EP3783258A1

EP3783258A1 - Vehicular lamp fitting

Info

Publication number: EP3783258A1
Application number: EP20191623.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tomoyuki Yamamoto; Satoshi YOSHIWARA; Masaki Yoshida
Original assignee: Stanley Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Stanley Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-19
Filing date: 2020-08-18
Publication date: 2021-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-18
Also published as: JP7406326B2; JP2021034136A; EP3783258B1

Abstract

Provided is a vehicular lamp fitting (10) that can prevent a stepped portion from being formed between an outer lens and a housing, comprising: an outer lens (20) including a first closed end portion (21), a first open end portion (22) opposite to the first closed end portion, and an inner member containing portion between the first closed end portion and the first open end portion; a housing (30) including a second closed end (31) portion and a second open end portion (31) opposite to the second closed end portion; an inner member (70) that forms a seal groove between the inner member and an inner surface of the first open end portion in a state in which the inner member is contained in the inner member containing portion; and an adhesive (65) applied to the seal groove, wherein an open end surface of the housing is provided with a protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp fitting, and particularly to a vehicular lamp fitting that can prevent a stepped portion from being formed between an outer lens and a housing.

BACKGROUND

There has conventionally been known a vehicular lamp fitting in which an extension and an inner lens are contained in a lighting chamber formed by inserting an open end portion of an outer lens into a seal groove provided in a housing (see, e.g., French Patent Application Publication FR-A 2544839 and WO 2014/157354 ).

