JP7837896B2 - Outer mirrors - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an exterior mirror for a vehicle.

Conventionally, outer mirrors are known that house lamps for emitting light, such as side turn signal lamps, footwell lamps, and daytime running lamps, as well as lamps for illuminating various indicators, such as blind spot monitors and obstacle warning indicators.
For example, in Patent Document 1, the side turn signal lamp and the daytime running lamp are housed in the outer mirror with a partition between them. Also, in Patent Document 2, the footwell lamp or side turn signal lamp and the obstacle warning indicator or blind spot monitor are configured using a common light guide.

Lamps housed in outer mirrors are often installed in a sealed state, with the light-emitting part and light guide contained within an internal space defined by the housing and lens. For example, in Patent Document 1, a multi-functional lamp is housed within a lamp chamber space defined by the lamp body and front lens. In Patent Document 3, the light source and light guide of a turn signal lamp are housed within a space enclosed by the base housing and a lens portion covering the front part of the inner housing.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-164908 (Japanese Patent No. 4413764) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-27844 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-226755 (Japanese Patent No. 4733064)

However, conventional outer mirrors that house multiple lamps require the placement of multiple lamps in a limited space. Furthermore, light from each lamp can leak from the illuminated areas of other lamps, reducing visibility in each area. This necessitates a complex internal light-shielding structure, resulting in a large number of parts and a complex overall structure.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an outer mirror that allows for the illumination of multiple lighting areas provided on the cover and visor body, thereby improving the visibility of the illuminated areas during use while simplifying the structure.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an outer mirror comprising a visor body, a cover portion covering one side of the visor body, and a first lamp and a second lamp positioned between the visor body and the cover portion. The first lamp emits light from a first illumination area provided in the cover portion, and the second lamp emits light from a second illumination area provided in the visor body. The outer mirror is characterized by comprising a shade that divides the space between the cover portion and the visor body into a first illumination area side and a visor body side. A first light-emitting portion of the first lamp and a first light guide that guides and emits the light from the first light-emitting portion to the first illumination area are positioned on the first illumination area side of the shade, while a second light-emitting portion of the second lamp and a second light guide that guides and emits the light from the second light-emitting portion to the second illumination area are positioned on the visor body side of the shade.

In the other configurations of the outer mirror described above, the shade may be provided larger than the first illumination area, and the entire first illumination area may be covered by the shade, spaced apart from the inside. Alternatively, the shade may be provided larger than the second illumination area, and the entire second illumination area may be covered by the shade, spaced apart from the inside. Furthermore, the first light guide, the second light guide, and the shade may be arranged side-by-side as a single unit.

According to the outer mirror of the present invention, the space between the cover and the visor body is partitioned by a shade, the first light-emitting part and the first light guide of the first lamp are arranged on the first illumination area side of the shade, and the second light-emitting part and the second light guide of the second lamp are arranged on the visor body side of the shade. By making the shade a simple shape to partition the space between the cover and the visor body in this way, and by arranging the parts of the first lamp and the parts of the second lamp separately on one side and the other side of the shade, the internal structure of the outer mirror housing multiple lamps can be simplified. Furthermore, by positioning the first lamp, which emits light from the first lighting area, on the first lighting area side of the cover portion relative to the shade, and the second lamp, which emits light from the second lighting area of the visor body, on the visor body side relative to the shade, it is possible to easily and sufficiently block light from the first lighting area side of the cover portion and the second lighting area side of the visor body. This prevents light from one of the first and second lamps from leaking internally to the other and being visible from the other lighting area, or from the lights mixing, thereby improving visibility.
Therefore, according to the present invention, multiple lighting areas provided on the cover and visor body can be illuminated, improving the visibility of the lighting areas during use while simplifying the structure.

In the present invention, if the shade is provided to be larger than the first lighting area, and the entire first lighting area is covered by the shade at a distance from the inside, the first lighting area can be reliably shielded from the light of the second lamp, and the first lamp and the second lamp can be easily arranged in the space between the cover and the visor body.
On the other hand, even if the shade is provided to be larger than the second lighting area, and the entire second lighting area is covered by this shade at a distance from the inside, the second lighting area can be reliably shielded from the light of the first lamp, so that the first lamp and the second lamp can be easily positioned in the space between the cover and the visor body.

