JP7722100B2 - Vehicle lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting fixture.

Conventionally, a vehicle lamp has been proposed in which two adjacent lamp units, each having a light source and a lens, are arranged such that light from one lamp unit is guided to the other lamp unit and emitted through the lens of the other lamp unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-92883 A

However, the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 tends to have a complex structure because light from one lamp unit is reflected two or more times before being directed to the other lamp unit. Furthermore, the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 directs light from one lamp unit into the rear surface of the lens of the other lamp unit and then out the front surface, so it can only direct weak light that does not affect the main light distribution. For example, if the goal is to improve the lighting appearance, the degree of improvement is insufficient.

The present invention was made to solve these conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve the lighting appearance while minimizing structural complexity.

The vehicle lamp of the present invention is a vehicle lamp comprising: a first lamp unit having a first light source, a reflecting member that reflects light from the first light source, and a first lens portion through which light reflected by the reflecting member enters from the back side and exits from the front side; and a second lamp unit arranged adjacent to the first lamp unit, having a second light source and a second lens portion through which light from the second light source enters from the back side and exits from the front side. The reflecting member has a first reflecting portion that causes light from the first light source to enter the back side of the first lens portion and exit from the front side, and a second reflecting portion that reflects light from the first light source toward the adjacent second lamp unit, causing the reflected light to enter the back side of the first lens portion and exit from a first side surface of the first lens portion, and causing the exited light to enter the second side surface of the second lens portion.

This invention makes it possible to improve the lighting appearance while minimizing structural complexity.

1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is an end view of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. 2 is a BB end view of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. 2 is a CC end view of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the end view shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 10 is an enlarged end view showing a partial configuration of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment.

The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, in the embodiments described below, some components are not shown or described, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate to the details of the omitted technologies, provided that they do not contradict the content described below.

Figure 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, Figure 2 is an end view of the vehicle lamp shown in Figure 1 taken along line A-A, Figure 3 is an end view of the vehicle lamp shown in Figure 1 taken along line B-B, and Figure 4 is an end view of the vehicle lamp shown in Figure 1 taken along line C-C.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment is intended to be used, for example, as a vehicle headlamp, and is configured with a first lamp unit U1 and a second lamp unit U2 within a lamp chamber defined by a housing, outer lens, etc. (not shown).

The second lamp unit U2 forms a spot light distribution pattern for low beams with a cutoff line in front of the vehicle and is positioned adjacent to the first lamp unit U1 in the vehicle width direction. The first lamp unit U1 forms a diffuse light distribution pattern in front of the vehicle that is more diffuse than the spot light distribution pattern of the second lamp unit U2. The vehicle lamp 1 forms a light distribution pattern for low beams by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first and second lamp units U1 and U2.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the first lamp unit U1 is composed of a first light source 11, a reflecting member 12, a diffusion lens portion (first lens portion) 13, a decorative member 14, and a shade 15. The first light source 11 is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). This first light source 11 is attached to a base member B, such as a heat sink, via a substrate, and is positioned so that its optical axis is directed above the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reflecting member 12 is composed of a first reflecting portion 12a and a second reflecting portion 12b. The inner surface of the first reflecting portion 12a is formed as an ellipsoid, a paraboloid, or the like, and is positioned to cover the upper part of the first light source 11 (see FIG. 2). The reflecting member 12 has an aluminum or silver-based reflective layer formed on the inner surface by vapor deposition, painting, or the like, and reflects light from the first light source 11 toward the front of the vehicle. The second reflecting portion 12b shown in FIG. 4 extends from the first reflecting portion 12a toward the front of the vehicle. The second reflecting portion 12b is disposed so as to protrude forward from the side of the first reflecting portion 12a opposite the side adjacent to the second lamp unit U2, and an aluminum or silver-based reflective layer is formed on the surface facing the second lamp unit U2 by vapor deposition, painting, or the like. Therefore, the second reflecting portion 12b reflects light from the first light source 11 toward the adjacent second lamp unit U2.

The diffusion lens portion 13 receives and emits light from the first light source 11 that has been reflected forward by the first reflecting portion 12a. This diffusion lens portion 13 is a cylindrical lens that is elongated in the vehicle width direction to easily form a diffuse light distribution pattern. The front and back sides of the diffusion lens portion 13 are wavy, and the end face (first side face) 13a on the second lamp unit U2 side is particularly close to the spot lens portion (see reference numeral 24) of the second lamp unit U2, which will be described later.