SUMMARY

However, each of the vehicular lamp fittings described in French Patent Application Publication FR-A 2544839 and WO 2014/157354 has a problem in that, when the lighting chamber is formed by inserting the open end portion of the outer lens into the seal groove provided in the housing, a stepped portion is formed between the outer lens and the housing.
The present invention is achieved in view of the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular lamp fitting that can prevent a stepped portion from being formed between an outer lens and a housing (i.e., that can flatten a joint portion between the outer lens and the housing).
To attain the object described above, an aspect of the present invention is a vehicular lamp fitting including: an outer lens including a first closed end portion, a first open end portion opposite to the first closed end portion, and an inner member containing portion between the first closed end portion and the first open end portion; a housing including a second closed end portion and a second open end portion opposite to the second closed end portion; an inner member that forms a seal groove between the inner member and an inner surface of the first open end portion in a state in which the inner member is contained in the inner member containing portion; and an adhesive applied to the seal groove, wherein an open end surface of the housing is provided with a protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
According to the aspect, it is possible to provide the vehicular lamp fitting that can prevent a stepped portion from being formed between the outer lens and the housing. In other words, it is possible to flatten a joint portion between the outer lens and the housing.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, an inner peripheral portion of the open end surface of the housing is provided with the protruding portion, an outer peripheral portion of the open end surface of the housing is provided with a first stepped portion, and an open end surface of the outer lens faces the first stepped portion of the housing in a state in which the protruding portion is inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the inner member is welded to the outer lens in a state in which the seal groove is formed.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the inner surface of the first open end portion of the outer lens is provided with a second stepped portion, and the inner member has a portion thereof welded to the second stepped portion in the state in which the seal groove is formed.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, a positioning rib provided on the open end surface of the outer lens comes into contact with the first stepped portion of the housing to form a space filled with the adhesive between the protruding portion and the seal groove.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the vehicular lamp fitting further includes: a screw for screwing the housing and the inner member together in the state in which the protruding portion is inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the screw passes through a through hole formed in the second closed end portion of the housing and in addition is screwed into the inner member.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, a length of the outer lens in an optical axis direction is larger than a length of the housing in the optical axis direction.
Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicular lamp fitting including: an outer lens including a first closed end portion and a first open end portion opposite to the first closed end portion; a housing including a second closed end portion, a second open end portion opposite to the second closed end portion, and an inner member containing portion between the second closed end portion and the second open end portion; an inner member that forms a seal groove between the inner member and an inner surface of the second open end portion in a state in which the inner member is contained in the inner member containing portion; and an adhesive applied to the seal groove, wherein an open end surface of the outer lens is provided with a protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
According to the other aspect, it is possible to provide the vehicular lamp fitting that can prevent a stepped portion from being formed between the outer lens and the housing. In other words, it is possible to flatten a joint portion between the outer lens and the housing.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, an inner peripheral portion of the open end surface of the outer lens is provided with the protruding portion, an outer peripheral portion of the open end surface of the outer lens is provided with a third stepped portion, and an open end surface of the housing faces the third stepped portion of the outer lens in a state in which the protruding portion is inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the inner member is welded to the housing in a state in which the seal groove is formed.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the inner surface of the second open end portion of the housing includes a fourth stepped portion, and the fourth stepped portion and a portion of the inner member are welded together in the state in which the seal groove is formed.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, a positioning rib provided on the open end surface of the housing comes into contact with the third stepped portion of the outer lens to form a space filled with the adhesive between the protruding portion and the seal groove.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, an outer surface of the first open end portion of the outer lens and an outer surface of the second open end portion of the housing are flush with each other.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the inner member is at least one of an extension, an inner lens, a light guide rod, and a reflector.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the inner member includes a first member and a second member.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the first member is provided with at least one protruding portion, the second member is formed with at least one through hole, and the protruding portion passes through the through hole and is exposed from the through hole to form a portion of the seal groove.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, the first member is an extension, and the second member is an inner lens.
In a preferred mode of the invention described above, a positioning rib provided on the protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied comes into contact with the seal groove to form a space filled with the adhesive between the protruding portion and the seal groove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicular lamp fitting 10.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along a line A-A in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outer lens 20 when viewed from a rear side thereof.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along a line B-B in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inner member 70.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the inner member 70.
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the extension 40 along a line C-C illustrated in FIG. 6.
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens 50 along a line D-D illustrated in FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along a line E-E in FIG. 5.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a periphery of one of the protruding portions 43 in FIG. 5.
FIG. 10 is a front view of the inner lens 50.
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of on the outer lens 20 in which the inner member 70 is contained.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the housing 30.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view along a line F-F in FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the upper protruding portion 34 in FIG. 2.
FIG. 15 is a process step chart illustrating an example of the method of manufacturing the vehicular lamp fitting 10.
FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B illustrate the modification of the vehicular lamp fitting 10.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following will describe a vehicular lamp fitting according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanied drawings. Corresponding components in the individual drawings are given the same reference numerals, and a repeated description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicular lamp fitting 10. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along a line A-A in FIG. 1.
A vehicular lamp fitting 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a vehicular lamp fitting functioning as, e.g., a position lamp and a turn lamp. The vehicular lamp fittings 10 are mounted on both left and right sides of a front end portion of a vehicle (not shown) of an automobile or the like. For convenience of description, an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis will be defined below. The X-axis extends in a vehicle front-rear direction, the Y-axis extends in a vehicle width direction, and the Z-axis extends in a vertical direction.
