JP7522645B2 - Vehicle lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

A vehicle headlamp equipped with a lighting circuit unit for lighting a discharge bulb is known from Patent Document 1 and other publications.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-306424

In recent years, LEDs have been adopted as light sources, and vehicle lamps with complex shapes have been designed. As a result of the complicated shapes of vehicle lamps, particularly the shapes of the housings that form the lamp chambers, the waterproof performance that was previously sufficient has become a problem again.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp in which waterproofing of the electronic circuit is ensured even if water enters the lamp chamber.

A vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention includes a light source unit, a lamp body having a housing for accommodating the light source unit,
an ECU unit including an ECU electrically connected to the light source unit and a cover for accommodating the ECU;
a cable connecting the light source unit and the ECU;
The ECU unit is provided below the lamp body,
a lamp chamber in which the light source unit is accommodated and an accommodation chamber in which the ECU is accommodated are separated by a partition portion formed by at least one of the housing and the cover,
a through hole through which the cable is inserted is provided so as to penetrate the partition portion,
An upright wall portion is provided on an upper surface of the partition portion so as to extend toward the lamp chamber and surround the through hole.

The present invention provides a vehicle lamp that ensures that the electronic circuitry remains waterproof even if water enters the lamp chamber.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ECU unit.

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the description of the components having the same reference numbers as those already described in the description of this embodiment will be omitted. Also, for the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

In addition, for the sake of convenience, in the description of this embodiment, the "left-right direction," "front-rear direction," and "up-down direction" will be referred to as appropriate. These directions are the directions set for the vehicle when the vehicle lamp 200 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the vehicle. Here, the "up-down direction" includes the "upward direction" and the "downward direction." The "front-rear direction" includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction." The "left-right direction" includes the "leftward direction" and the "rightward direction."

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle lamp 200 has a lamp body 1, an ECU unit 100, and a cable 70.

<Lamp body>
The lamp body 1 has a housing 11, an outer cover 12, and a light source unit 10. The light source unit 10 is disposed in a lamp chamber S formed by the housing 11 and the outer cover 12. Light emitted from the light source unit 10 is emitted to the outside of the lamp chamber S via the outer cover 12. In the illustrated example, the light source unit 10 includes an optical unit 2, a shade mechanism 3, a leveling mechanism 4, and a swivel mechanism 5.

The optical unit 2 includes a light source 22, a reflector 23, a projection lens 24, and a base 21. The light source 22 is an element that emits light, such as an LED element or an LD element. The reflector 23 reflects the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection lens 24. The projection lens 24 refracts the light from the light source 22 and emits it outside the lamp chamber S. The light source 22, the reflector 23, and the projection lens 24 are fixed to the base 21.

The shade mechanism 3 includes a shielding member 32, a shade swing shaft 31 that swingably supports the shielding member 32, and a shade motor 33 that swings the shielding member 32. The shielding member 32 is disposed near the rear focal point of the projection lens 24, and forms a desired light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of the light incident on the projection lens 24. For example, when the shade motor 33 is operated to place the shielding member 32 in a position that blocks a portion of the light from the light source 22, a low beam light distribution pattern having a cutoff line is formed. When the shade motor 33 is operated to swing the shielding member 32 to a position where it does not block the light incident on the projection lens 24, a high beam light distribution pattern is formed. The shade swing shaft 31 and the shade motor 33 are also fixed to the base 21.

The swivel mechanism 5 is a mechanism for rotating the optical unit 2 in the horizontal direction. The swivel mechanism 5 has a swivel shaft 52 and a swivel motor 51. The swivel motor 51 rotates the swivel shaft 52 around a rotation axis that extends in the vertical direction. The swivel shaft 52 is fixed to the base 21 of the optical unit 2. When the swivel motor 51 is operated, the optical unit 2 rotates together with the base 21 in the horizontal direction.

