FRONT COVER FOR VEHICLE LIGHTING FIXTURE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE FRONT COVER, AND ELECTRIC HEATING STRUCTURE

摘要

A front cover (10A) for a vehicle lighting fixture is attached to the front opening part of the vehicle lighting fixture (16) having a lamp body (12) and a light source (14) installed in the lamp body (12). A part of the surface of the front cover opposed to the light source (14) comprises a heating element (20) having a three-dimensional curved surface. The heating element (20) comprises a mesh pattern (24) having intersections of a large number of grids formed of conductive metallic filaments (22) and a first electrode (26) and a second electrode (28) formed at both opposed ends of the mesh pattern (24). The projection shape (30) of the outline of the entire mesh pattern (24) is formed in a rectangular shape having the longitudinal direction, for example, between the first electrode (26) and the second electrode (28).