Vehicle lighting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lighting fixture that achieves highly uniform annular light emission. [Solution] The second lighting unit 20 comprises a light source and a light guide 24 that controls and irradiates light from the light source. The light source includes a first LED 27 and a second LED 28. The light guide 24 has a first end face 30a into which light from the first LED 27 is incident, and a second end face 30b into which light from the second LED 28 is incident. It comprises an annularly formed light pipe portion 30 and a substantially cylindrical flange-shaped light guide portion 32 that extends radially outward from the side surface of the light pipe portion 30. A light emission surface is provided on the inner side surface 32a of the flange-shaped light guide portion 32 for emitting light from the light pipe portion 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle lamps, and particularly to vehicle lamps using a light guide.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a vehicle lamp configured to guide light from a light source such as an LED through a light pipe and irradiate the front of the lamp from a plate-shaped light guide portion provided on the side surface of the light pipe (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to such a vehicle lamp, wide-range light emission can be realized.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When attempting to achieve annular light emission with a vehicle lamp as described above, there is a risk that the light from the light source may not sufficiently reach a part of the light guide, impairing the light emission uniformity.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and its object is to provide a vehicle lamp that realizes highly uniform annular light emission.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a vehicle light fixture according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a light source and a light guide that controls and illuminates light from the light source. The light source includes a first light source and a second light source. The light guide comprises a light pipe portion formed in an annular shape, having a first end face into which light from the first light source is incident and a second end face into which light from the second light source is incident, and a flange-shaped light guide portion that is substantially cylindrical and extends radially outward from the side surface of the light pipe portion, and has a light-emitting surface on its inner side surface that emits light from the light pipe portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle light fixture that achieves highly uniform annular light emission. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic front view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic exploded perspective view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic front view of the second lighting unit. [Figure 4] This is a schematic front view of the light guide. [Figure 5] This is a schematic perspective view of the light guide. [Figure 6] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view AA of the second lighting unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, based on preferred embodiments. The following configurations are illustrative for the purpose of understanding the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined solely by the appended claims. Identical or equivalent components and members shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted where appropriate. In addition, the dimensions of members in each drawing are shown enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Furthermore, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted in each drawing.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic front view of the vehicle lighting device 10 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the vehicle lighting device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0011] The vehicle lighting fixture 10 comprises a lamp body 12 and a transparent outer cover 14 that covers the front opening of the lamp body 12. The lamp body 12 and the outer cover 14 form a lamp chamber.

[0012] The vehicle light fixture 10 according to this embodiment is a combination headlamp, and a first light fixture unit 18, a second light fixture unit 20, and an extension member 15 are arranged inside the light fixture chamber.

[0013] The first luminaire unit 18 is a luminaire unit that functions as a high and low beam lamp. The structure of the first luminaire unit 18 that functions as a high and low beam lamp is not particularly limited, and for example, a reflective type or a projector type luminaire unit can be used.

[0014] The second lighting unit 20 is a lighting unit that functions as a clearance lamp and a turn signal lamp. In this embodiment, the second lighting unit 20 is provided so as to surround the first lighting unit 18.

[0015] The extension member 15 is a decorative component that covers a part of the structure located inside the lamp chamber, making it invisible from the outside of the vehicle lamp 10. The first lamp unit 18, the second lamp unit 20, and the extension member 15 are attached to the lamp body 12.

[0016] Figure 3 is a schematic front view of the second lighting unit 20. The second lighting unit 20 comprises a first LED 27 as a first light source, a second LED 28 as a second light source, a substrate 22 on which the first LED 27 and the second LED 28 are mounted, a light guide 24 that controls the light from the first LED 27 and the second LED 28 and illuminates it in front of the lighting unit, and a reflector 26.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the light guide 24. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the light guide 24. The light guide 24 is manufactured by an injection molding method using a transparent resin material such as acrylic or polycarbonate.

[0018] The light guide 24 includes a light pipe portion 30 and a flange-shaped light guide portion 32. In the light guide 24, the light pipe portion 30 and the flange-shaped light guide portion 32 are integrally formed.

[0019] The light pipe portion 30 has a first end face 30a for receiving light from the first LED 27 and a second end face 30b for receiving light from the second LED 28. The first LED 27 is disposed so as to face the first end face 30a, and the second LED 28 is disposed so as to face the second end face 30b.

[0020] The light pipe portion 30 is formed to extend in an annular shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the light pipe portion 30 uses the total reflection phenomenon of light to transmit the light L1 incident on the first end face 30a from the first LED 27 toward the second end face 30b, and the light L2 incident on the second end face 30b from the second LED 28 toward the first end face 30a. The first lighting unit 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is disposed inside the light pipe portion 30 in the radial direction of the annular shape.

