JP2012216442A - Vehicular lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lamp having no possibility for a connection wiring to impair a function of a controlled component in a lamp chamber.SOLUTION: The vehicular lamp is provided with a lamp housing with an opening on its lamp frontward side, a cover for covering the opening, a controlled component arranged in a lamp chamber formed by the lamp housing and the cover, a controlling unit which is fixed detachably on the lamp housing and controls the controlled component, a connection wiring connecting the controlling unit and the controlled component electrically, and a clamp which is arranged on a peripheral part of the opening in order to extract the connection wiring from the lamp housing when the controlling unit is taken out from the lamp housing and by which a part of the connection wiring is fixed. The length from a connection part between the controlling unit and the connection wiring up to the clamp is almost same as the shortest wiring passage length from the connection part up to the clamp.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp, and more particularly to a vehicular lamp that includes a control device that performs lighting control of a light source or control of a swivel mechanism or a leveling mechanism that changes an irradiation direction of a light source.

  There is known a vehicular lamp in which a light source, a reflector, and the like are arranged in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp housing and a cover attached so as to cover an opening provided on the front side of the lamp housing (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

  In such vehicular lamps, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling the lighting of the light source or the swivel mechanism or the leveling mechanism for changing the irradiation direction of the light source is provided on the rear surface side or the lower surface side of the lamp housing. A detachable attachment has also been developed. In general, in such a vehicle lamp, a plug provided at the tip of a power supply cable extending from a light source or swivel mechanism to be controlled by the ECU is inserted into a connector provided in the power supply device. The ECU and the controlled object are electrically connected.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-261301

  By the way, in the vehicular lamp configured as described above, in order to completely remove the ECU from the lamp body, for example, for replacement of parts in the lamp chamber, the ECU is removed from the lamp body, and then the plug of the power supply cable is further removed. Must be removed from the connector of the ECU. Therefore, when the ECU is removed from the lamp body, the plug and connector need to be pulled out of the lamp chamber to the extent that the plug of the power cable can be removed from the connector. Therefore, some extra length is required for the length required to connect the ECU to the control object.

  However, when the ECU is attached to the lamp housing, the extra length portion of the power supply cable is arbitrarily folded in the lamp chamber, so that the folded extra length portion is, for example, a swivel mechanism built in the lamp. There is a risk of causing problems such as obstructing the movement of the actuator of the leveling mechanism, blocking light from the bulb, or catching on a gap in the bulb or a component arranged in the bulb.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
A lamp housing whose front side is open,
A cover covering the opening;
A controlled component disposed in a lamp chamber formed by the lamp housing and the cover;
A control device that is detachably attached to the lamp housing and controls the controlled component;
Connection wiring for electrically connecting the control device and the controlled component;
A clamp provided at a peripheral portion of an opening provided in the lamp housing for pulling out the connection wiring from the lamp housing when the control device is removed from the lamp housing, and a part of the connection wiring being fixed;
With
Provided is a vehicular lamp characterized in that a length of the connection wiring from a connection portion between the control device and the connection wiring to the clamp is substantially equal to a shortest wiring path length from the connection portion to the clamp. .

  According to such a vehicular lamp, the length of the connection wiring from the connection portion between the control device and the connection wiring to the clamp is substantially equal to the shortest wiring path length from the connection portion to the clamp, so that the control device is connected to the lamp housing. In the state of being attached to the lamp, the connection wiring does not have a surplus part that can be caught by the controlled component in the lamp chamber, so that the function of the controlled component is not hindered. Further, by providing a clamp for fixing the connection wiring at the periphery of the opening, most of the connection wiring on the control device side than the clamp can be drawn outside the opening when the control device is removed from the lamp housing. Therefore, the connection part between the control device and the connection wiring can be exposed outside the lamp chamber.

  In the vehicular lamp, it is preferable that the control device closes the opening in a state of being attached to the lamp housing.

  Thereby, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for closing the opening, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  In the vehicular lamp, the control device includes a lid portion that seals the opening in a watertight manner when attached to the lamp housing, and the lid portion closes the opening when the lid portion closes the opening. You may have a circuit board distribute | arranged to the lamp chamber inner side.

  As a result, the circuit board can be stored in the lamp chamber in a watertight manner.

  In the vehicle lamp, the connection portion may include a connector provided on the circuit board and a plug attached to one end of the connection wiring and detachably fitted to the connector. .

  Thereby, when the control device is removed from the lamp housing, the control device can be completely removed from the lamp body easily by exposing the connector and the plug to the outside of the lamp chamber and removing the plug from the connector.

