Vehicle headlights

Abstract

The invention comprises: a reflector (7) having a plurality of reflecting surfaces (13) arranged in the left-right direction; n light sources (9) emitting light toward one of the reflecting surfaces arranged in the left-right direction; at least two light sources located at adjacent positions are arranged as a common light source (14) emitting light toward the same reflecting surface, and n irradiation patterns (20) irradiating different areas in the left-right direction are formed by the light emitted from the n light sources respectively, and the focal lengths of the plurality of reflecting surfaces are respectively set in the following manner, that is, the n irradiation patterns are sequentially set from the first irradiation pattern to the nth irradiation pattern in the left-right direction, at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately following the first irradiation pattern overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately preceding the first irradiation pattern in the left-right direction, and adjacent irradiation patterns with non-overlapping areas are respectively formed by the light emitted from the common light source.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a vehicle headlamp in which light emitted from a plurality of light sources that are controlled to turn on and off is reflected by a reflection surface of a reflector. Background Art

[0002] In a vehicle headlamp, a plurality of light sources and reflectors are arranged in a lamp chamber, which is an internal space of a lamp frame formed by a lamp housing and a cover, and the lighting and shutoff of the plurality of light sources are controlled based on the driving state of the vehicle (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the vehicle headlamp described in Patent Document 1, for example, a so-called variable high beam (ADB: Adaptive Driving Beam) control is configured to be able to illuminate an area where other vehicles such as a preceding vehicle are detected by processing an image captured by a camera, thereby changing the light distribution pattern of the high beam.

[0004] In the vehicle headlamp described in Patent Document 1, light is emitted from a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements (LEDs) arranged side by side on the left and right and provided as light sources, respectively, and different illumination patterns are formed by the light emitted from each light source, and these illumination patterns form a light distribution pattern of illumination light irradiated forward.

[0005] By performing such control, it is possible to prevent glare from occurring to other vehicles such as the vehicle ahead.

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-243080 Summary of the invention

[0009] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] However, in recent years, as vehicles have become more sophisticated in design, the shapes of vehicle bodies have become various, and accordingly, there has been an increasing demand for vehicle headlamps that are compact and thin with a small vertical width.

[0011] Therefore, in order to achieve miniaturization, particularly miniaturization of the vertical width, in a vehicle headlamp using a reflector having the above-mentioned ADB function, for example, reducing the focal length of the reflecting surface in the reflector and reducing the curvature of the reflecting surface may be considered.

[0012] However, by reducing the focal length of the reflecting surface, a reflector with a small vertical width can be formed to achieve miniaturization of the vehicle headlight. However, as the focal length changes, the position of the irradiation pattern of the light emitted from the light source shifts in the left and right directions, and brightness unevenness may occur in the light distribution pattern formed by these irradiation patterns.

[0013] Therefore, an object of the vehicle headlamp of the present invention is to achieve miniaturization of the vehicle headlamp while suppressing uneven brightness in a light distribution pattern.

[0014] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0015] First, the vehicle headlamp of the present invention comprises: a reflector having a plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged in the left-right direction; n light sources emitting light toward one of the reflecting surfaces arranged in the left-right direction; at least two of the light sources located at adjacent positions are arranged as a common light source emitting light toward the same reflecting surface, and n illumination patterns illuminating different areas in the left-right direction are formed by the light emitted from the n light sources respectively, and the focal lengths of the plurality of reflecting surfaces are respectively set in the following manner: the n illumination patterns are sequentially set from the first illumination pattern to the nth illumination pattern in the left-right direction, and at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately following it overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and adjacent illumination patterns with non-overlapping areas are respectively formed by the light emitted from the common light source.

[0016] Thus, while at least half of the regions of the irradiation patterns formed by the lights emitted from the respective light sources overlap in the left-right direction, adjacent irradiation patterns whose regions do not overlap are formed by the lights emitted from the common light source.

[0017] Secondly, in the above-mentioned vehicle headlamp of the present invention, it is preferable that the focal length is 10 mm to 15 mm.

[0018] Thereby, the curvature of the reflector becomes sufficiently small.

[0019] Thirdly, in the above-mentioned vehicle headlamp of the present invention, it is preferable that the common light source is constituted by two light sources.

[0020] This makes it possible to increase the number of reflecting surfaces without excessively increasing the size of each reflecting surface corresponding to each shared light source.

[0021] Fourthly, in the above-mentioned vehicle headlamp of the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the common light sources are provided.

[0022] As a result, the number of reflecting surfaces is greatly reduced relative to the number of light sources.

[0023] Fifthly, in the vehicle headlamp of the present invention described above, it is preferable that at least one of the light sources is provided as a non-shared light source other than the shared light source.

[0024] As a result, the degree of freedom in arranging the plurality of light sources in relation to the plurality of reflecting surfaces is improved.

