Koito Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

Kazuo Akiyama

Fujihiko Sugiyama

Kazuhiro Yamazaki

Masahiko Nishizaki

Michihiko Suzuki

Takahiko Shimada

Fumihiko Sugiyama

A vehicular lamp with improved appearance quality (i.e., having no burrs or the like) around the joint interface between a front lens and a lamp body, and sufficient joint strength even in regions where the joint interface shape changes three dimensionally. A sealing leg, formed on the front lens, has a tip face which abuts and is joined by laser welding to a receiving face formed on the lamp body. To carry out the welding operation, a laser beam is irradiated from the front side of the front lens to the receiving face through the sealing leg. Therefore, even if the laser beam enters diagonally, it can be reflected internally by both side faces of the sealing leg so that the beam reliably reaches the tip face. As a result, the energy of the laser beam is not reduced, making it possible to efficiently heat the lamp body.

Vehicular lamp and method for producing same

A vehicular lamp in which bonding failure between a front lens and a lamp body is prevented while enhancing the bonding strength and improving the quality of the outer appearance around the bonded surface therebetween. An edge surface of a seal leg of the front lens and a receiving surface of a lamp body are bonded together by laser beam welding so as to improve the quality of the outer appearance of the portion around the bonded surfaces. The bonded surface is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the bonding direction. Even if the edge surface of the seal leg or the receiving surface has a wave-like irregularity such that gaps are created in areas therebetween, the pressure in the bonding direction acting on the members to be bonded causes slippage between them, resulting in sealing the gaps. The beam spot diameter of a laser beam irradiated onto the receiving surface is increased in an amount corresponding to the angle of inclination of the bonded surface, thus increasing the bonding width and enhancing the bonding strength.

Vehicular lamp unit and method for manufacturing same

A vehicular lamp in which bonding failure between a front lens and a lamp body is prevented while enhancing the bonding strength and improving the quality of the outer appearance around the bonded surface therebetween. An end surface of a seal leg of a front lens and a receiving surface of a lamp body are bonded through laser beam welding so as to improve the outer appearance quality of the area around the bonded surfaces. The end surface is formed on an end portion of the seal leg that is bent and extended outward at a predetermined angle with respect to the bonding direction. The laser beam is irradiated onto the receiving surface through the end portion from a direction substantially orthogonal to the end surface. The resultant permeation distance of the laser beam is made short, resulting in a sufficient amount of irradiation energy. When pressure is applied to the base end portion of the seal leg by pressing on the front lens, the end surface and the receiving surface are brought into abutment in the width direction with uniform pressure.

A vehicular lamp lens having integrated lens members with a boundary therebetween. The front surface of the boundary portion side of at least one of the lens members is displaced in the rearward direction as the surface becomes closer to the boundary.

Vehicular lamp lens having an indented front surface

A method and apparatus for low-cost production of a lens for a vehicular lamp formed by integrally joining a plurality of synthetic resin lens members through vibration welding. The s apparatus includes a fixed portion and a vibrating portion, each have a lens fixing jig composed of a pair of respective holding jigs. The method includes the steps of supporting the respective lens members with one of the jigs, holding a lens member between a pair of holding jigs located close together, bringing each welding portion of the respective lens members into contact with each other by moving the vibrating portion and the fixed portion close together, and integrally welding the lens members by vibrating the vibrating portion.

Method and apparatus for producing lens for vehicular lamp

A vibration welding apparatus and a vibration welding method in which the weight of a vibrating member is reduced and large synthetic resin members can be vibration welded. A vibration welding apparatus for joining two synthetic resin members, such as vehicular lamp lens members, through vibration welding is provided with a vibration generating mechanism, a vibrating member vibrated in a predetermined direction by the vibration generating mechanism, a base, a fixed-side jig disposed on the base for holding a first synthetic resin member, a holding jig composed of a holding jig part fixed to the vibrating member, and a holding part slidably mounted on the base so as to be slidable in the direction of vibration of the vibrating member such that the second synthetic resin member vibrates synchronously with the vibrating member.

Vibration welding apparatus and vibration welding method

A vehicle lamp incorporating a lamp body having a wall structure formed on the rear surface. An elastic sealing member is applied to the leading edge of the wall structure. The wall structure is arranged to reduce a compressive load which has to be exerted on the elastic sealing member when the lamp is joined to the panel of a vehicle body. The wall structure prevents shifting of the elastic sealing member with respect to the wall structure. Portions of the wall structure in which the height of the wall is short are composed of double walls. Other portions each having a greater height are composed of single wall portions and include a plurality of ribs so that the elastic sealing member is stably held along the overall length of the wall structure.

Vehicle lamp with multiple-wall support structure

An automotive lamp which includes a lamp body, a gasket disposed between the lamp body and an automobile body panel for sealing a back side of the lamp, a seal leg projecting from the lamp body for attaching thereto the gasket, wherein the foamed gasket is molded integrally with a tip end part of the seal leg.

Method of forming a gasket for automotive lamps

Automotive lamps

A seal structure between a leg part 15 of a front lens and a seal groove 12, wherein a seal member 20 is applied into the seal groove 12 formed on a periphery of a front opening portion of a lamp body 10, the leg part 15 of the front lens engaging with the seal groove 12 is secured to the seal groove 12 by a mechanical fastening means (clip 30) to prevent a removal, and the seal member 20 in the seal groove 12 is compressed by the lens leg part 15, characterized in that the seal member 20 is formed of a solid foamed material which foams from an initial fluid state and hardens while keeping elasticity, and which can be stripped off.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Kazuo Akiyama