JP7772664B2 - Vehicle lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting fixture.

A vehicle lamp is known in which light from a light source is diffused by a cap, incident on a Fresnel lens, and emitted from the Fresnel lens to the front of the vehicle via an inner lens and an outer lens (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-106493 A

The vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 is required to make effective use of the light diffused by the cap and to have a configuration that is aesthetically pleasing.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp with excellent appearance.

The vehicle lamp according to the present invention comprises a light source, a cap that diffuses light from the light source, and a Fresnel lens that emits the light from the cap toward the front, with the cap having at least a focal point where the focal point coincides with the Fresnel lens.

In the above-mentioned vehicle lamp, the focal point is provided on the light exit surface of the cap.

In the above-mentioned vehicle lamp, the Fresnel lens has a predetermined focal point, and the focal point coincidence portion is spherical with the predetermined focal point of the Fresnel lens as its center.

In the above-mentioned vehicle lamp, the focal point is connected to the surroundings via a stepped portion.

In the above-mentioned vehicle lamp, the step portion has a flat portion extending in the front-to-rear direction.

In the above-mentioned vehicle lamp, the cap is positioned at a position offset in a predetermined direction from the center of the lamp's light-emitting range when viewed from the front, and the focal point is positioned at a position offset in the predetermined direction from the center of the cap when viewed from the front.

The above-mentioned vehicle lamp further comprises an inner panel having a rectangular opening at a position overlapping the cap in a front view, and the focal point coincidence portion is formed to extend from the center of the cap to a portion from one end of one side of the opening to the other end in a front view.

The above vehicle lamp further includes an inner lens that emits light from the Fresnel lens toward the front.

The present invention provides a vehicle lamp with excellent appearance.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the rear part of a vehicle according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration along the cross section AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the cap as viewed from the front side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the cap as viewed from the lower front side.

Embodiments of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical.

In this embodiment, the front and rear directions are assumed to be directions when the device is mounted on a vehicle. For example, when mounted on the front of a vehicle, the front is the front direction (front side) and the rear is the rear direction (rear side). When mounted on the rear of a vehicle, the rear is the front direction (front side) and the front is the rear direction (rear side). When mounted on the side of a vehicle, the outside of the vehicle is the front direction (front side) and the inside of the vehicle is the rear direction (rear side).

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the rear of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle body 2, a running device 3, and a vehicle lamp 100. The vehicle body 2 has a driver's cab where the driver sits. The vehicle body 2 is supported by the running device 3. The running device 3 has wheels on which tires 4 are mounted, a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and a braking device for slowing down or stopping the running device 3. The vehicle 1 comprises a boarding/alighting door provided on the side of the vehicle body 2, and a tailgate 7 provided on the rear of the vehicle body 2. The boarding/alighting door and the tailgate 7 are each movably supported on the vehicle body 2 via a hinge mechanism.

In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. Therefore, the rear side in the fore-and-aft direction will be described as the front side of the vehicle lamp 100, and the front side in the fore-and-aft direction will be described as the back side of the vehicle lamp 100.

The vehicle lighting fixture 100 includes functional lamps. Examples of functional lamps include tail lamps that are located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and light up in conjunction with the lighting of the headlamps, stop lamps that are located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and light up in conjunction with the operation of the brake device, and rear turn signal lamps that are located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and light up to indicate to those around them the direction in which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

The vehicle lamps 100 are each disposed on the vehicle body 2 side, for example. In this embodiment, the vehicle body 2 is a fixed part, and the back door 7 is a movable part. The structure of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left rear side of the vehicle body 2 and the structure of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right rear side of the vehicle body 2 are symmetrical in the left-right direction and are substantially identical. The following description will mainly focus on the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right rear side of the vehicle body 2, and the description of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left rear side of the vehicle body 2 will be simplified or omitted.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration along the A-A cross section in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows an example of a vehicle lamp 100. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle lamp 100 includes a light source 10, a cap 20, a Fresnel lens 30, an inner lens 40, an inner panel 60, and an outer lens 70.

The vehicle lamp 100 is configured so that a light source 10, a cap 20, a Fresnel lens 30, and an inner lens 40 are housed within a lamp chamber 80 surrounded by an inner panel 60 and an outer lens 70.