The leveling mechanism 4 includes a leveling motor 41, a screw rod 42, a nut 43, and a support frame 44. The base of the optical unit 2 is connected to the support frame 44. The support frame 44 is rotatably attached to the housing 11 by a hinge shaft portion 45 extending horizontally. The leveling motor 41 rotates the screw rod 42. The screw rod 42 meshes with a nut 43 fixed to the support frame 44. The nut 43 is fixed to an upper portion of the support frame 44. The hinge shaft portion 45 is connected to a lower portion of the support frame 44.
When the leveling motor 41 is operated, the support frame 44 rotates about the hinge shaft portion 45 extending horizontally, whereby the optical axis Lx of the optical unit 2 can be moved in the vertical direction.

A first flat portion 13, a second flat portion 14, and a step portion 15 are provided at the bottom of the housing 11. The first flat portion 13 is located lower than the second flat portion 14. The first flat portion 13 and the second flat portion 14 are connected by the step portion 15.
A housing opening 16 is provided in the first flat portion 13. In addition, the housing opening 16, a first protrusion 17, and a second protrusion 18 are provided in the lower portion of the housing 11. The first protrusion 17 is a cylindrical portion that protrudes downward from the outer edge of the housing opening 16. The second protrusion 18 is a cylindrical portion that is provided on the outer periphery side of the first protrusion 17 and protrudes downward.

<ECU unit>
The ECU unit 100 includes an ECU 110 (Electronic Control Unit) electrically connected to the light source unit 10, and a cover 120 that houses the ECU 110. The ECU unit 100 and the light source unit 10 are connected by a cable 70. More specifically, the light source 22, the shade motor 33, the swivel motor 51, and the leveling motor 41 of the light source unit 10 are electrically connected to the ECU unit 100 by the corresponding cables 70, respectively.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the ECU unit 100. The ECU unit 100 is provided below the lamp body 1. The ECU 110 has an electronic circuit 111 and a board 112 on which the electronic circuit 111 is mounted. The cover 120 is composed of an upper cover 130 and a lower cover 140. The electronic circuit 111 controls and supplies current to each of the light source unit 10, shade motor 33, swivel motor 51, and leveling motor 41 described above.

The upper cover 130 has an upper cover main body 131 that extends horizontally and covers the upper surface of the substrate 112, an insertion tube portion 132 that protrudes upward from the upper cover main body portion 131, and an inner tube portion 133 that protrudes downward from the outer edge of the upper cover main body portion 131. The upper cover 130 is attached to the housing 11 so that the insertion tube portion 132 protrudes into the lamp chamber S from the housing opening 16. An O-ring 81 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the insertion tube portion 132 and the inner peripheral surface that forms the housing opening 16 (see Figure 1). This prevents water from entering the lamp chamber S between the housing opening 16 and the insertion tube portion 132.

The lower cover 140 has a lower cover main body 141 that extends horizontally and covers the underside of the substrate 112, and an outer tube 142 that protrudes upward from the lower cover main body 141. The outer tube 142 of the lower cover 140 is fitted watertight into the inner tube 133 of the upper cover 130. Between the combined lower cover 140 and upper cover 130, a storage chamber T is formed in which the ECU 110 is stored.

A lamp chamber S in which the light source unit 10 is accommodated and an accommodation chamber T in which the ECU 110 is accommodated are separated by a partition formed by at least one of the housing 11 and the cover 120. In the illustrated example, the lamp chamber S and the accommodation chamber T are separated by the first flat portion 13 of the housing 11 and the insertion tube portion 132 of the upper cover 130, and the first flat portion 13 of the housing 11 and the insertion tube portion 132 form the partition.
In this manner, the lamp chamber S of the lamp body 1 and the accommodation chamber T of the ECU unit 100 are separated. Therefore, for example, in the unlikely event that only the optical unit 10 of the lamp body 1 breaks down and the ECU 110 does not break down, it is possible to replace only the optical unit 10, thereby reducing replacement costs.