First, a description will be given of an outline of main optical members included in each of the vehicular lamp fittings 10.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the vehicular lamp fitting 10 according to the present embodiment includes an outer lens 20 and a housing 30. The outer lens 20 and the housing 30 are combined as will be described later to form a lighting chamber S1. In the lighting chamber S1, an inner lens 50 having an extension 40 attached thereto, an upper light guide rod 60A, a lower light guide rod 60B, a reflector 61, a first light source 62A, a second light source 62B, a third light source 63A, and a fourth light source 63B are disposed.
For example, the first light source 62A and the second light source 62B are semiconductor light emitting elements such as LEDs which emit white light. For example, the third light source 63A and the fourth light source 63B are semiconductor light emitting elements such as LEDs which emit amber light.
The first light source 62A is disposed, while facing one end surface of the upper light guide rod 60A. The same applies also to the third light source 63A.
The upper light guide rod 60A is a light guide rod in the form of an elongated rod extending in a Y-axis direction (direction perpendicular to a surface of the paper sheet with FIG. 2). An outer peripheral surface (side surface) of the upper light guide rod 60A includes an emission surface 60A1 located on a front side (vehicle front side) and a reflection surface 60A2 located on a rear side (vehicle rear side) opposite to the front side. A cross section of the upper light guide rod 60A taken along a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the upper light guide rod 60A is substantially in the form of a round bar. The reflection surface 60A2 includes a plurality of structures for diffusing light from the first light source 62A (or light from the third light source 63A) which is guided in the upper light guide rod 60A and causing the diffused light to be emitted from the emission surface 60A1. Examples of the structures include lens cuts such as V-shaped grooves.
The second light source 62B is disposed, while facing one end surface of the lower light guide rod 60B. The same applies also to the fourth light source 63B.
The lower light guide rod 60B is a light guide rod in the form of an elongated rod extending in the Y-axis direction (direction perpendicular to the surface of the paper sheet with FIG. 2). An outer peripheral surface (side surface) of the lower light guide rod 60B includes an emission surface 60B1 located on the front side (vehicle front side) and a reflection surface 60B2 located on the rear side (vehicle rear side) opposite to the front side. A cross section of the lower light guide rod 60B taken along a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the lower light guide rod 60B is substantially in the form of a round bar. The reflection surface 60B2 includes a plurality of structures for diffusing light from the second light source 62B (or light from the fourth light source 63B) which is guided in the lower light guide rod 60B and causing the diffused light to be emitted from the emission surface 60B1. Examples of the structures include lens cuts such as V-shaped grooves.
The inner lens 50 includes an upper lens portion 50A disposed in front of the upper light guide rod 60A and a lower lens portion 50B disposed in front of the lower light guide rod 60B.
The upper lens portion 50A is a wedge-shaped lens portion having a large thickness in an X-axis direction and having a thickness in a Z-axis direction which decreases with approach to an emission surface 50A2 (front end surface). The upper lens portion 50A includes a light entrance surface 50A1 facing the emission surface 60A1 of the upper light guide rod 60A and an emission surface 50A2 opposite to the light entrance surface 50A1.
Likewise, the lower lens portion 50B is a wedge-shaped lens portion having a large thickness in the X-axis direction and having a thickness in the Z-axis direction which decreases with approach to an emission surface 50B2 (front end surface). The lower lens portion 50B includes a light entrance surface 50B1 facing the emission surface 60B1 of the lower light guide rod 60B and an emission surface 50B2 opposite to the light entrance surface 50B1.
The reflector 61 is disposed in the rear of each of the upper light guide rod 60A and the lower light guide rod 60B. The reflector 61 is made of, e.g., a white resin and disposed, while facing the reflection surface 60A2 of the upper light guide rod 60A and the reflection surface 60B2 of the lower light guide rod 60B.
The position lamps are implemented by turning ON the first light source 62A and the second light source 62B.
Light from the first light source 62A enters the upper light guide rod 60A through one end surface of the upper light guide rod 60A to be guided in the upper light guide rod 60A toward the other end surface thereof, diffusely reflected by the reflection surface 60A2 (lens cuts), and emitted from the emission surface 60A1. At that time, the light leaking out of the reflection surface 60A2 is reflected by the reflector 61 to be returned into the upper light guide rod 60A.
Then, the light emitted from the emission surface 60A1 of the upper light guide rod 60A enters the upper lens portion 50A through the light entrance surface 50A1 of the upper lens portion 50A to be guided in the upper lens portion 50A toward the emission surface 50A2, and emitted from the emission surface 50A2 of the upper lens portion 50A. At that time, a portion of the light exits from an upper surface 50A3 of the upper lens portion 50A, and consequently the upper surface 50A3 emits the light.
Meanwhile, light from the second light source 62B enters the lower light guide rod 60B through one end surface of the lower light guide rod 60B to be guided in the lower light guide rod 60B toward the other end surface, diffusely reflected by the reflection surface 60B2 (lens cuts), and emitted from the emission surface 60B1. At that time, the light leaking out of the reflection surface 60B2 is reflected by the reflector 61 to be returned into the lower light guide rod 60B.
Then, the light emitted from the emission surface 60B1 of the lower light guide rod 60B enters the lower lens portion 50B through the light entrance surface 50B1 of the lower lens portion 50B to be guided in the lower lens portion 50B toward the emission surface 50B2, and emitted from the emission surface 50B2 of the lower lens portion 50B.
Thus, the light from the first light source 62A which is emitted from the emission surface 50A2 of the upper lens portion 50A and the light from the second light source 62B which is mitted from the emission surface 50B2 of the lower lens portion 50B implements the position lamps.
Meanwhile, the turn lamps are implemented by turning ON the third light source 63A and the fourth light source 63B.
The light from the third light source 63A enters the upper light guide rod 60A through one end surface of the upper light guide rod 60A and follows the same optical path as followed by the light from the first light source 62A to be emitted from the emission surface 50A2 of the upper lens portion 50A.
The light from the fourth light source 63B enters the lower light guide rod 60B through one end surface of the lower light guide rod 60B and follows the same optical path as followed by the light from the second light source 62B to be emitted from the emission surface 50B2 of the lower lens portion 50B.
Thus, the light from the third light source 63A which is emitted from the emission surface 50A2 of the upper lens portion 50A and the light from the fourth light source 63B which is emitted from the emission surface 50B2 of the lower lens portion 50B implement the turn lamps.
Next, a description will be given of details of the main optical members included in the vehicular lamp fitting 10.
First, a description will be given of the outer lens 20.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outer lens 20 when viewed from a rear side thereof. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along a line B-B in FIG. 3.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer lens 20 includes a first closed end portion 21 disposed on the front side (vehicle front side), a first open end portion 22 disposed on the rear side (vehicle rear side) opposite to the front side, and an inner member containing portion 23 between the first closed end portion 21 and the first open end portion 22. Examples of a material of the outer lens 20 include a transparent resin such as acryl or polycarbonate.
The first open end portion 22 includes an upper surface portion 22a, a lower surface portion 22b, a left side surface portion 22c, and a right side surface portion 22d.
Since an inner member 70 (see FIG. 11) contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) is welded to an inner surface 24 of the upper surface portion 22a, a stepped portion 25a (see FIG. 4) is provided therein. Likewise, since the inner member 70 contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) is welded to the inner surface 24 of the lower surface portion 22b, a stepped portion 25b (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided therein. The stepped portions 25a and 25b are surfaces parallel with, e.g., an YZ-plane.
