JP3488607B2 - Case of vehicle outdoor lamp - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle outdoor lamp case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 8, for example, a vehicle license plate (also referred to as a license plate) Lp is attached to the rear surface (and front surface) of an automobile C. A license plate lamp 50 is attached near the license plate Lp on the rear surface to illuminate the license plate Lp so that it can be recognized even at night. As shown in FIG. 9, the license plate lamp 50 has a socket plug So.
The lamp Eo mounted on the case 51 is inserted through the lamp insertion opening 55 formed on the wall surface of the case 51, and the groove Po on the outer peripheral surface of the socket plug So is fitted to the peripheral edge of the opening 55, so that the lamp Eo is mounted on the case. It has a structure of being housed and held in 51.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 10, a conventional case 51 of the license plate lamp 50 generally covers a transparent plate-shaped lens member 52 separately molded by injection molding and one side thereof. The case main body member 53 and a sealing member 54 such as a rubber packing are bonded together to form a structure in which three members are attached, and the three members are assembled holes 52a, 53a, 54a respectively formed in the respective members.
It is assembled with screws 56 and the like through. In addition,
Reference numerals 52b, 53b, and 54b shown in the drawings denote attachment holes for attaching the case 51 to the vehicle body, and 57 is a protrusion provided at one end of the case body member 53, which is locked to the vehicle body outer plate when the case 51 is attached to the vehicle body. To be done.

However, the case 51 having the above-described structure has a large number of parts and requires complicated work for assembling the constituent members, which causes a problem that the manufacturing cost and the manufacturing man-hour increase.

Further, in the above structure, the lens member 5
Although the airtightness in the case is enhanced by the seal member 54 disposed between the case 2 and the case body member 53, loosening of the screw 56 due to variations in work during assembly, vibration during traveling of the vehicle, or the seal member. The deterioration of 54 may cause a seal failure, and as a result, rain or the like may enter the case 51 and the lens member 52 may become cloudy, resulting in poor illuminance of the license plate lamp 50. Further, the above-mentioned problem also applies to other outdoor lamps such as turn signals.

A portion corresponding to the lens member 52 and a portion corresponding to the case main body member 53 are integrally formed by known blow molding using a parison, and the portion corresponding to the case main body member 53 is provided with the lamp. It is conceivable to form the insertion opening 55. However, in the case of this blow molding, since the parting line of the mold at the time of blow molding is set in the portion corresponding to the lens member 52 or in the vicinity thereof, the portion corresponding to the case main body member 53 is greatly expanded. The wall thickness decreases as the distance from the parting line increases. Therefore,
The lamp insertion opening 55 formed in a portion corresponding to the case body member 53 has a non-uniform thickness at the peripheral edge thereof,
A gap is created in the groove Po on the outer peripheral surface of the socket plug So fitted to the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 55, which causes a problem that the fitting property of the socket plug So is deteriorated.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is integrally formed by blow molding to reduce the number of parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and the manufacturing man-hour, and the case. Another object of the present invention is to provide a case of an outdoor lamp for a vehicle, which is excellent in airtightness and fittability of a lamp socket plug.

[0008]

That is, according to the invention of claim 1, a transparent plate-shaped lens portion and a lamp which covers one side thereof and is inserted into the inside from a lamp insertion opening portion of a wall surface are provided with the lens portion. The lamp body is formed of a blow-molded product which is integrally formed with a case body which is housed and held in a space between the lamp body, and the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening is formed to have a thin wall thickness as the distance from the lens portion increases. A portion between the outer surface and the inner surface of the periphery is a fitting portion with respect to the groove of the outer peripheral surface of the lamp socket plug, and a bent inner peripheral wall that makes the height of the fitting portion substantially constant along the circumference of the lamp insertion opening. In a case of a vehicle outdoor lamp, the lamp insertion opening is bent and formed in at least a part of the periphery of the lamp insertion opening from the outer surface side of the periphery of the lamp insertion opening. That.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a case in which a transparent plate-shaped lens portion and one side thereof are covered, and a lamp which is inserted into the inside from a lamp insertion opening portion of a wall surface is housed and held in a space between the lens portion. The main body and the lamp insertion opening are formed integrally with each other, and the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening is thinned as the distance from the lens portion increases, and the portion between the outer peripheral surface and the inner surface of the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening is formed. Is a fitting portion with respect to the groove of the outer peripheral surface of the lamp socket plug, and a step portion that makes the height of the fitting portion substantially constant along the periphery of the lamp insertion opening is a peripheral outer surface of the lamp insertion opening. A case of an outdoor lamp for a vehicle, characterized in that it is formed on at least a part of.