1 , the partition portion is provided with a through hole 82 that penetrates between the lamp chamber S and the accommodation chamber T. In the illustrated example, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube portion 132 of the upper cover 130 forms the through hole 82. The cable 70 passes through this through hole 82 to connect the light source unit 10 and the ECU 110.
On the upper surface of this partition, a standing wall portion (insertion tube portion 132) extending toward the lamp chamber S is provided so as to surround the through hole 82. In the illustrated example, the insertion tube portion 132 protrudes toward the lamp chamber S beyond the upper surface of the lower part of the housing 11. This insertion tube portion 132 surrounds the through hole 82.

In recent years, as symbolized by the term "wide and low," vehicle design has been increasingly placing vehicle lamps 200 such as headlamps, rear combination lamps, and turn signal lamps at the left and right ends of the vehicle or at the bottom of the vehicle. In addition, vehicle lamps 200 are also required to have complex shapes, such as small vertically, long horizontally, and curved. Furthermore, vehicle lamps 200 equipped with a large number of small light sources such as LEDs and LDs are also becoming long and thin. With this change in the shape of the vehicle lamp 200, there is a concern that water will enter the lamp chamber S through the joints of the parts constituting the housing 11 and the joints between the housing 11 and the outer cover 12, which was difficult to occur in the past.
Therefore, according to the vehicle lamp 200 of this embodiment, even if water does infiltrate into the lamp chamber S, the water is prevented from infiltrating into the ECU unit 100. More specifically, water that infiltrates into the lamp chamber S collects on the upper surface of the partition (the first flat portion 13 of the housing 11). However, the water that collects here is blocked by the insertion tube portion 132 and cannot enter the through hole 82. Therefore, even if water infiltrates into the lamp chamber S, the ECU 110 is not splashed with water, so the function of the vehicle lamp 200 can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 1, a gap is provided between the cable 70 and the inner wall of the through hole 82, and the lamp chamber S and the storage chamber T communicate with each other.
According to the vehicle lamp 200 of this embodiment, the lamp chamber S and the accommodation chamber T are in communication with each other via the through hole 82, and the ECU 110 can dissipate heat by also using the space within the lamp chamber S, improving the heat dissipation characteristics. Note that, unlike the example shown in the figure, a rubber packing or the like may be used to prevent a gap from occurring between the cable 70 and the through hole 82.

As shown in FIG. 2, according to the vehicle lamp 200 of this embodiment, the upper cover 130 is provided with a rib 134 that protrudes downward and has a lower end to which the substrate 112 is fixed. The lower cover 140 is provided with a screw receiving portion 143 and a bulging portion 144. The screw receiving portion 143 is abutted with a screw 83 that screws the substrate 112 to the rib 134. The bulging portion 144 is located below the screw receiving portion 143 and forms a heat dissipation space for the ECU 110 between the lower surface of the substrate 112 and the bulging portion 144. The rib 134 penetrates a hole 113 provided in the substrate 112. The lower surface of the rib 134 abuts against the screw receiving portion 143. Note that the screw receiving portion 143 and the bulging portion 144 of the lower cover 140 are omitted in FIG. 1.
According to the vehicle lamp 200 of this embodiment, heat generated from the substrate 112 can be released to the space formed between the substrate 112 and the bulge portion 144 .

2, a small diameter portion 135 having a smaller diameter than the rib 134 is provided at the tip of the rib 134 of the upper cover 130. This small diameter portion 135 passes through a screw receiving portion 143 of the upper cover 130. A screw 83 is screwed into the underside of the small diameter portion 135. The head of the screw 83 contacts the screw receiving portion 143 of the lower cover 140 and the small diameter portion 135. The lower cover 140 and the board 112 are fixed by being sandwiched between the head of the screw 83 and the rib 134.
According to this configuration, the small diameter portion 135 (rib 134) into which the screw 83 is screwed is in direct contact with the screw 83, thereby preventing clipping.