An open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20 is provided with positioning ribs 26a which come into contact with a stepped portion 36 (see FIG. 14) provided in an outer peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The plurality of positioning ribs 26a are provided in a peripheral direction of the open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20.
Next, a description will be given of the inner lens 50 having the extension 40 attached thereto. The inner lens 50 having the extension 40 attached thereto may be hereinafter referred to also as the inner member 70.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inner member 70. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the inner member 70.
As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inner member 70 includes the extension 40 and the inner lens 50. The extension 40 is an example of a first member in the present invention. The inner lens 50 is an example of a second member in the present invention.
In a state in which the inner member 70 is contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) (see FIG. 11), seal grooves M (U-shaped seal grooves) are formed between the inner member 70 and the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20.
First, a description will be given of the extension 40.
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the extension 40 along a line C-C illustrated in FIG. 6.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7A, the extension 40 includes a rectangular frame portion 41. The rectangular frame portion 41 includes upper and lower arm portions 41a and 41b extending in the Y-axis direction and left and right arm portions 41c and 41d extending in the Z-axis direction. Examples of a material of the extension 40 include an opaque resin such as acryl or polycarbonate.
On the front side of the upper arm portion 41a, an upper ornamental portion 42 is provided so as to cover an upper surface of the upper lens portion 50A of the inner lens 50. On the rear side of the upper arm portion 41a, protruding portions 43 are provided to be inserted into through holes 53 of the inner lens 50. For example, the plurality of protruding portions 43 are provided in the Y-axis direction.
On the front side of the lower arm portion 41b, a lower ornamental portion 44 is provided so to cover an upper surface of the lower lens portion 50B of the inner lens 50. On the rear side of the lower arm portion 41b, hook portions 45 are provided to be engaged with engagement portions (e.g., through holes not shown) of the inner lens 50. For example, the plurality of hook portions 45 are provided in the Y-axis direction.
The extension 40 having the configuration described above is attached to the inner lens 50 in a state in which the upper lens portion 50A of the inner lens 50 is inserted in a space S2 (see FIGS. 6 and 7A) surrounded by the rectangular frame portion 41, the protruding portions 43 are inserted in the through holes 53 of the inner lens 50, and the hook portions 45 are engaged with the engagement portions (not shown) of the inner lens 50 (see, e.g., FIG. 8).
Next, a description will be given of the inner lens 50.
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens 50 along a line D-D illustrated in FIG. 6.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7B, the inner lens 50 includes a rectangular frame portion 51. The rectangular frame portion 51 includes upper and lower arm portions 51a and 51b extending in the Y-axis direction and left and right arm portions 51c and 51d extending in the Z-axis direction. Examples of a material of the inner lens 50 include a transparent resin such as acryl or polycarbonate.
On a rear-side inner peripheral portion of the rectangular frame portion 51, a protruding portion 52 is provided. The protruding portion 52 is provided around an entire circumference of the rear-side inner peripheral portion of the rectangular frame portion 51.
In the upper arm portion 51a, the through holes 53 are formed. The plurality of through holes 53 are formed so as to correspond to the plurality of protruding portions 43 of the extension 40. The through holes 53 extend through the upper arm portion 51a from the front side (inner peripheral portion) thereof to the rear side (inner peripheral portion) thereof.
The protruding portions 43 of the extension 40 are inserted from the front side of the upper arm portion 51a into the through holes 53 to be exposed from the rear side of the upper arm portion 51a (see FIGS. 8 and 9). FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along a line E-E in FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a periphery of one of the protruding portions 43 in FIG. 5.
The rectangular frame portion 51, the protruding portion 52, and the protruding portions 43 exposed from the through holes 53 of the upper arm portion 51a form a portion of each of the seal grooves M (L-shaped cross-sectional portions A) (see FIG. 8).
FIG. 10 is a front view of the inner lens 50.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, a front-side outer peripheral portion of the upper arm portion 51a is provided with welding ribs 54a to be brought into contact with the stepped portion 25a (see FIG. 11) of the outer lens 20. For example, the plurality of welding ribs 54a are provided in the Y-axis direction. Likewise, a front-side outer peripheral portion of the lower arm portion 51b is provided with welding ribs 54b to be brought into contact with the stepped portion 25b (see FIG. 11) of the outer lens 20. For example, the plurality of welding ribs 54b are provided in the Y-axis direction.
As illustrated in FIG. 11, the inner member 70 is contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) and welded to the outer lens 20 in a state in which the seal grooves M are formed between the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20 and the L-shaped cross-sectional portions A. Specifically, the inner member 70 is welded by applying an ultrasonic wave or laser light from the inner lens 50 side toward the welding ribs 54a and 54b in contact with the stepped portions 25a and 25b.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, an outer peripheral surface of the rectangular frame portion 51 is provided with positioning ribs 55 to be brought into contact with the inner surface 24 of the outer lens 20. The plurality of positioning ribs 55 are provided in a peripheral direction of the outer peripheral surface of the rectangular frame portion 51. Note that, for clarity of illustration, the positioning ribs 55 illustrated in FIG. 10 are larger than real sizes thereof.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7B, on the front side of the rectangular frame portion 51, the upper lens portion 50A and the lower lens portion 50B are provided. In a connecting portion 56 connecting the upper lens portion 50A and the lower lens portion 50B, a screw hole 56a into which a screw N (see FIG. 2) inserted through a through hole 31a formed in a second closed end portion 31 of the housing 30 is to be screwed is formed.
Next, a description will be given of the housing 30.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the housing 30. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view along a line F-F in FIG. 12.
As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the housing 30 includes the second closed end portion 31 disposed on the rear side (vehicle rear side) and a second open end portion 32 disposed on the front side (vehicle front side) opposite to the rear side. Examples of a material of the housing 30 include an opaque resin such as an ABS resin or polycarbonate.
An inner peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30 is provided with a protruding portion 34 to be inserted into the seal grooves M (see FIG. 14) coated (or filled) with an adhesive 65. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the upper protruding portion 34 in FIG. 2. The protruding portion 34 is provided around an entire circumference of the inner peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30.
An outer surface 34a of the protruding portion 34 is provided with first positioning ribs 35a. The plurality of first positioning ribs 35a are provided in a peripheral direction of the outer surface 34a of the protruding portion 34. Meanwhile, an inner surface 34b of the protruding portion 34 is provided with second positioning ribs 35b. The plurality of second positioning ribs 35b are provided in a peripheral direction of the inner surface 34b of the protruding portion 34.
In an outer peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30, the stepped portion 36 is provided. The stepped portion 36 is provided around an entire circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30.
Next, a description will be given of an example of a method of manufacturing the vehicular lamp fitting 10.
FIG. 15 is a process step chart illustrating an example of the method of manufacturing the vehicular lamp fitting 10.
As illustrated in FIG. 15, the vehicular lamp fitting 10 is manufactured through, e.g., Steps S10 to S20.

