Method and apparatus for manufacturing vehicle lamps

• US 20050284851A1
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Kazuhiro, Sugiyama, Fujihiko, Yasuda, Ryosuke, Enoki, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/153,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20050284851A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/121.64
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/006 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/04 Tubular or hollow articles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0443 Jigs
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1635 at least passing through one of the parts to be joined, i.e. laser transmission welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1654 scanning at least one of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1658 scanning once, e.g. contour laser welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7841 Holding or clamping means for handling purposes clamping means for the purpose of applying pressure on the parts to be joined, in the area to be joined B29C66/81; work holders in general B25B; devices for holding or positioning work for welding metal B23K37/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/112 Single lapped joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/114 Single butt joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/116 Single bevelled joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being bevelled in the joint area
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1162 Single bevel to bevel joints, e.g. mitre joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/301 Three-dimensional joints, i.e. the joined area being substantially non-flat B29C66/5223, B29C66/5224, B29C66/5225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/542 joining hollow covers or hollow bottoms to open ends of container bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/652 moving the welding tool around the fixed article
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81266 Optical properties, e.g. transparency, reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81267 Transparent to electromagnetic radiation, e.g. to visible light
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/863 : Robotised, e.g. mounted on a robot arm
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9161 : by controlling or regulating the heat or the thermal flux, i.e. the heat flux
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91631 : the heat or the thermal flux being kept constant over time
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/934 : by controlling or regulating the speed
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/93431 : the speed being kept constant over time
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/08 : Polymers of acrylic acid esters, e.g. PMA, i.e. polymethylacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/12 : Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0027 : for light outside the visible spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0031 : Refractive
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/30 : Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof vanes or blades B29L2031/08, air bags B29L2022/027
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/747 : Lightning equipment

Abstract

A vehicle lamp is provided with a lens and a housing. The housing is opened in a front side thereof. The lens is fixed to the housing by laser-beam welding so that the lens covers the front side opening of the housing. The lens is fixed to the housing by bringing the lens, around a full circumference of which laser beam transmitting portions and welding portions are formed, into abutment with the housing, around a full circumference of which a welding portions is formed. The lens is pressed by a press holding jig having a laser beam transmitting portion so as to bring the welding portions of the lens into abutment with the welding portions of the housing. A laser beam is emitted to at least a part of a location where the welding portions of the lens are in abutment with the welding portions of the housing. The laser beam is transmitted through the laser beam transmitting portion of the press holding jig and the laser beam transmitting portion of the lens to at least part of the location. In a segment where the part of the location continues, a sum of a thickness of the laser beam transmitting portion of the press holding jig and a thickness of the laser beam transmitting portion of the lens remains substantially constant in a direction in which the laser beam is scanned.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp manufacturing method for laser-beam welding a lens to a housing, comprising:

disposing the lens onto the housing, wherein the lens comprises a laser beam transmitting portion provided around a full circumference of the lens and a welding portion of a lens provided around a full circumference of the lens, and wherein the housing comprises a welding portion provided around a full circumference of the housing;

pressing the lens with a press holding jig so as to bring the welding portion of the lens into abutment with the welding portion of the housing, wherein the press holding jig comprises a laser beam transmitting portion; and

emitting a laser beam to a location where the welding portion of the lens is in abutment with the welding portion of the housing,

wherein the laser beam is transmitted through the laser beam transmitting portion of the press holding jig and the laser beam transmitting portion of the lens to at least a part of the location.

2. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein, in a segment where the part of the location continues, a sum of a thickness of the laser beam transmitting portion of the press holding jig and a thickness of the laser beam transmitting portion of the lens is substantially constant in a direction in which the laser beam is scanned.

3. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the pressing the lens with the press holding jig so as to bring the welding portion of the lens into abutment with the welding portion of the housing is performed such that a surface contact portion of the press holding jig is brought into surface contact with substantially a whole of a curved surface of the lens.

4. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the pressing holding jig further comprises a positioning portion provided around a full circumference of a circumferential edge portion of the press holding jig, the method further comprising:

positioning a circumferential edge portion of the lens with the positioning portion of the press holding jig so as to bring the welding portion of the lens into abutment with the welding portion of the housing.

5. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein a refraction index of a material for the press holding jig and a refraction index of a material for the lens are substantially equal.

6. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the material for the press holding jig is an acrylic resin.

7. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

forming at least a part of the location by an abutment of inclined-plane surfaces.

8. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

forming at least a part of the location by an abutment of substantially horizontal surfaces.

9. The vehicle lamp manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the lens covers a front side opening of the housing, and an external appearance of the vehicle lamp is not damaged by the laser-welding of the lens to the housing.

10. A vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus for laser-beam welding a lens to a housing, comprising:

a press holding jig for bringing a laser beam transmitting portion and a welding portion of the lens into abutment with a welding portion of the housing, wherein the laser beam transmitting portion and the welding portion of the lens are provided around a full circumference of the lens, and the welding portion of the housing is provided around a full circumference of the housing, the press holding jig comprising a laser beam transmitting portion,

wherein a laser beam is transmitted through the laser beam transmitting portion of the press holding jig and the laser beam transmitting portion of the lens when the laser beam is emitted to at least a part of a location where the welding portion of the lens is in abutment with the welding portion of the housing.

11. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, in a segment where the part of the location continues, a sum of a thickness of the laser beam transmitting portion of the press holding jig and a thickness of the laser beam transmitting portion of the lens is substantially constant in a direction in which the laser beam is scanned.

12. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the press holding jig presses the lens so as to bring the welding portion of the lens into abutment with the welding portion of the housing is performed such that a surface contact portion of the press holding jig is brought into surface contact with substantially a whole of a curved surface of the lens.

13. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, the pressing holding jig further comprising a positioning portion provided around a full circumference of a circumferential edge portion of the press holding jig, wherein a circumferential edge portion of the lens is positioned with the positioning portion of the press holding jig so as to bring the welding portion of the lens into abutment with the welding portion of the housing.

14. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a refraction index of a material for the press holding jig and a refraction index of a material for the lens are substantially equal.

15. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the material for the press holding jig is an acrylic resin.

16. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least a part of the location is formed by an abutment of inclined-plane surfaces.

17. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least a part of the location is formed by an abutment of substantially horizontal surfaces.

18. The vehicle lamp manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the lens covers a front side opening of the housing, and an external appearance of the vehicle lamp is not damaged by the laser-welding of the lens to the housing.