It is preferable that the seating surfaces of the small diameter portion 135 and the screw receiving portion 143, where they come into contact with the screw 83, are provided with high friction portions such as projections and recesses. This can prevent the screw 83 from loosening.

1, according to the vehicle lamp 200 of this embodiment, the upper surface of the partition (the first flat portion 13 of the housing 11) and the vertical wall portion (the insertion tube portion 132) form a water receiving portion X. In other words, the upper surface of the partition is provided with the water receiving portion X that is recessed downward.
According to the vehicle lamp 200 of this embodiment, water that has entered the lamp chamber S is received by the water receiving portion X, and the water can be prevented from entering the accommodation chamber T.

Furthermore, according to the vehicle lamp of this embodiment, the ECU unit 100 is provided inside the cylindrical second protrusion 18. Therefore, water that has traveled from above to below along the housing 11 falls downward along the second protrusion 18 and does not infiltrate into the lamp chamber S and the accommodation chamber T.
It is preferable that the second protrusion 18 extends below the boundary between the upper cover 130 and the lower cover 140. According to this configuration, the second protrusion 18 can prevent water carried from the side by wind or the like from entering the storage chamber S.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of this embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

Reference Signs List 1: Lamp body 2: Optical unit 3: Shade mechanism 4: Leveling mechanism 5: Swivel mechanism 10: Light source unit 11: Housing 12: Outer cover 13: First flat portion (partition portion)
14 Second flat portion 15 Step portion 16 Housing opening 17 First protrusion 18 Second protrusion 21 Base 22 Light source 23 Reflector 24 Projection lens 31 Shade swing shaft portion 32 Shielding member 33 Shade motor 41 Leveling motor 42 Screw rod 43 Nut 44 Support frame 45 Hinge shaft portion 51 Swivel motor 52 Swivel shaft portion 70 Cable 81 O-ring 82 Through hole 83 Screw 100 ECU unit 111 Electronic circuit 112 Board 113 Hole 120 Cover 130 Upper cover 131 Upper cover main body portion 132 Insertion tube portion (standing wall portion, partition portion)
133 Inner cylinder portion 134 Rib 135 Small diameter portion 140 Lower cover 141 Lower cover main body portion 142 Outer cylinder portion 143 Screw receiving portion 144 Bulging portion 200 Vehicle lamp Lx Optical axis S Lamp chamber T Storage chamber X Water receiving portion

Claims (5)

a lamp body having a light source unit and a housing for accommodating the light source unit;
an ECU unit including an ECU electrically connected to the light source unit and a cover that houses the ECU;
a cable connecting the light source unit and the ECU;
The ECU unit is provided below the lamp body,
a lamp chamber in which the light source unit is accommodated and an accommodation chamber in which the ECU is accommodated are separated by a partition portion formed by at least one of the housing and the cover,
a through hole through which the cable is inserted is provided so as to penetrate the partition portion,
a vertical wall portion extending toward the lamp chamber side is provided on an upper surface of the partition portion so as to surround the through hole ,
The ECU has an electronic circuit and a substrate on which the electronic circuit is mounted,
the cover includes an upper cover that covers an upper surface of the substrate and a lower cover that covers a lower surface of the substrate;
The electronic circuit is mounted on the underside of the substrate. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a gap is provided between the cable and the inner wall of the through hole, and the lamp chamber and the storage chamber are in communication with each other. The upper cover is provided with a rib that protrudes downward and has a lower end to which the substrate is fixed,
The lower cover includes:
a screw receiving portion on which a screw for screwing the substrate to the rib is abutted;
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a bulge portion positioned below the screw receiving portion and defining an ECU heat dissipation space between the bulge portion and the underside of the board. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a water receiving portion is formed by the upper surface of the partition and the vertical wall portion. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the partition is provided with a water receiving portion recessed downward.

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