JP2002154395A - Vehicle lighting - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To enable a lamp unit to be easily attached to a bumper with one touch. A bumper (51) has a recess (53) for incorporating a lamp unit (52), and a recess (53) is provided inside the recess (53).
A rising wall 58 for forming a groove 59 having a predetermined width is provided between the inner wall 53a and the inner wall 53a. A locking projection 61 is provided on the inner wall 53a of the concave portion 53 corresponding to the rising wall 58.
The inner housing 54 of the lamp unit 52 has the groove 5
9 is provided with a locking arm 60 to be inserted into the locking arm 60. The locking teeth 62 to be engaged with the locking projections 61 are formed in multiple stages in a sawtooth shape, and at least the locking teeth 62 are 6
1, the locking arm 60 receives a pressing force from the rising wall 58.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp in which a lamp unit is assembled to a bumper, and more particularly to a vehicular lamp in which the structure of a portion for attaching the lamp unit to the bumper is improved.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Examples of conventional vehicle lamps will be described below.

FIG. 6A shows a first example of a conventional vehicular lamp. In the figure, 1 is a bumper, 2 is a lamp unit. The lamp unit 2 is assembled in a concave portion 3 formed in the bumper 1, and includes an inner housing 4, an outer lens 5, and a light source 6 assembled in the inner housing 4.

[0004] The inner housing 4 is connected to the recess 3 of the bumper 1.
In this example, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), a pin 7 is integrally provided on the back surface of the inner housing 4 and attached to the inner and outer circumferences as shown in FIG. 6 (c). The inner housing 4 is inserted into the boss 10 formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 3 of the bumper 1 by fitting the clip 9 having the locking claws 8a and 8b protruding therefrom. Attached to.

In this case, the locking claws 8 on the inner and outer circumferences of the clip 9
When the pins 7 and 8b move in the direction in which the pin 7 and the boss hole 10 are disengaged, the inner housing 4 is fixed so as not to come off. In this example, the outer lens 5 is fixed to the boss 11 on the peripheral edge of the concave portion 3 with a screw 12 irrespective of the inner housing 4. A seal member 13 for sealing the gap between the bumper 1 and the outer lens 5 is provided inside the boss 11 in a pressure-contact state.

[0006]

In each of the above conventional examples, two or more operations are required to assemble the inner housing 4 to the bumper 1. That is, in the first example of FIG. 6, the operation of attaching the clip 9 to the pin 7 and the operation of inserting the pin 7 with the clip 9 into the boss 10 are required.

[0007] Since two or more operations are required in assembling, assembling is troublesome.
It was not easy to assemble with one touch.
In addition, accurate positioning may be required, and there is a problem that tolerance for dimensional variation is small. There is also a problem that a dedicated facility such as the clip 9 is required.

According to the present invention, in consideration of the above circumstances, even if the dimensions vary, the housing of the lamp unit can be easily assembled to the bumper with one touch, and there is a possibility that the lamp unit may be adversely affected in terms of waterproofness and appearance. The aim is to provide a vehicular luminaire without any.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bumper having a recess for incorporating a lamp unit therein, and a rising wall having a predetermined width formed between the recess and an inner wall of the recess. A locking projection is provided on the inner side wall of the concave portion corresponding to the rising wall, while a locking arm inserted into the groove is provided at least in the housing of the lamp unit. The locking teeth to be engaged with the locking projections are formed in multiple stages in a sawtooth shape, and the locking arm receives a pressing force from the rising wall at least when the locking teeth go over the locking projections. It is characterized by the following.

In the present invention, when a locking arm having a plurality of locking teeth arranged in a sawtooth shape is inserted into a groove, the locking teeth ride over the locking projections and engage. At this time, when the locking teeth get over the locking projections, the locking arm is bent, so that the rising wall is pressed by the bending arm, and the rising wall exerts a pressing force on the locking arm as a reaction force. Therefore, when the locking arm is inserted into the groove, not only the bending and restoring force of the locking arm but also the bending and restoring force of the rising wall are applied, and the locking arm is inserted into the groove against the restoring force. The locking teeth and the locking projections can be reliably engaged with a strong force, and the housing of the lamp unit can be assembled to the bumper. In addition, since the locking teeth on the locking arm side are arranged in multiple stages in a sawtooth shape, the housing of the lamp unit can be assembled to the bumper without rattling by appropriately changing the insertion amount of the locking arm into the groove. it can.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicular lamp according to the first aspect, wherein the locking projection and the locking teeth are in contact with each other when a force in the insertion direction is applied to the locking arm. The front wall is formed in a substantially triangular cross-section having a wall and a rear wall that abuts each other when an opposing force is applied, and the front wall has a slope inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the locking arm. The rear wall has a vertical surface substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the locking arm.

