JP7484241B2 - Vehicle lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp.

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that includes a housing, a light-transmitting member that forms a space together with the housing, and a sensor that is disposed within the space and acquires external information from the light-transmitting member. According to this configuration, the light of the sensor passes through the light-transmitting member and is irradiated onto a predetermined area outside the vehicle, and the return light reflected by the irradiated object passes through the light-transmitting member and is detected by the sensor.

Patent document 2 discloses a vehicle lamp that includes a lens, a light emitting unit, and a heater capable of generating heat. With this configuration, if snow or the like adheres to the lens, the heat of the heater melts the snow or the like, thereby ensuring the illumination function of the light emitting unit.

JP 2018-129266 A JP 2007-242291 A

The control unit of the automobile controls the vehicle to issue warnings, displays, etc. based on the detection results of the various sensors. The detection results of the sensors can also be used for future autonomous driving. Therefore, when the configuration of Patent Document 1 is applied to a vehicle, if snow or the like adheres to the translucent member (cover member), the detection function of the sensor may be reduced due to the detection of snow or the like, which may cause problems in controlling the sensor.
Furthermore, although Patent Document 2 discloses a heater, it does not disclose a configuration in which a heater is applied to a lens in the emission direction of an electromagnetic wave of a sensor.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a vehicle lamp that can suppress the phenomenon in which the detection function of a sensor is reduced due to the adhesion of snow or the like to a cover member.

In order to solve such problems , the vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises: an illumination unit provided on a vehicle for emitting light to the outside that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern; a sensor provided on the vehicle for acquiring information about the outside; and a cover member provided in front of the illumination unit and the sensor, the cover member comprising a conductive film arranged with a predetermined gap and having an electrically conductive portion that functions as a heater when energized, the gap being of a size that enables the sensor to acquire information from the outside in a first projection range along the emission direction of the electromagnetic wave of the sensor, the conductive film being arranged in the first projection range provided for passing the electromagnetic wave of the sensor, a second projection range that is a range other than the first projection range and is provided for passing the light of the illumination unit, and a surrounding range that is a range around the first projection range and the second projection range, the gap in the first projection range being set larger than the gap in the second projection range and the gap in the surrounding range, and the gap in the surrounding range being set smaller than the gap in the second projection range .

According to the vehicle lamp of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon in which the detection function of the sensor is reduced due to the adhesion of snow or the like to the cover member.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2B is a rear view of a first cover portion and a conductive film; (a) is an enlarged rear view of a conductive film, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing the emission state of electromagnetic waves. (a) is a perspective view of a resin plate material treated with a conductive film; (b) is a perspective view of a resin plate material cut to the size of a first cover part and a conductive film treated thereon; (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state before the resin plate material and the conductive film are vacuum-formed by a vacuum forming machine; (d) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state after the resin plate material and the conductive film are vacuum-formed by a vacuum forming machine. (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state before injection molding is performed by an injection molding machine to integrally mold the second cover part into the configuration of the first cover part and the conductive film; (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first cover part and the conductive film are inserted into two molds of the injection molding machine; and (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which resin is injected to integrally mold the second cover part into the first cover part with the first cover part and the conductive film inserted into the two molds of the injection molding machine. 1A is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration before a film treated with a conductive film is attached to a first cover portion according to a comparative example; FIG. 1B is a back view of the first cover portion and the conductive film according to the comparative example;

The present invention will be described below in accordance with a preferred embodiment. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiment described below, some configurations are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are used as appropriate for the details of the omitted technologies, within the scope of not causing any contradiction with the contents described below.

[Vehicle lighting fixtures]
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a rear view of a first cover portion 31a and a conductive film 32. The vehicle lamp 10 (sensor device) will be described below using a vehicle lamp on the right front side of a vehicle body as an example. As shown in FIG. 1A, the vehicle lamp 10 includes a resin housing 20, high beam irradiation units 41, 42 (irradiation units) and low beam irradiation units 51, 52 (irradiation units) housed in the housing 20, a sensor 60 housed in the housing 20, and a cover member 30 that forms a housing together with the housing 20. The vehicle lamp 10 also includes a controller 70 (control unit) and an environmental sensor 75.

[housing]
The housing 20 accommodates therein the high beam irradiation units 41, 42, the low beam irradiation units 51, 52, and the sensor 60. By attaching the cover member 30 to the opening of the housing 20, a sealed room is formed inside the housing 20 and the cover member 30.