In this invention, if the first and second light guides are arranged side-by-side with a shade in between, it is easier to shield the first and second light guides from light, preventing light leakage between the first and second lamps. In particular, if the first and second light guides and the shade are integrally arranged side-by-side, the first and second light guides can be reliably shielded from light, reliably preventing light leakage between the first and second lamps. Furthermore, because the number of parts can be reduced, the first and second lamps can be easily mounted in the space between the cover and the visor body.

This image shows an outer mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view from the driver's side and (b) is a perspective view from the outside of the vehicle. This is a partial cross-sectional view of an outer mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of an outer mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the cross-section along line A-A in Figure 2. This is an exploded perspective view showing an assembly of a side turn signal lamp, blind spot monitor, shade, etc., which are arranged in an outer mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention, in a disassembled state.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures. In each figure, F indicates the front of the vehicle, R the rear of the vehicle, U the upper part of the vehicle, D the lower part, Wout the outer part in the vehicle width direction, and Win the inner part in the vehicle width direction. This embodiment is an example of an outer mirror in which a side turn signal lamp as the first lamp and a blind spot monitor as the second lamp are housed.

Figures 1(a) and 1(b) show the outer mirror according to this embodiment.
The outer mirror 10 of this embodiment includes a visor body 11, a cover portion 12 that covers one side of the visor body 11, a mirror member 13 mounted on the other side of the visor body 11, a side turn signal lamp 20 mounted on the under cover 12b of the cover portion 12 that emits light from a first illumination area 21 of the cover portion 12 toward the outside of the vehicle, and a blind spot monitor 30 mounted on the under cover 12b of the cover portion 12 together with the side turn signal lamp 20 that illuminates a second illumination area 31 provided on the visor body 11 toward the inside of the vehicle. Here, the outside of the vehicle is the direction that is diagonally outward from the front of the vehicle F, the outside in the vehicle width direction Wout, and the rear of the vehicle R when the vehicle is in motion, and the inside of the vehicle is the direction that is diagonally inward from the inside in the vehicle width direction Win and the rear of the vehicle R.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the visor body 11 is mounted on a mounting portion (not shown) that protrudes from the vehicle door, and one surface and the other surface are each provided in a three-dimensional shape. A rim 11a is provided around the mirror member 13, protruding from the mirror surface toward the rear R of the vehicle and surrounding the periphery of the mirror member 13. A second illumination area 31, consisting of the opening of the blind spot monitor 30, is provided at the same height as the first illumination area 21 of the side turn signal lamp 20, at a position visible from the passenger compartment side of the rim 11a.

The cover portion 12 covers one side of the visor body 11 to form an internal space, and its outer surface exhibits various design shapes. In this embodiment, the cover portion 12 has an upper cover 12a and an under cover 12b, and the under cover 12b is provided with a first illumination area 21 consisting of an opening for the side turn signal lamp 20.

In the internal space between the cover portion 12 and the visor body 11, the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 are arranged together with the shade 40. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the side turn signal lamp 20, the blind spot monitor 30, and the shade 40 are arranged as an integrated assembly.

The shade 40 is formed of a light-shielding material that does not transmit light and has a curved plate shape that follows the first lighting area 21 of the cover portion 12. The shade 40 of this embodiment consists of the light guides 23 and 33 of the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30, which will be described later, and a two-color molded resin layer.
The shade 40 is provided to be larger than the first lighting area 21 and is positioned roughly along the first lighting area 21 so as to face it at a position spaced apart from the first lighting area 21, so that the entire first lighting area 21 is covered from the inside by the shade 40. At the same time, since the shade 40 is provided to be larger than the second lighting area 31, by being positioned at a position spaced apart from the second lighting area 31, the entire second lighting area 31 is covered from the inside by the shade 40. In this embodiment, the rear end of the shade 40 is positioned inside the rim 11a of the visor body 11 so as to reliably block light between the first lighting area 21 of the cover portion 12 and the second lighting area 31 of the rim 11a.