In the present invention, when the locking arm is inserted into the groove, the locking projections and the slopes (front walls) of the locking teeth abut against each other, so that the locking arm can be easily inserted into the groove. it can. On the other hand, when the locking arm is engaged with the locking projection and the locking arm is engaged with each other, a vertical surface (rear wall) of the locking projection and the locking tooth abuts against each other. There is no loss of engagement.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicular lamp according to the second aspect, wherein the inclination angle of the slope is set to be smaller than 45 degrees.

In the present invention, the inclination angle of the slope is 4
Since it is smaller than 5 degrees, the pressing force applied to the rising wall with respect to the insertion force can be increased. That is, even with a small insertion force, the locking arm can be inserted into the groove while reliably bending the rising wall. Therefore, a large bending reaction force can be received from the rising wall while being inserted with a small force, and in the state after the engagement, an effective force for preventing disengagement can be received from the rising wall.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicular lamp according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the locking teeth and the locking projections are engaged even when the locking projections reach an appropriate engagement state. The stop arm receives a pressing force from a rising wall.

In the present invention, even when the locking teeth and the locking projections are in the proper engagement state, the locking arm receives the pressing force from the rising wall, so that the engagement state is strengthened.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the vehicular lamp of the present embodiment, FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a main part thereof, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of locking projections and locking teeth, and FIG. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the locking teeth get over the locking projection, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the locking teeth have come into a proper engagement state after getting over, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the bumper is incorporated in a bumper, and FIG. FIG. 1 corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lamp unit 52 is incorporated in a recess formed in the rear bumper 51 of the automobile C. In this embodiment, the lamp unit 52
Is a rear combination lamp in which a tail stop lamp TSL and a turn signal lamp TL are combined.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the lamp unit 52 is assembled in a recess 53 formed in the rear bumper 51, and includes an inner housing 54, an outer lens 55, and a light source 56. The light source 56 is composed of an inner housing 54 and an outer lens 55.
One lamp chamber 57 is provided in each of the lamp chambers 57, and is attached to the center of each concave surface of the inner housing 54 functioning as a reflector. An electric wire 47 extending from a socket 46 holding the light source is routed on the back surface of the inner housing 54, and the electric wire 47 is connected to a waterproof connector 48 provided on the bottom surface of the recess 53.

As shown in detail in FIG. 1B, the inner bottom of the recess 53 of the rear bumper 51 is
Rising wall 5 which forms a groove 59 of a predetermined width between the rising wall 5
8 are protruded. A locking projection 61 is provided on the inner side wall 53a of the concave portion corresponding to the rising wall 58,
Further, a locking arm 60 protruding rearward is provided on an outer peripheral edge of the inner housing 54 of the lamp unit 52. The locking arm 60 is provided on the inner wall 53 of the recess 52.
and is inserted into a groove 59 formed between a and the rising wall 58. Note that the leading end of the rising wall 58 and the leading end of the locking arm 60 have an R or taper at the leading end so that they can be easily inserted into each other.

On the locking arm 60, locking teeth 62 for engaging with the locking projections 61 are formed in a sawtooth shape in multiple stages along the longitudinal direction of the locking arm 6. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the locking projection 61 and the locking teeth 62
0 has a substantially triangular cross section having front walls 61a, 62a which abut against each other when a force in the insertion direction is applied, and rear walls 61b, 62b which abut against each other when a force in the opposite direction is applied. The front walls 61a and 62a have inclined surfaces inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the locking arm 60, and the rear walls 61b and 62b have vertical surfaces substantially orthogonal to the insertion direction of the locking arm 60. Moreover, the front wall 61
The inclination angles of the slopes forming the a and 62a are set smaller than 45 degrees. That is, α1 and α2 in the figure are set smaller than 45 degrees, and θ1 and θ2 are set to about 90 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), when at least the locking teeth 62 get over the locking projections 61, the locking arms 60 press the rising wall 58 to deflect the rising wall 58. As a result, the locking arm 60 bends from the rising wall 58 and receives the pressing force due to the restoring force.
The dimensional relationship between the locking projection 61, the locking tooth 62, and the rising wall 58 is set.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the locking tooth 62 gets over the locking projection 61, the rising wall 58 is pushed by the locking arm 60 and bends and tilts. As shown in FIG.
When the lock teeth 62 properly engage with the lock teeth 62, they return to their original positions. That is, in the stage (a), the inclination angle β of the rising wall 58 is greater than 0, but in the stage (b), β = 0, and when the inclination of the rising wall 58 returns, the engaging force is reduced by the restoring force. The stop arm 60 is pressed against the locking protrusion 61 to strengthen the engagement.