The invention of claim 3 is the same as claim 1 or 2.
In the above, a solid mounting portion is formed near at least one end portion of the lens portion and the case main body portion, and a mounting hole is formed through the mounting portion.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a case of a vehicle license plate lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a vertical sectional view of the same case, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing an essential part of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a lateral sectional view showing a section 4-4 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a vehicle according to another embodiment. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the case of the license plate lamp for vehicle, FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the case of the license plate lamp for vehicle made of a blow molded product shown as a reference example, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing the main part of FIG. FIG.

The vehicle license plate lamp case 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is a hollow blow-molded product in which a lens portion 11 and a case body portion 21 are integrally molded, and the lens portion 11 and the case body portion are formed. The lamp E mounted on the socket plug S is accommodated and held in the space 21. The blow-molded article is formed by a known blow-molding method. A parison made of a thermoplastic material is placed in a molten state between the molds of the blow-molding die, and the mold is closed to blow compressed air into the parison. It is obtained by inflating into a mold surface shape, thereby shaping into a mold surface shape, cooling and fixing the shape, and then demolding.
As a material for the case 10 (parison), transparent and hard polycarbonate is suitable.

The lens portion 11 is a transparent plate having a predetermined thickness on the surface side of the case 10, that is, on the illumination side. The thickness of the lens portion 11 in this embodiment is about 3 mm.

The case main body 21 constitutes the main body of the case 10, and is a portion on the mounting side to the vehicle body and on the holding side of the lamp. The central portion 22 bulges outward from the lens portion 11 and the lens. It is formed so as to cover the inner surface 11a side of the portion 11. A lamp insertion opening 25 is formed on one side wall surface 23 of the bulged central portion 22. Further, near the one end of the case main body 21, there is provided a projecting piece 24 that is locked to the outer plate of the vehicle body when the case 10 is attached to the vehicle body. In this example,
The distance between the tip of the bulged central portion 22 (the apex of the case body 21) and the surface 11b of the lens portion 11 is about 30 mm,
The diameter of the lamp insertion opening 25 is 20 mm. The lamp insertion opening 25 is formed by punching with a cutter after the blow molding.

The peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25 constitutes a fitting portion 30 for the socket plug S, and when the socket plug S having the lamp E mounted therein is inserted, the outer peripheral surface of the socket plug S is inserted. The socket plug S is held by being fitted in the groove P. Further, in this example, the structure of the lamp insertion opening 25 has a special structure as shown below in relation to blow molding.

In the blow-molded article, it is inevitable that a parting line (dividing line of the mold) is formed at the portion where the parison is in contact with the dividing surface of the blow-molding die. The blow molding die is designed so that the parting line is in an inconspicuous position so as not to impair the appearance of the molded product, and that the opening and closing of the mold is not obstructed. Therefore, in the case 10 of the present invention, the parting line L is set at the boundary between the lens portion 11 and the case body portion 21 or in the vicinity thereof.