Fixing pieces 41 are provided on the upper and lower edges of the shade 40, allowing them to be fixed near the first illumination area 21 of the cover portion 12. These fixing pieces 41 support the entire structure—the side turn signal lamp 20, the blind spot monitor 30, and the shade 40—from the under cover 12b of the cover portion 12.

The side turn signal lamp 20, mounted on the first illumination area 21 side of the shade 40, includes a first light-emitting section 22 and a first light guide 23 that guides and emits the light from the first light-emitting section 22 to the first illumination area 21.
The blind spot monitor 30, which is attached to the visor body 11 side of the shade 40, has a second light-emitting unit 32 and a second light guide 33 that guides the light from the second light-emitting unit 32 to the second illuminated area 31 and emits it.

The first light-emitting section 22 of the side turn signal lamp 20 and the second light-emitting section 32 of the blind spot monitor 30 are mounted on a single common circuit board 24 used for both. The first light source 25, consisting of LEDs for the side turn signal lamp 20, is mounted on the first illumination area 21 side of the common circuit board 24, while the second light source 35, consisting of LEDs for the blind spot monitor 30, is mounted on the visor body side of the common circuit board 24. The common circuit board 24 is provided with circuits for illuminating the first light source 25 and the second light source 35, and connection terminals 24a are provided on the rear side.

The first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32 are housed in the housing 42 together with the first light guide 23 and the first incident section 23a and the second incident section 33a of the second light guide 33, which will be described later, and are sealed in a liquid-tight manner. The housing 42 will be described later.

The first light guide 23 of the side turn signal lamp 20 is formed in a roughly curved, rod-like shape that follows the under cover 12b of the cover portion 12. A first incident portion 23a is provided on one end of the first light guide 23 in the longitudinal direction, into which light from the first light-emitting portion 22 enters. The entire convex side surface is exposed to the outside and positioned in the first illumination area 21 of the under cover 12b of the cover portion 12, forming a first emission portion 23b that emits light from the first incident portion 23a to the outside.

The second light guide 33 of the blind spot monitor 30 is formed in a roughly curved rod shape along the first light guide 23. A second incident portion 33a is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction, into which light from the second light-emitting portion 32 enters. The other end is positioned at the tip of the rim 11a of the visor body 11, exposed to the outside, and constitutes a second emission portion 33b that emits light from the second incident portion 33a to the outside.

The first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 are made of transparent resin and are arranged side by side with a light-shielding shade 40 in between. In this embodiment, the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 are arranged side by side integrally with the shade 40 made of light-shielding resin, and the first light guide 23, the second light guide 33 and the shade 40 are formed by two-color molding of transparent resin and light-shielding resin.
The first incident portion 23a and the second incident portion 33a are formed with a concave tip and are provided with a first incident surface 23c and a second incident surface 33c facing the first light source 25 or the second light source 35, and a projection 23d surrounding the first incident surface 23c and the second incident surface 33c. The projection 23d is sized to surround and accommodate the common substrate 24. The end of the shade 40 may be in contact with the common substrate 24 when the common substrate 24 is accommodated in the projection 23d.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the first incident portion 23a and the second incident portion 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 are housed together in the housing 42 with the first light-emitting portion 22 and the second light-emitting portion 32 and are sealed in a liquid-tight manner.
The housing 42 has a base portion 42a for stably positioning the common substrate 24, and an annular wall 42b that protrudes from the base portion 42a so as to surround the sides of the first incident portion 23a and the second incident portion 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33.

With the first light guide 23, the second light guide 33, and the shade 40 integrated, the housing 42 is attached to the end, and an annular sealing member 43 is positioned between the side circumferences of the first and second incident portions 23a and 33a and the annular wall 42b, thereby ensuring that the first light-emitting portion 22 and the second light-emitting portion 32 are liquid-tightly sealed together with the first and second incident portions 23a and 33a.

In the outer mirror 10 having this configuration, when the side turn signal lamp 20 is flashed by operating the turn signal while the vehicle is in motion, the light emitted from the first light source 25 is guided by the first light guide 23, and the light is directly emitted to the outside from the first emission part 23b in the first illumination area 21 provided in the cover part 12. At that time, the light from the first light source 25 does not leak and the blind spot monitor 30 does not illuminate.