The inner housing 54 is assembled to the rear bumper 51 by inserting a locking arm 60 having a plurality of locking teeth 62 arranged in a sawtooth shape into a groove 59 formed in a concave portion 53 of the rear bumper 51. Have been.

As another configuration, the outer lens 55
Irrespective of the mounting of the inner housing 54, the rear bumper 51 and the outer lens 55 are fixed to the inside of the boss 71 by screws 72 on the boss 71 on the peripheral edge of the concave portion 53.
Is provided in a press-contact state.

As described above, when the locking arm 60 having the saw-toothed locking teeth 62 is inserted into the groove 59 of the rear bumper 51, the locking teeth 62 ride over the locking projections 61 and engage with the insertion. I do. At the time of climbing over, the rising wall 58 applies a pressing force to the locking arm 60, so that not only the bending restoring force of the locking arm 60 but also the rising wall 5
9 also acts on the locking arm 60. Therefore, by pushing the locking arm 60 into the groove 59 with a strong force against the restoring force of both, the locking teeth 62 and the locking projections 61 can be reliably engaged with a strong force, and the inner The housing 54 can be assembled to the rear bumper 51.

In this case, the inner housing 54 of the lamp unit 52 can be easily attached to the rear bumper 51 by simply performing one operation of inserting the locking arm 60 into the groove 59 provided in the concave portion 52 of the rear bumper 51. It can be securely and firmly assembled, and assembling workability is improved. 1A, a part of the outer lens 55 is depressed to form a flat surface 55a, and a flat surface 54a is also provided on the inner housing 54 side.
The inner housing 54 can be more firmly fixed by bringing the a and 55a into close contact with each other.

When the locking arm 60 is inserted into the groove 59, the slopes of the locking projection 61 and the locking teeth 62 (the front wall 6).
1a, 62a) abut each other, so that the locking arm 60 can be easily inserted into the groove 59 with a small force. Conversely, when the locking arm 60 is disengaged with the locking projection 61 and the locking tooth 62 engaged with each other, the vertical surfaces of the locking projection 61 and the locking tooth 62 (rear walls 61b, 62).
b) Since they are in contact with each other, they will not be disengaged. Therefore, assembling workability is improved, and assembling reliability is enhanced.

Particularly, the slopes (front walls 61a, 62a)
Is set smaller than 45 degrees, the pressing force applied to the rising wall 58 with respect to the insertion force can be increased. That is, even if the insertion force is small, the rising arm 58 is securely bent while the locking arm 60 is
9 can be inserted. Therefore, a large bending reaction force can be received from the rising wall 58 while being inserted with a small force, and an effective force for preventing disengagement can be received from the rising wall 58 in a state after the engagement. .

Further, since the locking teeth 62 on the locking arm 60 side engaging with the locking projections 61 in the groove 59 are provided in a multi-stage in a sawtooth shape, the amount of insertion of the locking arm 60 into the groove 59 can be reduced. By appropriately changing, the inner housing 54 can be assembled to the rear bumper 51 without play. In addition, as long as the flexible locking arm 60 is inserted into the groove 59, the inner housing 54 can be assembled without rattling by the action of the serrated locking teeth 62. Even if the rear bumper 51 has a slight dimensional error or distortion generated during resin molding, the rear bumper 51 can be easily assembled. Accordingly, no special high precision is required for the resin molding, and the molding cost can be reduced.

