which is inserted and fixed into both gaps. As a result, it is possible to switch between the main beam and the sub beam with one discharge lamp, and only two electric lamps are required. Therefore, the degree of freedom in shaping the vehicle at the front of the vehicle can be increased, the device can be made smaller, and this type of device can be obtained at low cost.

Furthermore, since the common terminal connecting the two gaps is integrally provided within the discharge lamp bulb during manufacture, this type of device can be obtained with good workability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a manufacturing process diagram of the vehicle headlamp shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 and 4 are a discharge type front lamp in a conventional example. It is an explanatory diagram of a lighting lamp. 1...Reflector 2...Discharge lamp bulb 3...Drive circuit 4...Main beam terminal 5...Common terminal 6... ....Sub beam terminal 7 ..... Light shielding plate 8 ..... First discharge gap 9 ..... Second discharge gap 10 .... Optical axis (Fig. 1) mirror)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a vehicle headlamp that reflects main beam or sub beam light obtained by discharge light emission with a reflecting mirror and illuminates the front of the vehicle with the reflected light, the above-mentioned reflecting mirror is an abbreviation of A first discharge gap is formed at the focal point position and has a main beam terminal inserted and fixed therein; a second discharge gap into which a terminal is inserted and fixed, the first discharge gap and the second discharge gap are integrally formed within one discharge lamp bulb, and the first discharge gap A headlamp for a vehicle, characterized in that a common terminal is provided between the first discharge gap and the second discharge gap, the tip of which is inserted and fixed into both gaps.