[0021] The flange-shaped light guide portion 32 is formed to extend radially outward from the side surface of the light pipe portion 30. The flange-shaped light guide portion 32 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a diameter that increases from the rear side of the lighting fixture toward the front side. As shown in FIG. 4, part of the light L1 and L2 traveling inside the light pipe portion 30 enters the flange-shaped light guide portion 32 during travel and travels inside the flange-shaped light guide portion 32. The inner side surface 32a of the flange-shaped light guide portion 32 serves as a light emission surface for emitting the light L1 and L2 from the light pipe portion 30 to the front of the lighting fixture.

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view AA of the second lighting unit 20 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 6, the reflector 26 is positioned opposite the outer side surface 32b of the flange-shaped light guide portion 32. Figure 6 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the flange-shaped light guide portion 32 and the reflector 26. The surface 26a of the reflector 26 is surface-treated to diffusely reflect incident light. The surface 26a of the reflector 26 may be painted white. As shown in the enlarged view of Figure 6, a plurality of fisheye steps 34 are provided on the inner side surface 32a of the flange-shaped light guide portion 32.

[0023] As shown in the enlarged view of Figure 6, some of the light L1 and L2 traveling through the flange-shaped light guide 32 undergoes total internal reflection at the fisheye step 34 and is directed towards the reflector 26. The light is diffusely reflected at the surface 26a of the reflector 26. The diffusely reflected light is further diffused at the fisheye step 34 formed on the inner side surface 32a of the flange-shaped light guide 32 and illuminated in front of the luminaire. In this way, diffuse reflection at the surface 26a of the reflector 26 and diffuse illumination at the fisheye step 34 of the flange-shaped light guide 32 improve the uniformity of light emission across the entire light emission surface.

[0024] As described above, in the vehicle lighting device 10 according to this embodiment, light sources (first LED 27 and second LED 28) are arranged at both ends of the annularly formed light pipe section 30, and the light from the light sources is guided in the light pipe section 30 to the substantially cylindrical flange-shaped light guide section 32 and emitted, thereby achieving annular light emission. When the light pipe section 30 is annular, if the light source is only placed at one end, light may not reach a part of the flange-shaped light guide section 32 sufficiently, resulting in dark areas and potentially impairing the uniformity of light emission. By placing light sources at both ends of the annularly formed light pipe section 30 as in this embodiment, light can be transmitted to a wide area of ​​the flange-shaped light guide section 32, thereby achieving highly uniform annular light emission.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the light guide 24 includes a bridge portion 36 that connects one end to the other end of the light pipe portion 30. The bridge portion 36 is provided with a mounting portion 38, which allows the light guide 24 to be attached to the reflector 26.

[0026] As described above, the light guide 24 according to this embodiment is manufactured by injection molding. In injection molding, resin is poured into the mold from the gate to form the light guide 24. In this embodiment, since the light guide 24 is an annular body, there is a place where the resin poured from the gate branches out in the mold and rejoins, and a weld line may be formed at this location. A weld line may affect the light emission and appearance. In the light guide 24 according to this embodiment, a gate G is provided in the center or near the center of the light pipe portion 30, and the resin poured from the gate G rejoins at the bridge portion 36 between the two ends of the light pipe portion 30. That is, even if a weld line is formed, the location where the weld line is formed is included in the bridge portion 36, so it does not affect the light emission or appearance. In another embodiment, a gate G' may be provided in the center or near the tip of the flange-shaped light guide portion 32. In this case as well, the location where the weld line is formed is included in the bridge portion 36.

[0027] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. These embodiments are illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in combinations of each component and each processing process, and that such modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 10 Vehicle lighting fixture, 12 Lamp body, 14 Outer cover, 15 Extension member, 18 First lighting unit, 20 Second lighting unit, 22 Circuit board, 24 Light guide, 26 Reflector, 27 First LED, 28 Second LED, 30 Light pipe section, 32 Flange-shaped light guide section, 34 Fisheye step, 36 Bridge section, 38 Mounting section.

Claims

1. A vehicle light fixture comprising a light source and a light guide that controls and emits light from the light source, The light source includes a first light source and a second light source, The light guide body is A light pipe portion formed in an annular shape, having a first end face into which light from the first light source is incident, and a second end face into which light from the second light source is incident. A substantially cylindrical flange-shaped light guide portion is formed to extend radially outward from the side surface of the light pipe portion, and the flange-shaped light guide portion is provided with a light-emitting surface on its inner side surface for emitting light from the light pipe portion, A vehicle lighting device characterized by having the following features.

2. The light guide includes a bridge portion that connects the first end face and the second end face of the light pipe portion. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that the bridge portion includes a location where a weld line generated by injection molding is formed.

3. The light guide includes a bridge portion that connects the first end face and the second end face of the light pipe portion. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bridge portion has a mounting portion for attaching the light guide to the lamp body.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, characterized in that another lighting unit is arranged inside the annular light pipe portion.

5. The system further comprises a reflector positioned opposite the outer surface of the flange-shaped light guide portion, The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that a fisheye step is formed on the light-emitting surface of the flange-shaped light guide portion.

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