As a result of the setting of the parting line L as described above, in the case 10, in the lens portion 11 formed in a plane shape at a position close to the parting line L at the time of blow molding, the elongation of the parison becomes small. On the other hand, the thickness of the parison is increased on the side of the case body 21 having a bulging shape, and the thickness of the parison is reduced, and the thickness is reduced as the distance from the parting line L increases. As a result, when the lamp insertion opening 25 is formed as a simple hole, as in the case 10z of the reference example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lamp insertion opening 25 is formed.
At the z periphery, the thickness becomes thinner as the distance from the lens portion 11z (parting line) increases, and a thickness deviation occurs around the lamp insertion opening 25z. In particular,
The lens portion 1 and the tip of the central portion 22z of the case body 21z
When the distance between the 1z surfaces is 30 mm, the thickness of the lens portion 11z is 3 mm, and the diameter of the lamp insertion opening 25z is 20 mm, the thickness deviation d2 around the lamp insertion opening 25z (from the lens portion 11z Near wall thickness)
-D1 (thickness at the position farthest from the lens portion 11z) is 1
It was about 2 mm. Therefore, due to the thickness deviation of the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25z, the socket plug S
When the z is fitted around the lamp insertion opening 25z of the case 10z, as shown in the drawing, the lamp insertion opening 25
At a position far from the lens portion 11z around z, the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25z and the groove P on the outer peripheral surface of the socket plug Sz.
A gap is generated between the inner surfaces of the z, and the fitting property between the case 10z and the socket plug Sz is deteriorated.

Reference numeral 13z in FIGS. 6 and 7
Is a mounting hole, 24z is a locking projection provided at one end of the case body 21z, Ez is a lamp mounted on the socket plug Sz, Gz is between the socket plug Sz and the outer surface of the lamp insertion opening 25z. It is a seal member arranged.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent deterioration of the fitting property between the case and the socket plug, as will be easily understood from FIG. 3, a space between the outer peripheral surface 26 and the inner peripheral surface 27 of the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25. The bent inner peripheral wall 31 that makes the height of the fitting portion 30 of the above is substantially constant along the periphery of the lamp insertion opening 25.
Is bent from the outer peripheral surface 26 of the lamp insertion opening 25 toward the inside of the lamp insertion opening 25, and the inner end 32 of the bent inner peripheral wall 31 and the outer peripheral surface 2 of the lamp insertion opening 25 are bent.
The space between 6 is a fitting portion 30. This bent inner peripheral wall 31
Is projected from the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25 toward the lens portion 11 side, and the protruding direction, that is, the height direction of the fitting portion 30 is orthogonal to the thickness direction of the bent inner peripheral wall 31. The influence of the wall thickness change at the time of blow molding at the peripheral edge 25 of the lamp insertion opening is reduced. for that reason,
In order to cancel the thickness deviation of the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25, the protrusion amount (height) increases as the distance from the lens unit 11 increases, and the bending becomes maximum at the position farthest from the lens unit 11. If the inner peripheral wall 31 is provided at the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25, the fitting portion 30 having a substantially constant height, which is less affected by the thickness change during blow molding, can be obtained along the periphery of the lamp insertion opening 25. . The bent inner peripheral wall 31 does not need to be provided on the entire circumference of the lamp insertion opening 25. For example, the bent inner peripheral wall 3 is located near the lens portion 11 where the wall thickness is the largest at the periphery of the lamp insertion opening 25.
1 may be omitted.

Further, in this example, in order to easily and surely fit the socket plug S, the bent inner peripheral wall 3 is formed.
At the inner end 32 of No. 1, a suitable number (four in this embodiment) of locking claws 33, 34, which project into the lamp insertion opening 25, are provided.
35 and 36 are radially formed. On the other hand, on the outer peripheral surface of the socket plug S, an appropriate number of locking projections Pa (at this position so as to fit into the gaps between the locking claws 33, 34, 35, 36 at the position closer to the tip than the groove P) are provided. Four are provided in the embodiment. Then, the locking protrusions Pa, Pa, Pa,
When Pa is aligned with the gap between the locking claws 33, 34, 35, 36, the socket plug S is inserted into the lamp insertion opening 25, and then the required amount of rotation is performed, the locking projection P
a, Pa, Pa, Pa locking pawls 33, 34, 35, 36
Can be brought into contact with and locked. Reference numeral G in the drawing is a seal member made of an annular rubber or the like which is arranged between the socket plug S and the outer surface around the opening 25 of the case 10 when the lamp E is inserted.