  The above summary of the present invention does not enumerate all the features necessary for the present invention, and sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be the invention.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vehicle headlamp 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which removed the control unit 90 from the vehicle headlamp 1. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle headlamp 2 which concerns on the other example of embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which removed the control unit 91 from the vehicle headlamp 2. FIG.

Mode for carrying out the invention

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vehicle headlamp 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A vehicle headlamp 1 according to the present embodiment is an example of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention, and covers a lamp housing 12 and an opening provided on the front side of the lamp housing 12 as shown in FIG. The lamp unit 10 is housed in a lamp chamber 15 formed by a cover 14 attached to the lamp housing 12. In this example, an opening 16 for adjusting or replacing the lamp unit 10 is provided on the rear surface side of the lamp housing 12. However, when the vehicle headlamp 1 is used, the opening 16 is formed by the lid portion 40. It is blocked by.

  The lamp unit 10 is supported by a lamp housing 12 via a frame 20, and the frame 20 is supported by the lamp housing 12 via an aiming mechanism (not shown). The aiming mechanism is a mechanism for adjusting the mounting position and the mounting angle of the lamp unit 10, and the lens central axis (optical axis) Ax of the lamp unit 10 is, for example, 0 with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction. It is adjusted to extend in the downward direction by about 5 to 0.6 degrees.

  A bearing portion 22 is provided at a front end portion on the upper side of the frame 20, and a supported shaft 32 provided on an upper portion of the lamp unit 10 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 22. A swivel actuator 70 that rotates the lamp unit 10 in the horizontal direction is fixed to the lower part of the lamp unit 10.

  The swivel actuator 70 is electrically connected to the circuit board 95 in the control unit 90 disposed below the lamp housing 12 via the connection wiring 71, and the driving power and steering are supplied from the circuit board 95 via the connection wiring 71. A drive signal corresponding to the operation is given. The swivel actuator 70 drives the output shaft 72 to rotate about the vertical axis in accordance with the drive signal given from the circuit board 95. The output shaft 72 is fitted to a connecting shaft 33 provided at the lower part of the lamp unit 10. Accordingly, when the swivel actuator 70 rotates the output shaft 72, the lamp unit 10 rotates in the horizontal direction.

  In this example, the lamp unit 10 is a projector-type lamp unit, and is disposed behind the projection lens 11 disposed on the optical axis Ax extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and the rear focal point F2 of the projection lens 11. The light source bulb 23, the reflector 25 that reflects light emitted from the light emitting portion 23a of the light source bulb 23 forward and toward the optical axis Ax, and the reflector 25 disposed between the projection lens 11 and the light emitting portion 23a. Between the projection lens 11 and the reflector 25, the shade 31 that shields part of the reflected light from the light and part of the direct light from the light emitting part 23a to form a cut-off line of the light distribution pattern by the main light distribution. And a substantially cylindrical holder 30 for connecting the two.

  The projection lens 11 is a plano-convex lens having a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and projects the elephant on the focal plane including the rear focal point F2 to the front as an inverted elephant. The light source bulb 23 is a discharge bulb such as a metal halide bulb that discharges and emits light from the light emitting section 23a. In this example, the bulb is arranged at the rear end of the reflector 25 with the bulb axis aligned with the optical axis Ax. The socket 60 is inserted and fixed.

  A connection wiring 61 extending downward from the valve socket 60 is connected to a circuit board 95 in the control unit 90. The light source bulb 23 is supplied with a lighting voltage and an electromotive voltage from the circuit board 95 via the connection wiring 61.

  A halogen bulb or the like may be used as the light source of the lamp unit 10 instead of the discharge bulb of this example, and the light source bulb 23 is arranged from the side of the reflector 25 in a direction in which the bulb axis substantially intersects the optical axis Ax. Can be inserted and fixed. Further, a semiconductor light emitting element or the like may be used instead of the bulb light source.

  The reflector 25 has a substantially elliptical reflecting surface 25a having an optical axis Ax passing through the light emitting portion 23a as a central axis. The reflecting surface 25a is a substantially elliptical curved surface having a cross-sectional shape including the optical axis Ax, the center position of the light emitting portion 23a being the first focal point F1, and the vicinity of the rear focal point F2 of the projection lens 11 being the second focal point. The light from the portion 23a is condensed and reflected toward the optical axis Ax toward the front.

  The holder 30 is a substantially cylindrical member arranged from the vicinity of the front end of the reflector 25 to the vicinity of the rear end of the projection lens 11, and the lens 11 is fixedly supported on the front end of the holder 30. The rear end portion of the holder 30 is screwed and fixed to the reflector 25 at a plurality of locations (not shown).