(1) Inner Member Assembly Step (S10)

In this step, the extension 40 is attached to the inner lens 50.
Specifically, into the space S2 (see FIGS. 6 and 7A) surrounded by the rectangular frame portion 41 of the extension 40, the upper lens portion 50A of the inner lens 50 is inserted. Then, the protruding portions 43 of the extension 40 are inserted into the through holes 53 (see FIGS. 5 and 8) of the inner lens 50, and the hook portions 45 of the extension 40 are engaged with the engagement portions (not shown) of the inner lens 50.

(2) Groove Formation Step (Welding Step) (S12)

In this step, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the inner member 70 is inserted into the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) (to be contained therein) to form the seal grooves M between the first open end portion 22 (the inner surface 24) of the outer lens 20 and the inner member 70 (the L-shaped cross-sectional portions A). Each of the seal grooves M is formed of the three members, i.e., the outer lens 20 (the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22), the inner lens 50 (the rectangular frame portion 51 and the protruding portion 52), and the extension 40 (the protruding portions 43 exposed through the through holes 53 of the inner lens 50).
At that time, the welding ribs 54a and 54b provided on the inner member 70 (the inner lens 50) come into contact with the stepped portions 25a and 25b of the outer lens 20. In addition, the positioning ribs 55 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rectangular frame portion 51 come into contact with the inner surface 24 of the outer lens 20. Thus, the inner member 70 is positioned with respect to the outer lens 20 in the X-, Y-, and Z-directions.
Then, in the state in which the seal grooves M are formed as described above, the contained inner member 70 and the outer lens 20 are welded together. Specifically, an ultrasonic wave or laser light is applied from the inner lens 50 side toward the welding ribs 54a and 54b in contact with the stepped portions 25a and 25b to weld together the inner member 70 and the outer lens 20. As a result, the outer lens 20 and the inner member 70 are integrated with each other to simplify the subsequent assembly steps.

(3) Optical Component Attachment Step (S14)

In this step, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the optical components (such as the upper light guide lens 60A, the lower light guide rod 60B, and the reflector 61) are attached to the inner lens 50 using a known means such as fitting.

(4) Adhesive Application Step (S16)

In this step, the adhesive 65 is applied to the seal grooves M. As the adhesive 65, for example, a thermosetting adhesive is used.

(5) Bonding Step (S18)