The structure in which the height of the fitting portion 30 is substantially constant over the circumference of the lamp insertion opening 25 is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and the essential part of another embodiment is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral surface 26 of the lamp insertion opening 25A is
A is provided with a step portion 31A that is raised with respect to the wall surface of the case body portion 21A around the step portion 31A. The space between the inner surfaces 27A may be a fitting portion 30A with the socket plug S. In this case, the height of the stepped portion 31A is increased as the position away from the lens portion (parting line) is increased in the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25A so as to cancel the thickness deviation of the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening 25A. , The maximum at the position farthest from the lens unit 11. In this example, the height of the stepped portion 31A is set to be 1 to 2 mm higher than the other surrounding wall surfaces at the position farthest from the lens portion, and the height of the stepped portion 31A is set to the same height as the surrounding wall surface at the position closest to the lens portion. I am sorry. Reference numerals 33A and 34 shown
A, 35A, and 36A have locking claws formed to project into the lamp insertion opening 25 on the inner peripheral surface 27A side of the lamp insertion opening 25A in order to easily and securely fit the socket plug S. Represent

With such a structure that the height of the fitting portion 30 (30A) is constant, when the socket plug S is fitted into the case 10, the inner surface of the groove P on the outer peripheral surface of the socket plug S and the case. The socket plug S is firmly fixed without forming a gap between the fitting portions 30 (30A) of the ten. Therefore, sufficient fittability of the socket plug S and the case 10 can be ensured, and the lamp E mounted on the socket plug S can be easily and reliably accommodated and held in the case 10.

Further, in this case 10, FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a solid mounting portion 40 is formed in the vicinity of an end opposite to the end where the projecting piece 24 is provided, and a mounting hole 41 is formed through the mounting portion 40. Has been done. If the mounting portion 40 is thus solid, the mounting portion 4 is
Since the rigidity (strength) of 0 can be increased, Case 1
The lens portion 11 and the case body portion 21 near the end of 0.
Even if the space is hollow, when the screw is inserted into the mounting hole 41 and screwed to the vehicle body, the vicinity of the mounting hole 41 is not deformed or damaged, and the case 10 can be securely mounted to the vehicle body. You can Further, the mounting portion 40 is the lens portion 1.
Case 1 is recessed on the side 1 to form a screw housing recess.
It is possible to prevent a screw or the like from protruding from the surface 11b of the lens portion 11 and impairing the external appearance when the vehicle body of 0 is attached to the vehicle body.

The solid mounting portion 40 can be easily molded by sandwiching a predetermined portion (end portion) of the parison with a blow molding die and crimping it during blow molding.
1 can be formed by making a through hole in the solid mounting portion 40 with a drill or the like. Although not shown, when the projecting piece 24 is not formed at one end of the case 10, the mounting portion 40 and the mounting hole 41 are formed at both ends.

Although the case of the license plate lamp has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is also applied to the case of other outdoor lamps such as a turn signal lamp.

[0026]

As shown and described above, the case of the outdoor lamp for a vehicle of the present invention has a structure in which the lens portion and the case body portion are integrally formed by blow molding. It is possible to significantly reduce the number of parts as compared with a conventional product in which a plurality of members are assembled and integrated, and it is possible to omit the complicated assembly work of each member as in the conventional product. As a result, the manufacturing cost and the number of manufacturing steps can be significantly reduced. Further, in the product of the present invention having this integral structure, since there is no bonded part, it is possible to ensure a very high airtightness, and unlike the conventional product, rain or the like can be removed from between the lens part and the case body part inside the case. It is possible to solve the problem that the lens part gets cloudy due to entering the.