Further, since the inner housing 54 is not fixed with a screw, there is no possibility that the waterproof property and appearance are adversely affected. In addition, since the size of the locking projection 61 and the locking tooth 62 can be freely set, an arbitrary fitting performance (insertion force, withdrawal strength, insertion feeling, insertion amount) according to the target product is realized. can do.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the locking teeth 6
The locking arm 60 may receive the pressing force from the rising wall 58 even at the stage where the locking projection 61 and the locking projection 61 have reached the proper engagement state. That is, the rising wall 58
In addition, the inclination angle to the side where β is minus is set in advance, and even if β = 0, the setting is made so as to have a stress that pushes the locking arm 60. In such a case, even in a proper engagement state, the engagement between the engagement protrusion 61 and the engagement teeth 62 is strengthened by the rising wall 58, so that the engagement can be more securely prevented from being disengaged, and the assembling strength can be improved. Increase.

In the above embodiment, only one locking projection 61 is formed on the inner wall 53a side of the concave portion 53.
Similar to the locking arm 60 side, it may be formed in a sawtooth shape in multiple stages. In such a case, the serrated locking teeth 62 and the serrated locking projections 61 are simultaneously engaged in multiple stages, so that a stronger engagement state can be created.

[0035]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, one operation of inserting at least the locking arm provided on the housing of the lamp unit into the groove provided in the recess of the bumper is performed. With only this, the housing of the lamp unit can be easily, securely and firmly assembled to the bumper. In addition, since the locking teeth on the locking arm side that engage with the locking projections in the groove are provided in multiple stages in a saw-tooth shape, the insertion amount of the locking arm into the groove is appropriately changed, so that there is play. Instead, the housing of the lamp unit can be assembled to the bumper. Moreover, as long as the flexible locking arm is inserted into the groove, the housing can be assembled without rattling by the action of the serrated locking teeth. Even if there is some dimensional error or distortion generated during molding, it can be assembled without difficulty. Therefore, no special high precision is required at the time of resin molding, and the molding cost can be reduced.

Further, since it is not necessary to make a screw hole in the housing, there is no possibility that the waterproof property and appearance are adversely affected. In addition, since the size and number of the locking projections and locking teeth can be freely set, the fitting performance (insertion force, withdrawal strength, insertion feeling, insertion amount) according to the target product is arbitrarily realized. be able to. In addition, although an example in which the locking arm is provided on the inner housing has been described as an embodiment, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained by providing the locking arm also on the lens side.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the locking arm is inserted into the groove, it can be easily inserted. Conversely, when a locking force is applied to the locking arm, the engagement is not released. Therefore, assembling workability is improved and
Assembly reliability is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the locking arm can be easily inserted into the groove, and an effective action of preventing the engagement from being released can be received from the rising wall.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the proper engagement state, the engagement between the engaging projection and the engaging teeth is strengthened from the rising wall, so that the engagement can be more securely prevented from being disengaged, and the assembling is performed. Strength increases.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a vehicular lamp according to an embodiment;
(B) is an enlarged view of the main part.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a locking projection and locking teeth in the vehicle lamp.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a locking tooth gets over a locking projection, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a proper engagement state is obtained after the locking tooth has passed over.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the vehicle lamp of the present embodiment is incorporated in a rear bumper.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a rear bumper including the vehicular lamp of the embodiment.

6A is a cross-sectional view showing a first example of a conventional vehicle lamp, FIG. 6B is an exploded view of a main part thereof, and FIG. 6C is an enlarged view of a clip therein.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 51 rear bumper 52 lamp unit 53 recess 53a inner wall 54 inner housing 58 rising wall 59 groove 60 locking arm 61 locking protrusion 62 locking teeth 61a, 62a front wall 61b, 62b rear wall

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A recess for incorporating a lamp unit in a bumper, a rising wall for forming a groove having a predetermined width between the recess and an inner wall of the recess, and the recess corresponding to the rising wall. A locking projection is provided on the inner wall of the lamp unit, and a locking arm inserted into the groove is provided on at least the housing of the lamp unit.
The locking teeth that engage with the locking projections are formed in multiple stages in a sawtooth shape, and the locking arm receives a pressing force from the rising wall when at least the locking teeth pass over the locking projections. A vehicular lamp characterized by the above. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the locking projection and the locking teeth are opposed to each other when a force in an insertion direction is applied to the locking arm, and the front wall is opposite to the front wall. The rear wall is formed in a substantially triangular cross section having a rear wall that abuts with each other when the force is applied, and the front wall is formed by a slope inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the locking arm. And a vertical surface substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the locking arm. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2, wherein the inclination angle of the slope is set smaller than 45 degrees. 4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the locking arm is provided with the locking arm even when the locking teeth and the locking projections reach an appropriate engagement state. A vehicular lamp characterized by receiving a pressing force from a rising wall.