[0025] According to the present invention, in a state where at least half of the areas in the illumination patterns respectively formed by the lights emitted from each light source overlap with each other in the left-right direction, adjacent illumination patterns whose areas do not overlap are respectively formed by the lights emitted from the common light source. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the focal length of the reflecting surface in the reflector while forming a light distribution pattern that is less likely to produce uneven brightness, and to achieve miniaturization of the vehicle headlamp while suppressing uneven brightness in the light distribution pattern. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is with Figures 2 to 8 The figure shows together an embodiment of the vehicle headlamp of the present invention. This figure is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle headlamp.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic front view of the lamp unit.

[0028] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an irradiation pattern.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the difference in light sources forming each irradiation pattern, etc., compared with a conventional vehicle headlamp.

[0030] Figure 5 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an irradiation pattern of a lamp unit according to a first modification.

[0031] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the difference in light sources that form each irradiation pattern in the lamp unit of the first modification example.

[0032] Figure 7 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an irradiation pattern of a lamp unit according to a second modification.

[0033] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the difference in light sources that form each irradiation pattern in the lamp unit according to the second modification, etc. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle headlamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0035] The vehicle headlights 1 are mounted and arranged at both left and right end portions of a front end portion of a vehicle body.

[0036] The vehicle headlamp 1 comprises: a lamp housing 2 having an opening at the front end; and a cover 3 mounted on the lamp housing 2 in a state of closing the opening of the lamp housing 2 (see Figure 1 The lamp housing 2 and the cover 3 form a lamp frame 4. The inner space of the lamp frame 4 is formed as a lamp chamber 4a.

[0037] A lamp unit 5 is disposed in the lamp chamber 4a. The lamp unit 5 includes a bracket 6, a reflector 7, a substrate 8, and light sources 9, 9, ...

[0038] The bracket 6 includes a plate-shaped connecting portion 10 facing in the front-rear direction and a plate-shaped mounting portion 11 facing in the up-down direction, and the upper end of the connecting portion 10 is continuous with the rear end of the mounting portion 11. The front half of the mounting portion 11 is provided as a reflector mounting portion 11a having a thickness thicker than the rear half, and the rear half is provided as a substrate mounting portion 11b. The lower surface of the reflector mounting portion 11a is located lower than the lower surface of the substrate mounting portion 11b.

[0039] The reflector 7 includes a plate-shaped mounted portion 12 facing in the up-down direction and a reflecting portion 13 formed in a curved surface shape that moves forward as it moves downward. The rear end of the mounted portion 12 and the upper end of the reflecting portion 13 are continuous. A light transmission hole 12a is formed in the mounted portion 12. The reflecting portion 13 is divided into four parts in the left-right direction (see Figure 2 The inner surfaces of the four parts of the reflecting portion 13 are formed as a first reflecting surface 13a, a second reflecting surface 13b, a third reflecting surface 13c, and a fourth reflecting surface 13d in order from the inner side to the outer side in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The first reflecting surface 13a, the second reflecting surface 13b, the third reflecting surface 13c, and the fourth reflecting surface 13d are all formed as parabolic surfaces that bulge obliquely downward and rearward.

[0040] The focal lengths of the first reflecting surface 13a, the second reflecting surface 13b, the third reflecting surface 13c and the fourth reflecting surface 13d of the reflector 7 are set to be, for example, 10 mm to 15 mm. The front half of the mounted portion 12 of the reflector 7 is mounted on the reflector mounting portion 11a of the bracket 6, and the reflector 7 is located on the front side of the connecting portion 10 (see Figure 1 ).

[0041] The substrate 8 is formed into a horizontally long shape and is mounted on the lower surface of the substrate mounting portion 11b of the bracket 6 (see Figure 2 ). The substrate 8 is connected to a control circuit (not shown).

[0042] The light sources 9, 9, ... are mounted on the lower surface of the substrate 8 in a left-right manner. The light sources 9, 9, ... are light emitting diodes (LEDs), and, for example, seven are provided. Therefore, the number n of the light sources 9 is 7. The light emitted from the light sources 9, 9, ... passes through the through hole 12a toward the reflecting portion 13 of the reflector 7, is reflected by the reflecting portion 13, passes through the cover 3, and irradiates toward the front (see Figure 1 ).

[0043] The light sources 9, 9, ... are arranged in order from the inside to the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle as the second light source 9B, the first light source 9A, the fourth light source 9D, the third light source 9C, the sixth light source 9F, the fifth light source 9E, and the seventh light source 9G (see Figure 2 ).

[0044] The second light source 9B and the first light source 9A are provided as a first shared light source 14A that emits light toward the first reflecting surface 13a, the fourth light source 9D and the third light source 9C are provided as a second shared light source 14B that emits light toward the second reflecting surface 13b, and the sixth light source 9F and the fifth light source 9E are provided as a third shared light source 14C that emits light toward the third reflecting surface 13c. The seventh light source 9G is provided as a non-shared light source 15, and the light emitted from the seventh light source 9G is directed toward the fourth reflecting surface 13d.