The light source 10 may be, for example, a semiconductor light source such as an LED, a laser light source, or the like. The light source 10 has a light-emitting surface 11 that emits light. The light source 10 is supported by a support member 12 via a substrate or the like. The support member 12 may be configured to dissipate heat from the light source 10.

The cap 20 is placed in front of the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. The cap 20 diffuses light from the light-emitting surface 11 and emits it toward the front. The cap 20 is supported by a frame 27. The cap 20 has an incident surface 21 and an exit surface 22. Light from the light source 10 is incident on the incident surface 21. The incident surface 21 is curved. The exit surface 22 emits the light that has entered from the incident surface 21. The detailed configuration of the cap 20, including the shape of the exit surface 22, will be described later. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the cap 20 and frame 27 are integrally formed, but the cap 20 and frame 27 may also be formed separately.

The Fresnel lens 30 is disposed on the front side of the cap 20. The Fresnel lens 30 emits light from the cap 20 toward the front side. The Fresnel lens 30 is plate-shaped and has a front portion 31, an inner wall portion 32, and an outer wall portion 33. The front portion 31 faces the light exit surface 22 of the cap 20. The inner wall portion 32 is disposed in a state where it is bent from the end of the front portion 31 that is on the inside of the vehicle toward the rear side. The outer wall portion 33 is disposed in a state where it is bent from the end of the front portion 31 that is on the outside of the vehicle toward the rear side.

The Fresnel lens 30 is plate-shaped and has a prism with concentric grooves. The Fresnel lens 30 converts light from a predetermined focal point P into parallel light and emits it toward the front. In this embodiment, the predetermined focal point P is located at the light source 10 or in the vicinity of the light source 10.

The inner lens 40 is placed on the front side of the Fresnel lens 30. The inner lens 40 has an incident surface 41 and an exit surface 42. Light from the Fresnel lens 30 enters the incident surface 41. The exit surface 42 emits the light that entered from the incident surface 41 toward the front side. The inner lens 40 is configured with a light-diffusing structure such as a prism or texture, and diffuses the light from the Fresnel lens 30 and emits it toward the front side.

The inner panel 60 holds the light source 10, cap 20, Fresnel lens 30, inner lens 40, and outer lens 70. The inner panel 60 has a rectangular opening 61 at a position overlapping the cap 20 in a front view. The opening 61 is positioned to surround the light source 10. The opening 61 has four sides 62, 63, 64, and 65.

The outer lens 70 houses the light source 10, cap 20, Fresnel lens 30, and inner lens 40 between itself and the inner panel 60. The outer lens 70 transmits light emitted from the light exit surface 42 of the inner lens 40 to the front side (rear of the vehicle).

Next, the detailed configuration of the cap 20 will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the cap 20 as viewed from the front side. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the cap 20 as viewed from the lower front side.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the light exit surface 22 of the cap 20 has a curved portion 23, a focal point portion 24, a stepped portion 25, and a peripheral edge portion 26. The cap 20 is positioned in a position offset toward the inside of the vehicle with respect to the central axis AX2 of the lamp light emission range R, which is the light emission range of the vehicle lamp 100, when viewed from the front (Figure 2).

The curved surface portion 23 has a shape such as a free-form surface.

The focal point matching section 24 is formed so that the focal point matches with the Fresnel lens 30. The focal point matching section 24 is spherical, with its center at the focal point P of the Fresnel lens 30.

The focal point matching portion 24 is connected to the surrounding area via a stepped portion 25. The stepped portion 25 has a flat portion along the front-to-back direction. The stepped portion 25 is formed as a punching surface when punching out the cap 20 during production. The portion of the cap 20 where the focal point matching portion 24 is provided is thinner in the front-to-back direction than other portions, such as the portion where the curved surface portion 23 is provided.

The focal point matching portion 24 is positioned in a predetermined direction relative to the central axis AX1 of the cap 20 when viewed from the front, i.e., at a position offset toward the inside of the vehicle. The focal point matching portion 24 is formed to extend from the central axis AX1 of the cap 20 when viewed from the front to the portion from one end 62a to the other end 62b of one side 62 of the opening 61 of the inner panel 60.