Further, according to the present invention, the height of the fitting portion formed between the outer surface and the inner surface of the peripheral edge of the lamp mounting opening is set by the bent inner peripheral wall formed on the peripheral edge of the lamp mounting opening, or by the lamp insertion opening. By the step formed on the outer surface of the peripheral edge of the part,
Since it is almost constant along the circumference of the lamp insertion opening, even if there is a deviation in the wall thickness around the lamp insertion opening during blow molding, a secure fit between the socket plug and the lamp case can be obtained. .

Further, when the mounting portion is solid and the mounting hole is formed through the mounting portion as in the third aspect of the present invention, the rigidity of the mounting portion ( Strength), and the lamp case can be securely attached to the vehicle body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a case of a vehicle license plate lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the case.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of FIG.

4 is a transverse sectional view showing a section 4-4 in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of a case of a vehicle license plate lamp according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a case of a vehicle license plate lamp made of a blow-molded product shown as a reference example.

7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main parts of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a rear surface of a general automobile.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a structure of a conventional vehicle license plate lamp.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a case of a conventional vehicle license plate lamp.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Case of vehicle outdoor lamp 11 Lens portion 11a Lens inner surface 21,21A Case body portion 23 Wall surface of case body portion 25, 25A Lamp insertion opening 26, 26A Peripheral outer surface of lamp insertion opening 27, 27A Lamp insertion opening Inner edge of inner surface 30, 30A Fitting portion 31 Bent inner peripheral wall 31A formed from outer edge of outer edge of lamp insertion opening 31A Step portion formed on outer edge of outer edge of lamp insertion opening 40 Attachment portion 41 Attachment hole E Lamp S lamp Socket plug for

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI // B29K 69:00 B29L 31:30 B29L 31:30 F21Q 1/00 L (72) Inventor Kunihiko Ogawa Toicho Fujii-cho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture 8 Address 1 Incorporated company Inoac Corporation Sakurai Office (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Watanabe Toicho Fujii-cho, Anjo City, Aichi Pref. 8 Incorporated company Inoac Corporation Sakurai Office (72) Inventor Hiroshi Shibata Fujii-cho, Anjo City Aichi Prefecture Previous 8 1 Incorporated company Inoac Corporation Sakurai Plant (72) Inventor Shoji Ado 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota-shi, Aichi Toyota Automobile Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takayoshi Goto 500 Kitawaki, Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka Koito Manufacturing Shizuoka Factory (56) References Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-203239 (JP, A) Actual Development 1-79207 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F21S 8 / 10 F21V 19/00 B60Q 1/00-1/56

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transparent plate-shaped lens portion and a case main body portion that covers one side of the lens portion and accommodates and holds a lamp that is inserted into a wall through a lamp insertion opening in a space between the lens portion and the lens body. The lamp insertion opening is formed with a thin wall thickness as it goes away from the lens portion, and the portion between the outer surface and the inner surface of the lamp insertion opening is a lamp socket plug. A bent inner peripheral wall that is a fitting portion for the groove of the outer peripheral surface of the lamp and that makes the height of the fitting portion substantially constant along the periphery of the lamp insertion opening, from the outer surface side of the peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening. A case for an outdoor lamp for a vehicle, wherein at least a part of a peripheral edge of the lamp insertion opening is bent toward the inside of the insertion opening. 2. A transparent plate-shaped lens portion and a case main body portion which covers one side of the lens portion and accommodates and holds a lamp to be inserted into the inside from a lamp insertion opening portion of a wall surface in a space between the lens portion and the case portion. The lamp insertion opening is formed with a thin wall thickness at the periphery of the lamp insertion opening as it moves away from the lens portion, and the portion between the outer and inner edges of the lamp insertion opening is a socket socket for a lamp. A step portion that is a fitting portion for the groove of the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion and that makes the height of the fitting portion substantially constant along the periphery of the lamp insertion opening is provided on at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the lamp insertion opening. A case of an outdoor lamp for a vehicle, which is formed. 3. The solid mounting portion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a solid mounting portion is formed near at least one end portion of the lens portion and the case main body portion, and a mounting hole is formed through the mounting portion. Case for outdoor lamps for vehicles.