The decorative members 14 are provided on the back side of the diffusion lens portion 13 near both ends, and have a reflective layer formed by aluminum deposition or the like on the surface facing the diffusion lens portion 13. This reflective layer allows the decorative member 14 to illuminate the areas near both ends of the diffusion lens portion 13 by utilizing light (leakage light) from the first light source 11, and can also illuminate the areas near both ends of the diffusion lens portion 13 by utilizing reflected external light even when the first light source 11 is off. In other words, the decorative member 14 can enhance the design of the vehicle lamp 1.

The shade 15 is disposed between the first light source 11 and the diffusion lens portion 13, and forms a cutoff line by cutting off part of the light from the first light source 11 or reflecting it in other directions.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second lamp unit U2 includes a second light source 21, a reflecting member 22, a shade 23, a spot lens portion (second lens portion) 24, and an extension portion 25. Like the first light source, the second light source 21 is configured, for example, by an LED. This second light source 21 is also attached, for example, via a substrate to a base member B, such as a heat sink, so that its optical axis is directed upward from the vehicle.

The reflecting member 22 is configured in the same manner as the first reflecting portion 12a of the first lamp unit U1. That is, the reflecting member 22 has a spheroid, paraboloid, or other surface with an aluminum or silver-based reflective layer formed on its inner surface by vapor deposition, painting, or other means. It covers the upper part of the second light source 21 and reflects light from the second light source 21 toward the front of the vehicle.

The shade 23 is disposed between the second light source 21 and the spot lens portion 24, and forms a cutoff line by cutting off part of the light from the second light source 21 or reflecting it in other directions.

The spot lens portion 24 receives and emits light from the second light source 21 that has been reflected forward by the reflecting member 22, and is generally trapezoidal in front view, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The roughly triangular portion of this spot lens portion 24 (the dotted portion shown in FIG. 1) on the first lighting unit U1 side is a dummy portion 24a. The end face (second side face) 24b of the dummy portion 24a, i.e., the end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24, is closely opposed to the end face 13a of the diffusion lens portion 13.

Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of the end view shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, light reflected by the second reflecting portion 12b of the first lighting unit U1 is incident on the second lighting unit U2. In more detail, the second reflecting portion 12b reflects the incident light from the first light source 11 toward the second lighting unit U2, causing it to enter the back side of the diffusion lens portion 13 and then exit from the end surface 13a. The light exiting from the end surface 13a is incident on the end surface 24b of the spot lens portion 24.

The extension portion 25 is a member that extends from the front end of the reflecting member 22 to the spot lens portion 24. The front end of the extension portion 25 forms a blade portion 25a that spreads out slightly rearward in the vehicle width direction. Of the blade portion 25a, the blade portion 25a1 on the first lamp unit U1 side is formed with a reflective layer formed by aluminum vapor deposition or the like. Therefore, when light from the first lamp unit U1 is incident from the end surface 24b, the dummy portion 24a of the spot lens portion 24 is visible to the user as emitting light due to the cooperation of the incident light and the reflective layer.

Here, it is preferable that light emitted from the end face 13a of the diffusion lens portion 13 is incident favorably on the end face 24b of the spotting lens portion 24 without being reflected by it. Therefore, it is preferable that the end faces 13a and 24b are substantially parallel to each other (e.g., an angular difference of 10° or less). In terms of the cross sections shown in Figures 4 and 5, the end faces 13a and 24b are inclined at substantially the same angle (e.g., a°-b°≦10°) with respect to the optical axis OA2 of the second lamp unit U2.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the front end of the spot lens portion 24 of the second lamp unit U2 is located further forward than the diffusion lens portion 13 of the first lamp unit U1. This makes it easier to guide light from the first light source 11 through the diffusion lens portion 13 to the spot lens portion 24, which is located slightly forward.

In addition, it is preferable that the front end of the end face 13a of the diffusion lens portion 13 be located further forward than the front end of the end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24, and the rear end of the end face 13a of the diffusion lens portion 13 be located further rearward than the rear end of the end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24. This makes it easier for light to be incident on the entire end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24, reducing the possibility of light being incident on only a portion of the end face 24b, causing uneven light emission from the dummy portion 24a and resulting in a poor appearance.