Of the two step portions 25 that define the focal point matching section 24, one step portion 25 extends upward and inward from the central axis AX1 of the cap 20 toward one end 62a of one side 62. The other step portion 25 extends downward and inward from the central axis AX1 of the cap 20 toward the other end 62b of the side 62.

The peripheral edge portion 26 is positioned on the inside of the vehicle relative to the focal point matching portion 24. The peripheral edge portion 26 is formed, for example, in a planar shape perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 100 configured as described above will be explained. When the driver turns on the headlamps or performs a predetermined operation to turn on the tail lamps and stop lamps, such as braking, the vehicle lamp 100 receives an operation signal from the operating device. A control circuit provided on the circuit board of the light source 10 controls the light emission of the light source 10 in accordance with the received signal.

As shown in FIG. 3, light beams L1, L2, L3, and L4, for example, are emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. Light beam L1 travels from the light-emitting surface 11 along the central axis AX1 and enters the central portion of the entrance surface 21 of the cap 20 at a position slightly offset toward the outside of the vehicle from the central axis AX1. This light beam L1 is emitted from the central portion of the curved portion 23 of the exit surface 22 of the cap 20, enters the Fresnel lens 30, and exits from the exit surface 35 of the Fresnel lens 30.

Light L2 travels from the light-emitting surface 11 in a spreading manner toward the outside of the vehicle and enters the portion of the entrance surface 21 of the cap 20 that is located on the outside of the vehicle. This light L2 is refracted near the outer end of the curved surface 23 and emitted toward the outside of the vehicle, enters the Fresnel lens 30, and is controlled by the Fresnel lens 30 to be emitted from the exit surface 35 toward the front.

On the other hand, light L3 propagates from the light-emitting surface 11 toward the inside of the vehicle and enters the portion of the entrance surface 21 of the cap 20 that is located on the inside of the vehicle. This light L3 is emitted without refraction from the focal point 24 of the exit surface 22, enters the Fresnel lens 30, and is controlled to be emitted forward from the exit surface 35 of the Fresnel lens 30. Figure 3 shows a comparative example of light L3 as light L3a. If the focal point 24 of this embodiment is not provided and the curved surface 23a is also provided on the inside of the vehicle, light L3a enters the inside of the vehicle, is refracted from the curved surface 23a of the exit surface 22 toward the inside of the vehicle, enters the Fresnel lens 30, and is emitted from the exit surface 35 of the Fresnel lens 30. In this case, light L3a refracted from the curved surface 23a toward the inside of the vehicle and emitted from the light source 10 is shifted toward the inside of the vehicle relative to light L3, which is focused at the light source 10. As a result, light L3a is refracted by the Fresnel lens 30 and emitted outside the vehicle. This causes a dark area to appear at the end Ra of the inner lens 40 on the inside of the vehicle (see Figures 2 and 3), degrading the appearance.

Light L4 propagates from the light-emitting surface 11 toward the vehicle interior, unlike light L3, and enters the vehicle-interior portion of the entrance surface 21 of the cap 20. This light L4 is emitted without refraction from the focal point 24 of the exit surface 22, enters the Fresnel lens 30, and exits from the exit surface 35 of the Fresnel lens 30. Figure 3 shows a comparison example to light L4 as light L4a. Light L4a enters the vehicle interior, is refracted toward the vehicle interior from the curved surface 23a of the exit surface 22, and enters the inner wall portion 32 of the Fresnel lens 30. This light L4a is not emitted forward as effective light, and when the light is turned on, a dark area appears at the vehicle-interior end Ra of the inner lens 40, degrading the appearance. In contrast, in this embodiment, light L4 is emitted from the focal point 24, resulting in less diffusion toward the vehicle interior than light L4a. This prevents a decrease in brightness at the end Ra of the inner lens 40 on the inside of the vehicle.

As described above, the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment comprises a light source 10, a cap 20 that diffuses light from the light source 10, and a Fresnel lens 30 that emits light from the cap 20 toward the front, with the cap 20 having a focal point matching portion 24 at least in part where the focal point P coincides with the Fresnel lens 30.