  The control unit 90 is an example of a control device according to the present invention. The control unit 90 includes a case 94 that covers the outer periphery and a circuit board 95 that is disposed inside the case 94, and includes an opening 17 provided in the lower portion of the lamp housing 12. It is attached below. In this example, the engagement concave portion 19 provided so as to protrude downward from the peripheral portion of the opening 17 on the lamp housing 12 side and the engagement convex portion 98 provided on the upper surface of the case 94 of the control unit 90 are bonded. The control unit 90 is fixed to the lamp housing 12 by being engaged.

  In this example, the case 94 of the control unit 90 closes the opening 17 in a watertight manner, so that water or the like does not enter the circuit board 95 and the lamp chamber in the case 94 from the above-mentioned engagement locations. Further, the attachment structure of the control unit 90 to the lamp housing 12 is not limited to this, and is more preferably an attachment structure that allows the control unit 90 to be repeatedly attached to and detached from the lamp housing 12 such as screwing.

  A connector 96 and a connector 97 are attached to the surface (upper surface) of the circuit board 95 facing the lamp housing 12. Both the connector 96 and the connector 97 are exposed from an opening provided in the case 94, and the connector 96 includes an output terminal of the control circuit of the swivel actuator 70 formed on the circuit board 95, and the connection wiring 71 It is fitted with a plug 75 attached to the tip of the. The connector 97 includes an output terminal of the lighting control circuit of the light source bulb 23 formed on the circuit board 95 and is fitted with a plug 65 attached to the tip of the connection wiring 61.

  The clamp 80 is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening 17 in the lamp housing 12, and fixes each part of the connection wires 61 and 71 to the peripheral edge. The shape, structure, and material of the clamp 80 are not particularly limited as long as the connection wires 61 and 71 can be held and fixed. For example, each of the connection wires 61 and 71 is fixed to the wall surface of the lamp housing 12. It may be a resin or the like, or may be an insulation tie.

  The length from the portion fixed to the peripheral edge by the clamp 80 in the connection wiring 61 to the fitting portion between the plug 65 and the connector 97 which is the connection portion between the connection wiring 61 and the circuit board 95 is the above connection. The length is slightly longer than the shortest wiring path length from the portion to the clamp 80. Similarly, the length from the portion fixed to the peripheral edge by the clamp 80 in the connection wiring 71 to the fitting portion between the plug 75 and the connector 96 which are the connection portions between the connection wiring 71 and the circuit board 95 is as follows. The length is slightly longer than the shortest wiring path length from the connecting portion to the clamp 80. Here, the “shortest wiring path length” is the shortest line length from the clamp 80 to the connectors 96 and 97 on the circuit board 95. Therefore, for example, when the connectors 96 and 97 are attached to the lower surface of the circuit board 95, a path from the lower surface of the circuit board 95 to the upper surface side through the side edge is also included.

  In the vehicle headlamp 1 of this example, as described above, the length from the clamp 80 in the connection wires 61 and 71 to the fitting portion in the circuit board 95 is slightly longer than the shortest wiring path length. Therefore, when the control unit 90 is attached to the lamp housing 12, the extra length portions of the connection wires 61 and 71 do not prevent the lamp unit 10 from being driven by the swivel actuator 70, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the control unit 90 is removed from the vehicle headlamp 1. In the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present example, as described above, the clamp 80 is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening 17 in the lamp housing 12, so that the control unit 90 is connected to the lamp housing 12 of the vehicle headlamp 1. When removed, as shown in FIG. 2, most of the connection wirings 61 and 71 on the control unit 90 side of the clamp 80 can be drawn outside the opening 17, so that the control unit 90 and the connection wirings 61 and 71 are connected to each other. The fitting part between the plugs 65 and 75 and the connectors 96 and 97 which are connecting parts can be exposed outside the lamp chamber. Therefore, when the control unit 90 is removed from the vehicle headlamp 1, the control unit 90 can be easily mounted on the vehicle by exposing the fitting portion to the outside of the lamp chamber and removing the plugs 65 and 75 from the connectors 96 and 97. The headlamp 1 can be completely removed from the lamp body.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vehicle headlamp 2 according to another example of the embodiment of the present invention. In the vehicle headlamp 2 of the present example, the same components as those of the vehicle headlamp 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the vehicle headlamp 2, a storage space 18 is provided in the lower part of the lamp housing 12, and an opening 17 is provided in the rear part of the storage space 18 on the rear surface of the lamp housing 12. The control unit 91 of this example includes a circuit board 95 stored in the storage space 18 and a lid portion 41 that closes the opening 17 in a state where the circuit board 95 is stored in the storage space 18.