In this step, into the seal grooves M to which the adhesive 65 is applied, the protruding portion 34 of the housing 30 is inserted. At that time, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the positioning ribs 26a provided on the open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20 come into contact with the stepped portion 36 of the housing 30. Consequently, between a front end portion of the protruding portion 34 of the housing 30 and a bottom portion (the rectangular frame portion 51 of the inner lens 50) of the seal groove M, a space S3 (see FIG. 14) filled with the adhesive 65 is formed.
In addition, the first positioning ribs 35a provided on the protruding portion 34 (the outer surface 34a) of the housing 30 inserted in the seal groove M to which the adhesive 65 is applied come into contact with the seal groove M (the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20). Consequently, between the protruding portion 34 (the outer surface 34a) of the housing 30 and the seal groove M (the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20), a space S4 (see FIG. 14) filled with the adhesive 65 is formed.
Likewise, the second positioning ribs 35b provided on the protruding portion 34 (the inner surface 34b) of the housing 30 inserted in the seal groove M to which the adhesive 65 is applied come into contact with the seal groove M (the protruding portion 52 of the inner lens 50). Consequently, between the protruding portion 34 (the inner surface 34b) of the housing 30 and the seal groove M (the protruding portion 52 of the inner lens 50), a space S5 (see FIG. 14) filled with the adhesive 65 is formed.
By forming the seal grooves M of the multiple members and further forming the spaces S3 to S5 filled with the adhesive 65 as described above, it is possible to simultaneously bond together the four members, i.e., the outer lens 20, the inner member 70 (the extension 40 and the inner lens 50), and the housing 30.
Specifically, the protruding portion 34 of the housing 30 inserted in the seal grooves M and the three members included in the seal grooves M, i.e., the outer lens 20 (the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22), the inner lens 50 (the rectangular frame portion 51 and the protruding portion 52), and the extension 40 (the protruding portions 43 exposed through the through holes 53 of the inner lens 50) are bonded together.
At that time, the open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20 faces the stepped portion 36 of the housing 30, and an outer surface 27 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20 becomes flush (or substantially flush) with an outer surface 37 of the second open end portion 32 of the housing 30 (see FIG. 14).

(6) Screwing Step (S20)