In addition, it is preferable that the decorative member 14 cover at least a portion of the space between the end faces 13a and 24b at the rear. This is because it reduces the deterioration of appearance due to visibility from the back. Note that in this embodiment, at least a portion of the space between the end faces 13a and 24b is covered by the decorative member 14 having a reflective layer, but this is not limiting and the space may simply be covered by a resin member or the like that does not have a reflective layer.

Next, we will explain the operation of the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment. First, when the headlights are turned on at night, the first light source 11 and the second light source 21 are turned on. As a result, in the first lamp unit U1, light from the first light source 11 is reflected by the first reflecting portion 12a of the reflecting member 12 and emitted forward of the vehicle through the diffusing lens portion 13. The emitted light forms a diffused light distribution pattern.

In the second lamp unit U2, light from the second light source 21 is reflected by the reflecting member 22, partially cut off by the shade 23, and emitted forward of the vehicle through the spot lens portion 24. The emitted light forms a spot light distribution pattern with a cutoff line.

Furthermore, light from the first light source 11 reflected by the second reflecting portion 12b is reflected toward the front of the vehicle and the second lamp unit U2. This reflected light enters the back side of the diffusion lens portion 13 and exits from the end face 13a. The light exiting from the end face 13a enters the end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24. In particular, because the front end of the spot lens portion 24 is located further forward than the front end of the diffusion lens portion 13, the light exiting from the end face 13a of the diffusion lens portion 13 naturally enters the end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24.

Furthermore, the end faces 13a and 24b are approximately parallel to each other. Therefore, light emitted from the end face 13a is unlikely to be reflected by the end face 24b of the spot lens portion 24, and is preferably guided to the dummy portion 24a of the spot lens portion 24. As a result, the dummy portion 24a emits light and is visible, improving the appearance.

In particular, the front and rear ends of the end face 13a of the diffusing lens portion 13 are located forward and rearward, respectively, of the front and rear ends of the end face 24b of the spotting lens portion 24. This makes it easier for light to be incident on the entire end face 24b of the spotting lens portion 24, reducing the possibility of light being incident on only part of the end face 24b and causing unevenness.

In this manner, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment, the reflecting member 12 of the first lamp unit U1 reflects light from the first light source 11 toward the adjacent second lamp unit U2, causing the reflected light to enter the rear surface of the diffusion lens unit 13 and exit from the end surface 13a of the diffusion lens unit 13, and has a second reflecting portion 12b for causing the emitted light to enter the end surface 24b of the spot lens unit 24. Therefore, the number of reflections required to direct light from the first lamp unit U1 to the second lamp unit U2 can be limited to, for example, one, thereby minimizing structural complexity. Furthermore, because light exits the end surface 13a of the diffusion lens unit 13 and enters the end surface 24b of the spot lens unit 24, light that enters the spot lens unit 24 is less likely to escape to the front surface to the extent that it would affect the main light distribution. As a result, even strong light can be directed to the second lamp unit U2, improving the lighting appearance. Therefore, the lighting appearance can be improved while minimizing structural complexity.

Furthermore, because the end faces 13a and 24b are approximately parallel, light from the end face 13a can be efficiently guided to the second lamp unit U2.

In addition, because the front and rear ends of end face 13a are located further forward and further rearward than the front and rear ends of end face 24b, end face 24b on the second lamp unit U2 side is covered by end face 13a on the first lamp unit U1 side, making it easier for light to be incident on the entire end face 24b on the second lamp unit U2 side. As a result, it is possible to prevent light from only being incident on a portion of end face 24b on the second lamp unit U2 side, which would result in an unbalanced appearance.

Furthermore, the second lamp unit U2 forms a spot light distribution pattern for low beams with a cutoff line, while the first lamp unit U1 forms a diffused light distribution pattern for low beams that is more widely diffused than the spot light distribution pattern. As a result, light from the first lamp unit U1, which has a more widely diffused light distribution, is guided to the second lamp unit U2, making it easier to guide light compared to guiding light from the second lamp unit U2, which has a narrower light distribution, to the first lamp unit U1. In particular, because the front end of the spot lens portion 24 of the second lamp unit U2 is located further forward than the diffusion lens portion 13 of the first lamp unit U1, there is no need to guide light significantly rearward, making it even easier to guide light.