[High beam irradiation section and low beam irradiation section]
The high beam irradiation units 41, 42 and the low beam irradiation units 51, 52 are provided in a vehicle (not shown) for irradiating light to the outside to form a predetermined light distribution pattern, and each includes a light source (not shown) and a substrate (not shown) having a light-emitting surface for emitting light. The light source is, for example, a self-luminous semiconductor light source such as an LED, an OEL, or an OLED (organic electroluminescence), and is mounted on the substrate.

[Sensor]
The sensor 60 is provided in a vehicle (not shown) to acquire external information. The sensor 60 is disposed between the high beam irradiation unit 42 and the low beam irradiation unit 51. The sensor 60 is disposed so as to face the inner surface of the cover member 30. For example, a 3D-LiDAR is used as the sensor 60. This sensor 60 emits light (a type of electromagnetic wave), receives the returned light with a receiver, and calculates the distance from the time difference. This allows detection of surrounding objects and estimation of the vehicle's position, which estimates where the vehicle is located on the map.

[Cover member]
The cover member 30 is a member that is disposed in the emission direction of the electromagnetic waves L of the high beam irradiators 41, 42, the low beam irradiators 51, 52, and the sensor 60. The cover member 30 has a cover body 31 and a conductive film 32.

[Cover body]
The cover body 31 has a first cover portion 31a and a second cover portion 31b. The first cover portion 31a is formed of a lens made of resin, such as polycarbonate (PC) material or acrylic resin (PMMA) material. Such materials are used because they have high weather resistance against sunlight. The thickness of the cover body 31 is set to be approximately uniform. The second cover portion 31b is a portion that is integrally molded with the cover body 31 around the periphery of the cover body 31.

[Conductive film]
The conductive film 32 is formed directly on the back surface of the first cover portion 31a of the cover body 31. That is, the conductive film 32 is not formed on the film 130, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 5(a), and the film 130 on which the conductive film 32 is formed is attached to the first cover portion 31a of the cover body 31, but the conductive film 32 is formed directly on the first cover portion 31a of the cover body 31 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3(a). Since the cover body 31 has high weather resistance, by disposing the conductive film 32 on the inside of the cover body 31, the conductive film 32 is prevented from being damaged or degraded by sunlight. In addition, the conductive film 32 is exposed on the back surface side (inside the vehicle) of the cover body 31.

Figure 2(a) is an enlarged schematic diagram of the conductive film 32. The conductive film 32 may have a lattice pattern (mesh pattern). The conductive film 32 is formed by arranging a number of linear portions 33 (conductive portions) with a certain gap 34 between them. The linear portions 33 function as heaters when energized, and are used to melt snow adhering to the cover body 31. The gap 34 is an inner area surrounded by the linear portions 33. The conductive film 32 has a first projection range A, a second projection range B, and a surrounding range C.

The first projection range A (range surrounded by a dotted line) is a range provided to allow electromagnetic waves from the sensor 60 to pass through. The second projection range B (range surrounded by a dotted line) is a range provided to allow light from the high beam irradiation units 41, 42 and the low beam irradiation units 51, 52 to pass through. The surrounding range C is a range surrounding the first projection range A and the second projection range B.

For example, the gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the first projection range A are set larger than the gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the second projection range B in order to function as a portion (information acquisition area) that can acquire information from the outside better. The gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the second projection range B are set larger than the gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the surrounding range C in order to set the light transmittance higher. The gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the surrounding range C are set smaller than the first projection range A and the second projection range B. In this way, the gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the first projection range A along the emission direction of the electromagnetic wave of the sensor 60 are set larger than the gaps 34 of the conductive film 32 in the second projection range B and the surrounding range C, which are ranges other than the first projection range A.

Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing the emission state of the electromagnetic wave L. As shown in Figure 2(b), the electromagnetic wave L of the sensor 60 passes between the linear portions 33 (i.e., the gap 34) and is emitted through the cover body 31. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave L is emitted through the large gap 34, which reduces the amount of electromagnetic wave L blocked by the linear portions 33. As a result, the electromagnetic wave L is emitted to the outside in an optimal manner, and the deterioration of the detection function of the sensor 60 caused by the provision of the linear portions 33 can be reduced.

In contrast, the gap 34 of the conductive film 32 is set small in the second projection range B and the surrounding range C outside the emission direction of the electromagnetic wave L of the sensor 60 in order to melt the snow efficiently.