In this step, in a state (see FIG. 14) in which the protruding portion 34 of the housing 30 is inserted in the seal grooves M to which the adhesive 65 is applied, the inner member 70 and the housing 30 are screwed together. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the screw N inserted in the through hole 31a formed in the second closed end portion 31 of the housing 30 is screwed into the inner lens 50 (the screw hole 56a). As a result, during a period (e.g., several hours under an ordinary temperature environment) before the adhesive 65 filling the spaces S3 to S5 described above is cured, the housing 30 and the inner member 70 are temporarily fixed to each other. Note that, after the adhesive is cured, the screw N may be either removed or left in place.
In a manner as described above, the vehicular lamp fitting 10 is manufactured. Note that each of the steps described above may be either performed manually (including also a case where a jig is used) by a worker or performed automatically by a working robot or the like.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent a stepped portion from being formed between the outer lens 20 and the housing 30. In other words, it is possible to flatten a joint portion between the outer lens 20 and the housing 30 (see FIG. 14). This can reduce a region where the outer lens 20 is covered with a vehicle body cover (not shown), and consequently design flexibility of the outer lens 20 and a vehicle cover is improved.
A first reason for this is that the seal grooves M are formed between the first open end portion 22 (the inner surface 24) of the outer lens 20 and the inner member 70 (the L-shaped cross-sectional portions A) contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) (see FIG. 11). A second reason for this is that the inner peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30 is provided with the protruding portion 34 to be inserted into the seal grooves M to which the adhesive 65 is applied, and the outer peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30 is provided with the stepped portion 36 (see FIG. 14). A third reason for this is that, when the protruding portion 34 of the housing 30 is consequently inserted into the seal grooves M to which the adhesive 65 is applied, the open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20 faces the stepped portion 36 of the housing 30, and the outer surface 27 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20 becomes flush (or substantially flush) with the outer surface 37 of the second open end portion 32 of the housing 30 (see FIG. 14).
According also to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a length L1 of the outer lens 20 in the X-axis direction (optical axis direction) can be set larger than a length L2 of the housing 30 in the X-axis direction (optical axis direction).
According also to the present embodiment, by forming the seal grooves M in the outer lens 20, as illustrated in FIG. 16B, a thickness T4 of the outer lens 20 can be set to be about one half of a thickness T5 of the housing 30.
According also to the present embodiment, by forming the seal grooves M in the outer lens 20, the length of the outer lens 20 in the X-axis direction can be set larger than that in a case where the seal grooves M are formed in the housing 30, as will be described later. This is because, when the seal grooves M are formed in the housing 30 as will be described later, a range denoted by a reference numeral L3 is configured as the housing 30 as illustrated in FIG. 16A but, when the seal grooves M are formed in the outer lens 20, the range denoted by the reference numeral L3 is configured as the outer lens 20 as illustrated in FIG. 16B.
According also to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 14, each of a gap (see a rectangular range defined by a dot-dash line denoted by a reference numeral B1 in FIG. 14) between the outer lens 20 and the inner lens 50 and gaps (see rectangular ranges defined by respective dot-dash lines denoted by reference numerals B2 and B3 in FIG. 14) between the extension 40 and the inner lens 50 is configured to have an L-shaped cross-sectional shape. Accordingly, compared to a case where each of the gaps is configured to have a linear shape, it is possible to relatively reliably inhibit the thermosetting adhesive 65 (having a low viscosity) from leaking out through each of the gaps.
Next, a description will be given of a modification.
In the embodiment described above, the description has been given of the example in which the present invention is applied to the vehicular lamp fitting functioning as the position lamps and the turn lamps, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may also be applied to, e.g., a rear combination lamp, a head lamp, a high mount stop lamp, or another vehicular lamp fitting other than the position lamps and the turn lamps.
FIG. 16A illustrates the modification of the vehicular lamp fitting 10.
In the embodiment described above, the description has been given of the example in which the inner member containing portion 23 is provided in the outer lens 20, the stepped portions 25a and 25b are provided in the inner surface 24 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20, the protruding portion 34 is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30, the stepped portion 36 is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the open end surface 33 of the housing 30, and the positioning ribs 26a are provided on the open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16A, it may also be possible to provide the inner member containing portion 23 in the housing 30, provide the stepped portion 25a (the same applies also to the stepped portion 25b) in the inner surface of the second open end portion 32 of the housing 30, provide the protruding portion 34 on the inner peripheral portion of the open end surface 26 of the outer lens 20, provide the stepped portion 36 in the outer peripheral portion of the open end surface 26 of the outer lens, and provide the positioning ribs 26a on the open end surface 33 of the housing 30.
In this case, the groove forming step (welding step) and the bonding step are performed as follows. Note that the other steps are performed in the same manner as in the embodiment described above.
In the groove forming step (welding step), the inner member 70 is inserted into the housing 30 (the inner member containing portion 23) (to be contained thereto) to thus form the seal grooves M between the second open end portion 32 (inner surface) of the housing 30 and the inner member 70 (the L-shaped cross-sectional portions A). Each of the seal grooves M is formed of the three members, i.e., the housing 30 (inner surface of the second open end portion 32), the inner lens 50 (the rectangular frame portion 51 and the protruding portion 52), and the extension 40 (the protruding portions 43 exposed through the through holes 53 of the inner lens 50).
At that time, the welding ribs 54a and 54b provided in the inner member 70 (the inner lens 50) come into contact with the stepped portions 25a and 25b of the housing 30. In addition, the positioning ribs 55 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rectangular frame portion 51 come into contact with the inner surface of the housing 30 (not shown).
Then, in the state in which the seal grooves M are formed as described above, the contained inner member 70 and the housing 30 are welded together. Specifically, an ultrasonic wave or laser light is applied from the inner lens 50 side toward the welding ribs 54a and 54b in contact with the stepped portions 25a and 25b to weld together the inner member 70 and the housing 30.
In the bonding step, the protruding portion 34 of the outer lens 20 is inserted into the seal grooves M to which the adhesive 65 is applied. At that time, in the same manner as in the embodiment described above, the spaces S3 to S5 (see FIG. 14) filled with the adhesive 65 are formed.
By forming the seal grooves M of multiple members as described above and further forming the spaces S3 to S5 filled with the adhesive 65, it is possible to simultaneously bond together the four members, i.e., the outer lens 20, the inner member 70 (the extension 40 and the inner lens 50), and the housing 30.
Specifically, the protruding portion 34 of the outer lens 20 inserted into the seal grooves M and the three members included in the seal grooves M, i.e., the housing 30 (the inner surface of the second open end portion 32), the inner lens 50 (the rectangular frame portion 51 and the protruding portion 52), and the extension 40 (the protruding portions 43 exposed through the through holes 53 of the inner lens 50) are bonded together.
At that time, the open end surface 33 of the housing 30 faces the stepped portion 36 of the outer lens 20, and the outer surface 27 of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20 becomes flush (or substantially flush) with the outer surface 37 of the second open end portion 32 of the housing 30 (see FIG. 16A).
According to the present modification also, it is possible to prevent a stepped portion from being formed between the outer lens 20 and the housing 30. In other words, it is possible to flatten a joint portion between the outer lens 20 and the housing 30. This can reduce a region where the outer lens 20 is covered with a vehicle body cover (not shown), and consequently design flexibility of the outer lens 20 and a vehicle cover is improved.
Note that, when the seal grooves M are formed in the housing 30 as in the present modification, as illustrated in FIG. 16A, a sum of a thickness T1 of the housing 30, a thickness T2 of the seal groove M, and a thickness T3 of the protruding portion 34 corresponds to a thickness of the outer lens 20. Accordingly, the thickness of the outer lens 20 (particularly a thickness of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20) is extremely large.
By contrast, by forming the seal grooves M in the outer lens 20 as in the embodiment described above, as illustrated in FIG. 16B, the thickness T4 of the outer lens 20 can be set to be about one half of the thickness T5 of the housing 30. In other words, by forming the seal grooves M in the outer lens 20 as in the embodiment described above, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the outer lens 20 (particularly the thickness of the first open end portion 22 of the outer lens 20) from becoming extremely large.
When the seal grooves M are formed in the housing 30 as in the present modification, the length of the outer lens 20 in the X-axis direction is small. This is because, when the seal grooves M are formed in the housing 30 as in the present modification, the range denoted by the reference numeral L3 in FIG. 16A is configured as the housing 30.
By contrast, by forming the seal grooves M in the outer lens 20 as in the embodiment described above, it is possible to increase the length of the outer lens 20 in the X-axis direction. This is because, by forming the seal grooves M in the outer lens 20 as in the embodiment described above, as illustrated in FIG. 16B, the range denoted by the reference numeral L3 is configured as the outer lens 20.
Also, in the embodiment described above, the description has been given of the example in which each of the seal grooves M is formed by using the inner lens 50 having the extension 40 attached thereto as the inner member 70 and causing the inner member 70 to be contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) and welded thereto. However, the formation of the seal grooves M is not limited thereto. The seal grooves M may also be formed by, e.g., using at least one (or a combination of two or more) of the extension 40, the inner lens 50, the upper light guide rod 60A, the lower light guide rod 60B, and the reflector 61 as the inner member 70 and causing the inner member 70 to be contained in the outer lens 20 (the inner member containing portion 23) and welded thereto.
In the embodiment described above, the description has been given of the example using the thermosetting adhesive as the adhesive 65, but the adhesive 65 is not limited thereto. For example, an adhesive other than the thermosetting adhesive such as, e.g., a thermoreversible adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive may also be used as the adhesive 65.
Each of numerical values shown in each of the embodiments described above is illustrative and, needless to say, numerical values different therefrom can be used appropriately.
Each of the embodiments described above is illustrative in every respect. The present invention should not be construed as limited to the description of each of the embodiments described above. The present invention can be implemented in various other modes without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.