Furthermore, while the vehicle is in motion, if another vehicle approaches from the rear of the vehicle's outer side (Wout) when the turn signal is operated, the blind spot monitor 30 illuminates. Light emitted from the second light source 35 is guided by the second light guide 33, and the light is directly emitted to the outside from the second emission unit 33b in the second illumination area 31 provided on the rim 11a of the visor body 11. At this time, light from the second light source 35 does not leak and illuminate the side turn signal lamp 20.

As described above, with the outer mirror 10 of this embodiment, the side turn signal lamp 20, the first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32 of the blind spot monitor 30, and the first incident section 23a and the second incident section 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 are housed in the housing 42 and sealed liquid-tightly. Therefore, the first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32 are not exposed to the outside air, ensuring sufficient waterproofing. Furthermore, outside air cannot enter between the first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32 and the first incident section 23a and the second incident section 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33, preventing attenuation of light incident from the first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32 to the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 due to water droplets, dust, etc.

Therefore, it is not necessary to house the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 in a sealed space using light-transmitting members such as lenses, thus simplifying the configuration. Furthermore, the light-transmitting members and light guide paths will not become cloudy due to moisture or dust entering the sealed space during use, and a stable and sufficient amount of light can be emitted from the first lighting area 21 and the second lighting area 31.
Therefore, according to the outer mirror 10 of this embodiment, the first illumination area 21 and the second illumination area 31 of the cover portion 12 or visor body 11 can be illuminated, the visibility of the first illumination area 21 and the second illumination area 31 during use is stably improved, and the structure can be simplified.

Furthermore, because the first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32, and the first incident section 23a and the second incident section 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 are liquid-tightly sealed, the respective emission sections 23b and 33b of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 can be exposed to the outside and positioned in the first and second lighting areas 21 and 31. Therefore, light from the first light-emitting section 22 and the second light-emitting section 32 can be directly emitted to the outside. As a result, the light is not attenuated by light-transmitting members such as lenses, increasing the amount of light emitted to the outside and further improving visibility when the first and second lighting areas 21 and 31 are illuminated.

Furthermore, according to the outer mirror 10 of this embodiment, the housing 42 has an annular wall 42b surrounding the side periphery of the first and second incident portions 23a, 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33, and the space between the side periphery of the first and second incident portions 23a, 33a and the annular wall 42b is sealed by the sealing member 43. Therefore, the sealing structure of the first light-emitting portion 22, the second light-emitting portion 32, and the first incident portion 23a and the second incident portion 33a of the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 can be realized with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, according to the outer mirror 10 of this embodiment, the space between the cover portion 12 and the visor body 11 is partitioned by the shade 40, the first light-emitting portion 22 and the first light guide 23 of the side turn signal lamp 20 are positioned on the first illumination area 21 side of the shade 40, and the second light-emitting portion 32 and the second light guide 33 of the blind spot monitor 30 are positioned on the visor body 11 side of the shade 40.
Therefore, the shade 40 can be made into a simple shape to partition the space between the cover portion 12 and the visor body 11. Furthermore, by arranging the various parts of the side turn signal lamp 20 and the various parts of the blind spot monitor 30 separately on one side and the other side of the shade 40, the internal structure of the outer mirror 10, which houses multiple lamps, can be simplified.
Furthermore, since the side turn signal lamp 20, which emits light from the first lighting area 21, is positioned on the first lighting area 21 side of the cover portion 12 from the shade 40, and the blind spot monitor 30, which emits light from the second lighting area 31 of the visor body 11, is positioned on the visor body 11 side of the shade 40, the first lighting area 21 side of the cover portion 12 and the second lighting area 31 side of the visor body 11 can be easily and sufficiently shielded from light. This prevents light from leaking from the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 into the other, making them visible from the other lighting area, or causing the lights to mix, thus improving visibility. As a result, according to this embodiment, in an outer mirror 10 capable of lighting the first and second lighting areas 21 and 31 provided in the cover portion 12 and the visor body 11, it is possible to simplify the structure while improving the visibility of each lighting area 21 and 31.