Next, a manufacturing method of the vehicle lamp 10 will be described. Figures 3 and 4 are process diagrams showing the molding process of the first cover part 31a and the conductive film 32. First, as shown in Figure 3(a), a resin plate material 90 of a predetermined thickness on which the conductive film 32 is processed is prepared. Then, as shown in Figure 3(b), the resin plate material 90 is cut out to the size of the first cover part 31a (see Figure 1(b)). In the past, the conductive film 32 was formed on a film 130 as shown in Figure 5(a) described later, and the film 130 with the conductive film 32 was attached to the first cover part 31a, thereby forming a part of the cover body 31. However, in this embodiment, the conductive film 32 in Figure 3(a) is formed directly on the resin plate material 90, and a part of the cover body 31 is formed by the resin plate material 90 with the conductive film 32.

As shown in FIG. 3(c), the resin sheet 90 is placed on a vacuum forming die 80 of a vacuum forming machine (not shown) with the conductive film 32 disposed above it. The resin sheet 90 and the conductive film 32 are suctioned through suction holes 80a formed in the vacuum forming die 80. As shown in FIG. 3(d), after vacuum forming, the first cover portion 31a and the conductive film 32 form a curved surface.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the first cover part 31a and the conductive film 32 are inserted with the concave mold 110 and the convex mold 120 of the injection molding machine 100 open. At this time, the conductive film 32 is placed on the convex mold 120 side, and the first cover part 31a is placed on the concave mold 110 side. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the concave mold 110 is brought close to the first cover part 31a placed on the convex mold 120. The space between the convex mold 120 and the concave mold 110 is sealed, and a cavity 150 is formed. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(c), resin is injected into the cavity 150 from the injection hole 121 of the convex mold 120, and the resin is solidified to integrally mold the second cover part 31b with the first cover part 31a.

Next, the method of using the vehicle lamp 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1(a). For example, when the controller 70 determines that snow is falling based on the detection information of the environmental sensor 75 (temperature sensor/humidity sensor), it applies power to the conductive film 32. Then, the temperature of the conductive film 32 rises, and the conductive film 32 melts the snow on the front surface of the cover body 31.

At that time, the linear portion 33 of the second projection range B of the surrounding high beam irradiation parts 41, 42 and low beam irradiation parts 51, 52 is denser than the linear portion 33 of the first projection range A of the sensor 60 (because the gap 34 is smaller), so the efficiency of melting snow is higher in the second projection range B than in the first projection range A. Note that the sensor 60 is more important in driving than the irradiation parts (high beam irradiation parts 41, 42, low beam irradiation parts 51, 52) and is more necessary to function day and night. In particular, when the sensor 60 is used for automatic driving control, if accurate detection results are not always obtained, there is a possibility that it will lead directly to an accident, and it is considered to be more important than illuminating the outside with light. For this reason, the linear portion 33 of the first projection range A is formed coarsely rather than densely. On the contrary, the irradiation parts (high beam irradiation parts 41, 42, low beam irradiation parts 51, 52) are less important in driving than the sensor 60 and are less necessary to function during the day. For this reason, the linear portions 33 in the second projection range B are formed densely rather than coarsely to prioritize melting the snow.

In addition, the linear portions 33 in the surrounding area C of the high beam irradiation sections 41, 42 and the low beam irradiation sections 51, 52 are denser than the linear portions 33 in the second projection area B, so the peripheral area C is more efficient at melting snow than the second projection area B. Note that the linear portions 33 in the peripheral area C are formed denser than the linear portions 33 in the second projection area B because there is no need for them to transmit electromagnetic waves.

The sensor 60 irradiates light to an external object through the gap 34 in the conductive film 32 and detects the returning light. The high beam irradiators 41, 42 and the low beam irradiators 51, 52 irradiate light to the outside through the gap 34 in the conductive film 32.

As described above, the vehicle lamp 10 of this embodiment includes a sensor 60 that is installed in the vehicle to obtain external information, and a cover member 30 that is installed in front of the sensor 60. The cover member 30 includes a conductive film 32 having a plurality of linear portions 33 that are arranged with a predetermined gap 34 and function as a heater when electricity is applied, and the gap 34 is sized so that the sensor 60 can obtain information from the outside in the first projection range A along the emission direction of the electromagnetic wave L of the sensor 60. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon in which the detection function of the sensor 60 is reduced due to the adhesion of snow or the like to the cover member 30.

The gaps 34 in the conductive film 32 in the first projection range A along the emission direction of the electromagnetic wave L of the sensor 60 are set larger than the gaps 34 in the conductive film 32 in the second projection range B and the surrounding range C outside the first projection range A. With this configuration, the light of the sensor 60 can easily reach the object to be detected without being obstructed by the conductive film 32, and the returning light can also easily return.