With this configuration, the cap 20 has at least a portion of the focal point matching section 24 where the focal point P coincides with the Fresnel lens 30, thereby suppressing the diffusion of light emitted from the focal point matching section 24. This allows the light diffused by the cap 20 to be used effectively, suppressing deterioration in appearance and providing a vehicle lamp with excellent appearance.

In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the focal point matching portion 24 is provided on the light exit surface 22 of the cap 20. This configuration makes it possible to appropriately suppress the diffusion of light emitted from the focal point matching portion 24.

In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the Fresnel lens 30 has a predetermined focal point P, and the focal point matching portion 24 is spherical, with the predetermined focal point P of the Fresnel lens 30 as its center. This configuration allows the focal point P of the Fresnel lens 30 and the focal point P of the focal point matching portion 24 to be appropriately aligned.

In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the focal point matching portion 24 is connected to the surroundings via a stepped portion 25. This configuration makes it possible to appropriately suppress the diffusion of light emitted from the focal point matching portion 24.

In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the step portion 25 has a flat surface that runs along the front-to-back direction. With this configuration, when the cap 20 is manufactured by molding, the step portion 25 can be used as the cutting surface during die-cutting. Therefore, unintended light refraction can be suppressed compared to when the step portion 25 is formed as a gradually varying surface.

In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the cap 20 is positioned at a position offset in a predetermined direction from the central axis AX2 of the lamp light emission range R when viewed from the front, and the focal point matching portion 24 is positioned at a position offset in a predetermined direction from the central axis AX1 of the cap 20 when viewed from the front. This configuration makes it possible to appropriately suppress the diffusion of light directed in the predetermined direction from the cap 20.

The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment further includes an inner panel 60 having a rectangular opening 61 at a position overlapping the cap 20 in a front view, and the focal point matching portion 24 is formed to extend from the central axis AX1 of the cap 20 in a front view to the portion from one end 62a to the other end 62b of one side 62 of the opening 61. This configuration allows the focal point matching portion 24 to be designed appropriately.

The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment further includes an inner lens 40 that emits light from the Fresnel lens 30 toward the front. This configuration prevents dark areas from forming in the inner lens 40, resulting in a vehicle lamp 100 with excellent appearance.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, while the above-described embodiment has been described with reference to a configuration in which the focal point matching unit 24 is provided on the exit surface 22, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the focal point matching unit 24 may be provided on the entrance surface 21 in addition to the exit surface 22.

AX1, AX2...center axis, P...focus, R...lamp light-emitting area, 1...vehicle, 2...vehicle body, 3...traveling gear, 4...tire, 7...back door, 10...light source, 11...light-emitting surface, 12...support member, 20...cap, 21, 41...incident surface, 22, 35, 42...exit surface, 23, 23a...curved surface, 24...focusing portion, 25...step portion, 26...periphery, 27...frame, 30...Fresnel lens, 31...front portion, 32...inner wall portion, 33...outer wall portion, 40...inner lens, 60...inner panel, 61...opening, 62, 63, 64, 65...side portion, 62a...one end, 62b...other end, 70...outer lens, 80...lamp chamber, 100...vehicle lamp

Claims (8)

A light source and
a cap that diffuses light from the light source;
a Fresnel lens that emits light from the cap to the front side,
The vehicle lamp, wherein the cap has a focal point matching portion at least in part where the focal point matches with the Fresnel lens. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the focal point coincidence portion is provided on an exit surface of the cap. the Fresnel lens has a predetermined focal point;
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the focal point coincidence portion has a spherical shape centered on the predetermined focal point of the Fresnel lens. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the focal point coincidence portion is connected to the surroundings via a step portion. The vehicle lamp according to claim 4 , wherein the step portion has a flat portion extending in a front-to-rear direction. the cap is disposed at a position shifted in a predetermined direction from the center of the light-emitting range of the lamp when viewed from the front,
The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the focal point coincidence portion is disposed at a position shifted in the predetermined direction with respect to a center of the cap when viewed from the front. an inner panel having a rectangular opening at a position overlapping the cap in a front view;
The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the focal point coincidence portion is formed so as to extend from a center of the cap to a portion from one end to the other end of one side of the opening when viewed from the front. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, further comprising an inner lens that emits light from the Fresnel lens to a front side.