Furthermore, according to the outer mirror 10 of this embodiment, the shade 40 is provided to be larger than the first lighting area 21, and the entire first lighting area 21 is covered by the shade 40 at a distance from the inside, so the first lighting area 21 can be reliably shielded from the light of the blind spot monitor 30. At the same time, the shade 40 is provided to be larger than the second lighting area 31, and the shade 40 is positioned at a distance from the second lighting area 31, so the entire second lighting area 31 is covered by the shade 40 at a distance from the inside, so the second lighting area 31 can be reliably shielded from the light of the side turn signal lamp 20.
Therefore, the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 can be easily positioned in the space between the cover portion 12 and the visor body 11.

Furthermore, in the outer mirror 10 of this embodiment, since the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 are arranged side by side via the shade 40, it is easy to shield the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 from light, preventing light leakage between the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30. In this embodiment, since the first light guide 23, the second light guide 33, and the shade 40 are integrally arranged side by side, the first light guide 23 and the second light guide 33 can be reliably shielded from light, and light leakage between the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 is reliably prevented. Moreover, since the number of parts can be reduced, it is easy to mount the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 in the space between the cover portion 12 and the visor body 11.

The above embodiments can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, although the above description describes an example in which the first lamp and second lamp house a side turn signal lamp 20 and a blind spot monitor 30, the invention is not particularly limited. For example, footwell lamps, daytime running lamps, obstacle warning indicators, etc., may also be used. Furthermore, the lamps housed in the outer mirror 10 may be one type or three or more types. For example, the present invention can be applied even to an outer mirror 10 in which only the side turn signal lamp 20 is housed.
In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the light guides 23, 33 of the side turn signal lamp 20 and the blind spot monitor 30 and the shade 40 are integrally molded in two colors. However, they may also be provided on separate components and joined together.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first emission portion 23b of the side turn signal lamp 20 located in the first lighting area 21 and the second emission portion 33b of the blind spot monitor 30 located in the second lighting area 31 are arranged in a state where they are directly exposed to the outside. However, the present invention can also be applied even if one or both of the emission portions 23b, 33b are covered by a light-transmitting member such as a lens.
Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example in which the shade 40 is supported by the under cover 12b, the shade 40 may also be supported by the visor body 11, and the support position of the shade 40 is not particularly limited. Moreover, it is also possible to form the shade 40 integrally with the cover portion 12 or the visor body 11.

10 Outer mirror 11 Visor body 11a Rim 12 Cover part 12a Upper cover 12b Under cover 13 Mirror member 20 Side turn signal lamp 21 First lighting area 22 First light-emitting part 23 First light guide 23a First incident part 23b First emission part 23c First incident surface 23d Protruding part 24 Common substrate 24a Terminal 25 First light source 30 Blind spot monitor 31 Second lighting area 32 Second light-emitting part 33 Second light guide 33a Second incident part 33b Second emission part 33c Second incident surface 35 Second light source 40 Shade 41 Fixing piece 42 Housing 42a Base part 42b Annular wall 43 Seal member

Claims (5)

An outer mirror comprising a visor body, a cover portion covering one side of the visor body, and a first lamp and a second lamp positioned between the visor body and the cover portion, wherein the first lamp emits light from a first illumination area provided on the cover portion, and the second lamp emits light from a second illumination area provided on the visor body,
The space between the cover portion and the visor body is divided into the first lighting area side and the visor body side by a shade,
The first light-emitting part of the first lamp and the first light guide that guides and emits the light from the first light-emitting part to the first lighting area are arranged on the side of the shade toward the first lighting area.
An outer mirror wherein the second light-emitting part of the second lamp and the second light guide body which guides the light from the second light-emitting part to the second illuminated area and emits it are arranged on the visor body side of the shade. The outer mirror according to claim 1, wherein the shade is provided to be larger than the first illumination area, and the entire first illumination area is covered by the shade, spaced apart from the inside. The outer mirror according to claim 1, wherein the shade is provided to be larger than the second illumination area, and the entire second illumination area is covered by the shade, spaced apart from the inside. The outer mirror according to claim 1, wherein the first light guide and the second light guide are arranged side by side with respect to the shade. The outer mirror according to claim 4, wherein the first light guide, the second light guide, and the shade are arranged in a single, parallel configuration.