The conductive film 32 is formed directly on the cover body 31. With this configuration, the conductive film 32 is formed on a film 130 (transparent film) and attached to the first cover part 31a as in the comparative example of Fig. 5(a), and the attachment trace 131 of the film 130 remaining on a part of the first cover part 31a as in the comparative example of Fig. 5(b) can be eliminated. This solves the problem of the appearance of the cover member 30 being marred by the attachment trace 131 of the film 130.
Furthermore, if film 130 were required as in FIG. 5A, additional costs would be incurred for film 130; however, according to the configuration of this embodiment, film 130 is not required, and therefore the cost of film 130 is unnecessary, thereby achieving cost reduction.
Furthermore, when configured as shown in Figure 5(a), two steps are required: a first step of forming the conductive film 32 on the film 130, and a second step of attaching the film 130 with the conductive film 32 formed thereon to the cover body 31. However, according to the configuration of this embodiment, only one step is required, in which the conductive film 32 is directly formed on the cover body 31, as shown in Figures 1 and 3(a), thereby reducing the amount of labor required.

The conductive film 32 is exposed on the back side (inside of the vehicle) of the cover member 30. With this configuration, the conductive film 32 of the cover member 30 is not covered, thereby reducing costs.

The gaps 34 in the conductive film 32 in the first projection range A along the direction of emission of the electromagnetic waves from the sensor 60 are set larger than the gaps 34 in the conductive film 32 in the second projection range B along the direction of emission of the light from the illumination units (high beam illumination units 41, 42, low beam illumination units 51, 52). With this configuration, the gaps 34 in the conductive film 32 in the first projection range A allow electromagnetic waves to pass through more efficiently than the gaps 34 in the conductive film 32 in the second projection range B. As a result, while melting snow in the first projection range A and the second projection range B, the sensor 60 in particular can obtain external information with high accuracy.

The above describes the vehicle lamp 10 of this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, the 3D-LiDAR was used as the sensor 60, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the sensor 60 may be a millimeter wave radar, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a camera, or the like. In the case of a millimeter wave radar as the sensor 60, for example, the sensor 60 has an antenna for transmitting radio waves and an antenna for receiving radio waves, and calculates the distance to the target from the difference between the radio waves transmitted at that time and the radio waves reflected by the target and returned. Since millimeter waves are radio waves rather than light, they can be detected regardless of brightness even in conditions where brightness changes rapidly, such as in a tunnel or when hit by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, and therefore may be used as a sensor to complement the 3D-LiDAR.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, a lattice-shaped conductive film 32 is used, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the conductive film 32 may have linear portions 33 in a straight line shape, a meandering line shape, or a honeycomb shape, as long as the gaps 34 are formed therein.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, when comparing the first projection range A and the second projection range B, the linear portions 33 are formed coarser and the gaps 34 are formed wider in the first projection range A, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the density of the linear portions 33 and the width of the gaps 34 may be set to be the same in the first projection range A and the second projection range B.

10 Vehicle lighting device (sensor device)
20 Housing 30 Cover member 31 Cover body 31a First cover portion 31b Second cover portion 32 Conductive film 33 Multiple linear portions (conductive portions)
34 Gap 41, 42 High beam irradiation section (irradiation section)
51, 52 Low beam irradiation unit (irradiation unit)
60 Sensor 70 Controller (control unit)
75 Environmental sensor 80 Vacuum forming mold 80a Suction hole 90 Resin sheet material 100 Injection molding machine 110 Concave mold 120 Convex mold 121 Injection hole 130 Film 131 Adhesive mark 150 Cavity A First projection range B Second projection range C Surrounding range L Electromagnetic wave

Claims (3)

an illumination unit provided in the vehicle for emitting light to form a predetermined light distribution pattern to the outside;
A sensor provided in the vehicle for acquiring external information;
A cover member provided in front of the irradiation unit and the sensor;
Equipped with
the cover member includes a conductive film having a current-carrying portion that is disposed with a predetermined gap therebetween and functions as a heater when current is applied thereto;
the gap is sized to enable the sensor to acquire information from the outside in a first projection range along an emission direction of an electromagnetic wave of the sensor ,
the conductive film is disposed in the first projection range provided to pass electromagnetic waves of the sensor, a second projection range that is a range other than the first projection range and is provided to pass light from the irradiation unit, and a surrounding range that is a range around the first projection range and the second projection range,
the gap in the first projection range is set larger than the gap in the second projection range and the gap in the surrounding range,
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the gap in the peripheral area is set smaller than the gap in the second projection area . The cover member has a cover body,
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive film is formed directly on the cover body. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2 , wherein the conductive film is exposed on a rear surface side of the cover member.

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