Claims

A vehicular lamp fitting comprising:
an outer lens including a first closed end portion, a first open end portion opposite to the first closed end portion, and an inner member containing portion between the first closed end portion and the first open end portion;

a housing including a second closed end portion and a second open end portion opposite to the second closed end portion;

an inner member that forms a seal groove between the inner member and an inner surface of the first open end portion in a state in which the inner member is contained in the inner member containing portion; and

an adhesive applied to the seal groove,

wherein an open end surface of the housing is provided with a protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 1, wherein
an inner peripheral portion of the open end surface of the housing is provided with the protruding portion,
an outer peripheral portion of the open end surface of the housing is provided with a first stepped portion, and
an open end surface of the outer lens faces the first stepped portion of the housing in a state in which the protruding portion is inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner member is welded to the outer lens in a state in which the seal groove is formed.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 3, wherein
the inner surface of the first open end portion of the outer lens is provided with a second stepped portion, and
the inner member has a portion thereof welded to the second stepped portion in the state in which the seal groove is formed.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 2, wherein a positioning rib provided on the open end surface of the outer lens comes into contact with the first stepped portion of the housing to form a space filled with the adhesive between the protruding portion and the seal groove.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:
a screw for screwing the housing and the inner member together in the state in which the protruding portion is inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 6, wherein the screw passes through a through hole formed in the second closed end portion of the housing and in addition is screwed into the inner member.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a length of the outer lens in an optical axis direction is larger than a length of the housing in the optical axis direction.
A vehicular lamp fitting comprising:
an outer lens including a first closed end portion and a first open end portion opposite to the first closed end portion;

a housing including a second closed end portion, a second open end portion opposite to the second closed end portion, and an inner member containing portion between the second closed end portion and the second open end portion;

an inner member that forms a seal groove between the inner member and an inner surface of the second open end portion in a state in which the inner member is contained in the inner member containing portion; and

an adhesive applied to the seal groove,

wherein an open end surface of the outer lens is provided with a protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 9, wherein
an inner peripheral portion of the open end surface of the outer lens is provided with the protruding portion,
an outer peripheral portion of the open end surface of the outer lens is provided with a third stepped portion, and
an open end surface of the housing faces the third stepped portion of the outer lens in a state in which the protruding portion is inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the inner member is welded to the housing in a state in which the seal groove is formed.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 11, wherein
the inner surface of the second open end portion of the housing includes a fourth stepped portion, and
the fourth stepped portion and a portion of the inner member are welded together in the state in which the seal groove is formed.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 10, wherein a positioning rib provided on the open end surface of the housing comes into contact with the third stepped portion of the outer lens to form a space filled with the adhesive between the protruding portion and the seal groove.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein an outer surface of the first open end portion of the outer lens and an outer surface of the second open end portion of the housing are flush with each other.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the inner member is at least one of an extension, an inner lens, a light guide rod, and a reflector.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the inner member includes a first member and a second member.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 16, wherein
the first member is provided with at least one protruding portion,
the second member is formed with at least one through hole, and
the protruding portion passes through the through hole and is exposed from the through hole to form a portion of the seal groove.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to claim 17, wherein
the first member is an extension, and
the second member is an inner lens.
The vehicular lamp fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein a positioning rib provided on the protruding portion inserted in the seal groove to which the adhesive is applied comes into contact with the seal groove to form a space filled with the adhesive between the protruding portion and the seal groove.