Next, we will explain the second embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle lamp according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, but has some differences in configuration. The differences from the first embodiment will be explained below.

Figure 6 is an enlarged end view showing a partial configuration of a vehicle lamp 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to the second embodiment, the rear sides of the end faces 13a and 24b are closer together than the front sides. Looking at the cross section shown in Figure 6, the end faces 13a and 24b are inclined in opposite directions relative to the optical axis OA2, with the front side being more open than the rear side.

In this way, in the second embodiment, the rear side of the end faces 13a and 24b is closer than the front side. Therefore, even if a user can see the end faces 13a and 24b from the front, it is difficult for them to see anything behind the end faces 13a and 24b.

In this case, the angle a° between the optical axis OA2 and end face 13a and the angle b° between the optical axis OA and end face 24b are set so that light does not leak out. In other words, the angle is set so that the light emitted from end face 13a does not exceed the critical angle when it enters end face 24b.

In this way, the vehicle lamp 1 according to the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, can improve the lighting appearance while minimizing structural complexity. It also prevents light from entering only a portion of the end face 24b, which can result in an unbalanced appearance, and makes it even easier to guide the light.

Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the end faces 13a and 24b are closer to each other at the rear than at the front. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front, the distance between the end faces 13a and 24b is wide at the front but narrows at the rear, making it difficult to see into the distance.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Modifications may be made and well-known or publicly known technologies may be combined without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, technologies from the embodiments may be combined to the extent possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, light is guided from the first lamp unit U1, which forms a diffuse light distribution pattern, to the second lamp unit U2, which forms a spot light distribution pattern. However, this is not limited to this, and light may be guided from the second lamp unit U2, which forms a spot light distribution pattern, to the first lamp unit U1, which forms a diffuse light distribution pattern.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the end faces 13a and 24b are parallel to each other, but this is not a limitation as long as the angle is set so that light emitted from the end face 13a is not totally reflected at the end face 24b. Therefore, the angle of the end faces 13a and 24b may be set so that light incident on the end face 24b is guided to the reflective layer of the blade portion 25a1.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the rear ends of the end faces 13a and 24b are closer together than the front ends, but for example, the front ends may be closer together than the rear ends.

Furthermore, while the above describes the angles of the end faces 13a and 24b based on the optical axis OA2 on the second lamp unit U2 side, this is not a limitation and the optical axis OA1 on the first lamp unit U1 side may also be used as the reference.

1: Vehicle lamp 11: First light source 12: Reflecting member 12a: First reflecting portion 12b: Second reflecting portion 13: Diffusion lens portion (first lens portion)
13a: End surface (first side surface)
14: Decorative member 15: Shade 21: Second light source 22: Reflecting member 23: Shade 24: Spot lens portion (second lens portion)
24a: Dummy portion 24b: End surface (second side surface)
25: Extension portion 25a, 25a1: Blade portion B: Base member OA, OA1, OA2: Optical axis U1: First lamp unit U2: Second lamp unit

Claims (5)

A vehicle lamp comprising: a first lamp unit having a first light source, a reflecting member that reflects light from the first light source, and a first lens portion through which light reflected by the reflecting member enters from a rear side and exits from a front side; and a second lamp unit having a second light source and a second lens portion through which light from the second light source enters from a rear side and exits from a front side, the second lamp unit being disposed adjacent to the first lamp unit,
a first reflecting portion for reflecting light from the first light source toward the adjacent second lamp unit, causing the reflected light to be incident on the back side of the first lens unit and to be emitted from the front side, and a second reflecting portion for reflecting the light from the first light source toward the adjacent second lamp unit, causing the reflected light to be incident on the back side of the first lens unit and to be emitted from a first side surface of the first lens unit, and causing the emitted light to be incident on a second side surface of the second lens unit. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first side surface and the second side surface are substantially parallel to each other. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein a front end of the first side surface is located forward of a front end of the second side surface, and a rear end of the first side surface is located rearward of a rear end of the second side surface. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first side surface and the second side surface are closer to each other at a rear side than at a front side. the second lamp unit forms a spot light distribution pattern for low beam having a cut-off line in front of the vehicle,
the first lamp unit forms a diffused light distribution pattern for a low beam in front of the vehicle that is more diffused than the spot light distribution pattern,
The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a front end of the second lens portion of the second lamp unit is located further forward than the first lens portion of the first lamp unit.