Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Plural light sources
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-18
2001-01-09
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Plural light sources
C362S507000, C362S509000, C362S520000, C362S546000, C362S360000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170972
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp having a front lens disposed in a front opening portion of a lamp body, the front lens of a compound lens comprising a plurality of lenses which are integrally molded such that their side edge portions are made to abut on each other. Particularly, the present invention relates to a front lens having such a structure that the joint surface between the lenses is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to a lens surface line crossing the joint portion.
FIGS. 4 and 5
show a rear combination lamp which will be attached to a comer portion of a vehicle body, and in which a tail and stop lamp and a backup lamp are integrated with each other.
FIG. 4
is a front view of the same lamp, and
FIG. 5
is a horizontal sectional view of the same lamp (sectional view taken on line V-V shown in FIG.
4
).
In this lamp, lamp chambers corresponding to the tail and stop lamp and the backup lamp are defined in a lamp body
1
. Bulbs
3
and
4
are received in the respective lamp chambers, while a front lens
5
is integrally attached to a front opening portion of the lamp body
1
.
The front lens
5
is of a compound lens in which a red lens
6
for the tail and stop lamp and a white lens
7
for the backup lamp are molded integrally. The reference numerals
6
a
and
7
a
represent sectionally hook-shaped side edge portions bent toward the back surface side of the respective lenses
6
and
7
. In the front lens
5
, the lenses
6
and
7
are integrally molded in such a manner that the side edge portions
6
a
and
7
a
are joined in a condition that they are made to abut on each other. The reference numeral
8
represents a joint surface between the side edge portions
6
a
and
7
a.
The lens
5
is molded as follows. After the red lens
6
is molded, a part of the mold is replaced by another mold for molding a white lens, and white lens
7
is thus molded. In such a manner, the front lens
5
in which the red lens
6
and the white lens
7
are integrated with each other is molded.
However, since the front lens
5
is formed into a shape which is largely bent to a side of a vehicle body, the joint surface
8
between the sectionally hook-shaped side edge portions
6
a
and
7
a
constituting the joint portion of the lens is largely inclined with respect to a normal line L
2
to a lens surface curved line L
1
crossing the joint portion, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG.
6
. Then, the joint portion of the lens has a structure constituted by the obtuse hook-shaped side edge portion
7
a
in which the joint surface and the lens surface line make an obtuse angle &thgr;
1
, and the acute hook-shaped side edge portion
6
a
in which the joint surface and the lens surface line make an acute angle &thgr;
2
.
Therefore, there is a fear that the mold is not sufficiently filled with resin up to the narrow portion of the mold corresponding to an acute front edge portion
6
a
, of the acute hook-shaped side edge portion
6
a
in a molding step of the front lens
5
, particularly in a molding step of the red lens
6
molded previously. As a result, a gap
9
may be formed in the joint surface
8
between the side edge portions
6
a
and
7
a
in a molding step of the white lens in which the red lens is inserted. Accordingly, there arises a problem that the external appearance of the front lens is bad, or the gap
9
is enlarged so that water may enter a lamp chamber.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp having a compound lens in which joint surfaces of lenses are brought into tight contact with each other surely.
In order to achieve objects, there is provided with a vehicle lamp comprising: a light source; a lamp body having a front opening portion thereof; and a front lens disposed in a front opening portion of a lamp body having a light source therein, wherein said front lens is a compound lens made from a plurality of lens bodies which are integrally formed by forming a joint between sectionally hook-shaped side edge portions which are bent toward the back surface sides of the respective lens bodies so that the compound lens has a continuous surface, a joint surface between the side edge portions being configured so as to be inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to a lens surface line crossing a joint portion, the joint portion being constituted by an obtuse hook-shaped side edge portion in which the joint surface and the lens surface line form an obtuse angle therebetween, and an acute hook-shaped side edge portion in which the joint surface and the lens surface line form an acute angle therebetween, wherein an acute front edge portion of the acute hook-shaped side edge portion is chamfered substantially perpendicularly to the joint surface. Since the acute front edge portion of the acute hook-shaped side edge portion is chamfered into a substantially right-angled front edge portion, a lens molding mold is filled with resin up to a portion corresponding to the front edge of the acute hook-shaped side edge portion surely. Accordingly, the joint surfaces of the hook-shaped side edge portions of the lenses molded integrally as a compound lens are brought into tight contact with each other without any gap.
In the above front lens for a vehicle, the lens surface line crossing the joint portion is an outward convexly curved line. Since the front lens as a whole is constituted by an outward convexly curved line, not only the lamp chambers are widen, but also a diffusion angle of light in the direction in which the lens surface line is extended is increased.
In the above vehicle lamp, the front lens is constituted by a plurality of lens bodies different in color from each other. The lamp body is sectioned into lamp chamber spaces corresponding to the respective lenses so that lamps having different functions can be integrated.
In the above vehicle lamp, a seal leg to be attached to the front opening portion of the lamp body is formed on the back surface side of a circumferential edge portion of the front lens, and the joint surface is formed in parallel with the direction in which the seal leg is extended. With a mold structure in which the mold is separated in the front/back direction of the extension of the seal leg, no undercut portion is produced in the front lens which is a molded product.
In the above vehicle lamp, the front lens which extends sideways from the front of a vehicle body is assembled into the front opening portion of the lamp body which opens sideways from the front of the vehicle body so that the lamp is attached to a comer portion of the vehicle body. The shape from the vehicle body to the front lens in the vicinity of the position of the corner portion of the vehicle body where the lamp is attached forms a smooth streamline shape along the vehicle body outline.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5172972 (1992-12-01), Terao
patent: 5552969 (1996-09-01), Murakami
patent: 5658072 (1997-08-01), Natsume et al.
patent: 5692824 (1997-12-01), Ooishi
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
O'Shea Sandra
Zeade Bertrand
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