  In this example, the engagement recess 19 is provided so as to protrude rearward from the peripheral edge of the opening 17 on the rear surface of the lamp housing 12, and the circuit board 95 of the control unit 91 is stored in the storage space 18. The engagement concave portion 19 and the engagement convex portion 98 provided in the lid portion 41 are adhesively engaged. In this example, since the lid portion 41 closes the opening 17 in a watertight manner, water or the like does not enter the storage space 18 from the engaging portion between the lamp housing 12 and the lid portion 41. Therefore, in the control unit 91 of this example, the case 94 that covers the circuit board 95 as in the case of the control unit 90 is not necessary.

  Further, in the control unit 91 of this example, the connectors 96 and 97 are attached to the front end portion of the upper surface of the circuit board 95 in a lateral direction, and are attached to the respective ends of the connection wires 61 and 71 as shown in FIG. The plugs 65 and 75 are fitted. Moreover, the clamp 80 is provided in the peripheral part of the opening 17 in the lamp housing 12 similarly to said vehicle headlamp 1, and fixes a part of connection wiring 61 and 71 to the said peripheral part.

  In this example, the plugs 65 and 75 that are the connection portions between the connection wirings 61 and 71 and the circuit board 95 and the connectors 96 and 97 are fitted from the portions fixed to the peripheral edge by the clamps 80 in the connection wirings 61 and 71. The length to the joint portion is substantially equal to the shortest wiring path length from the connection portion to the clamp 80. Therefore, as in the case of the vehicle headlamp 1, when the control unit 91 is attached to the lamp housing 12, the extra length of the connection wires 61 and 71 prevents the lamp unit 10 from being driven by, for example, the swivel actuator 70. There is no such thing.

  FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the control unit 91 is removed from the vehicle headlamp 2. Also in the vehicle headlamp 2 of this example, since the clamp 80 is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening 17 in the lamp housing 12 as described above, the control unit 91 is connected to the lamp housing 12 of the vehicle headlamp 2. 4, most of the connecting portions of the connection wirings 61 and 71 connecting the clamp 80 and the control unit 91 can be pulled out of the opening 17, so that the control unit 91 and the connection wirings 61 and 71 can be pulled out. The fitting portions between the plugs 65 and 75 and the connectors 96 and 97 that are the connecting portions can be exposed outside the lamp chamber. Therefore, when the control unit 91 is removed from the vehicle headlamp 2, the control unit 91 can be easily attached to the vehicle by exposing the fitting portion to the outside of the lamp chamber and removing the plugs 65 and 75 from the connectors 96 and 97. The headlamp 2 can be completely removed from the lamp body.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment.

1,2 ... Vehicle headlamp (vehicle lamp)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Lamp unit 11 ... Projection lens 12 ... Lamp housing 14 ... Cover 15 ... Lamp chamber 16, 17 ... Opening 18 ... Storage space 19 ... Engaging recessed part 20 ... Frame 22 ... Bearing part 23 ... Light source bulb 23a ... Light emission part 25 ... Reflector 25a ... Reflecting surface 30 ... Holder 31 ... Shade 32 ... Supported shaft 33 ... Connection shaft 40, 41 ... Lid 60 ... Valve socket 61 ... Connection wiring 65 ... Plug (connection part)
70 ... Swivel actuator 71 ... Connection wiring 72 ... Output shaft 75 ... Plug (connection part)
80 ... Clamp 90, 91 ... Control unit (control device)
94 ... Case 95 ... Circuit board 96,97 ... Connector 98 ... engagement convex part

Claims (4)

A lamp housing whose front side is open,
A cover covering the opening;
A controlled component disposed in a lamp chamber formed by the lamp housing and the cover;
A control device that is detachably attached to the lamp housing and controls the controlled component;
Connection wiring for electrically connecting the control device and the controlled component;
A clamp provided at a peripheral portion of an opening provided in the lamp housing for pulling out the connection wiring from the lamp housing when the control device is removed from the lamp housing, and a part of the connection wiring being fixed;
With
The length of the said connection wiring from the connection part of the said control apparatus and the said connection wiring to the said clamp is substantially equal to the shortest wiring path length from the said connection part to the said clamp, The vehicle lamp characterized by the above-mentioned.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the control device closes the opening in a state of being attached to the lamp housing.   The control device includes a lid portion that watertightly closes the opening when attached to the lamp housing, and a circuit that is disposed closer to the lamp chamber than the opening when the lid portion closes the opening. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2, further comprising a substrate.   The said connection part contains the connector provided on the said circuit board, and the plug attached to the end of the said connection wiring, and detachably fitting with respect to the said connector. The vehicle lamp as described in 2.

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