[0045] The lamp unit 5 configured as described above can be tilted and moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction relative to the lamp frame 4 via the optical axis adjustment mechanism 16 (see Figure 1 ).

[0046] The optical axis adjustment mechanism 16 has alignment screws 17, 17 and a pivot point portion not shown. The alignment screws 17, 17 extend in the front-rear direction, respectively, and have screw-engaging portions 17a, 17a at the front end portions. The alignment screws 17, 17 are connected to the connecting portion 10 of the bracket 6 via the nut parts 18, 18 when the screw-engaging portions 17a, 17a are screwed with the nut parts 18, 18, respectively, and the rear end portions are rotatably connected to the lamp housing 2 in a state where they cannot move in the front-rear direction. The connecting portion 10 of the bracket 6 is also connected to the lamp housing 2 via the pivot point portion, and is set to be rotatable in any direction relative to the lamp housing 2 with the pivot point portion as a fulcrum.

[0047] In the vehicle headlamp 1 , when one aiming screw 17 rotates, the lamp unit 5 tilts in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction with the other aiming screw 17 and the pivot point as fulcrums, thereby performing aiming adjustment of the lamp unit 5 .

[0048] Furthermore, the vehicle headlamp 1 may be provided with a so-called leveling adjustment mechanism for adjusting the direction of the optical axis tilted by the weight of the vehicle-mounted object.

[0049] The vehicle is provided with a camera (not shown) for photographing the state in the illumination area of ​​the vehicle headlamp 1 and a detection unit (not shown) for detecting the state of the illumination area based on the photographing data of the camera. In the vehicle headlamp 1, the control circuit controls the lighting and turning off of the light sources 9, 9, ... according to the detection result of the detection unit.

[0050] In this way, in the vehicle headlamp 1, by controlling the lighting and turning off of the light sources 9, 9, ... according to the detection result of the detection unit, a so-called variable high beam (ADB: Adaptive Driving Beam) function can be actually exerted. The variable high beam function is to turn off the light source 9 that illuminates the area where other vehicles such as the preceding vehicle are detected by processing the image captured by the camera, thereby changing the light distribution pattern of the high beam.

[0051] In the vehicle headlamp 1, different illumination patterns 20, 20, ... are formed by light emitted from light sources 9, 9, .... The illumination patterns 20, 20, ... are respectively formed as a first illumination pattern 20A, a second illumination pattern 20B, a third illumination pattern 20C, a fourth illumination pattern 20D, a fifth illumination pattern 20E, a sixth illumination pattern 20F, and a seventh illumination pattern 20G. The light distribution pattern 21 of the vehicle headlamp 1 is formed by the first illumination pattern 20A, the second illumination pattern 20B, the third illumination pattern 20C, the fourth illumination pattern 20D, the fifth illumination pattern 20E, the sixth illumination pattern 20F, and the seventh illumination pattern 20G (see Figure 3 ). Therefore, the number of the illumination patterns 20 is the same as the number of the light sources 9, and the number n of the illumination patterns 20 is 7.

[0052] It should be noted that, below, in order to simplify the description, the first irradiation pattern 20A, the second irradiation pattern 20B, the third irradiation pattern 20C, the fourth irradiation pattern 20D, the fifth irradiation pattern 20E, the sixth irradiation pattern 20F and the seventh irradiation pattern 20G are described only as irradiation pattern 20A, irradiation pattern 20B, irradiation pattern 20C, irradiation pattern 20D, irradiation pattern 20F and irradiation pattern 20G, respectively.

[0053] The irradiation patterns 20A, 20B, and 20G are formed in sequence from the inside to the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and are patterns that irradiate different areas in the left-right direction. The irradiation patterns 20A, 20B, ..., and 20G are patterns in which the halves of the irradiation patterns 20, 20 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction overlap. It should be noted that in Figure 3 In order to facilitate understanding of the regions of the irradiation patterns 20A, 20B, ..., 20G, the irradiation patterns 20A, 20C, 20E, and 20G and the irradiation patterns 20B, 20D, and 20F are shown in a state where they are slightly shifted in the vertical direction.

[0054] Hereinafter, the relationship between the formation positions of the irradiation patterns 20, 20, ... and the light emitted from the light sources 9, 9, ... will be described (see Figure 4 ).

[0055] It should be noted that, in order to facilitate understanding of the structure of the vehicle headlamp 1, the structure of the vehicle headlamp 1 will be described below based on the structure of a conventional vehicle headlamp X having an ADB function. Figure 4 The figure shown in the uppermost section schematically shows the positional relationship between the reflecting surfaces 13a to 13d and the light sources 9, 9, ..., and in order to facilitate the comparison between the vehicle headlamp 1 and the conventional vehicle headlamp X, the conventional vehicle headlamp X is also shown. Figure 4 This is an example of forming an illumination pattern with the same structure as the vehicle headlamp 1 shown in the uppermost stage of FIG.

[0056] In the right Figure 4 In the chart comparing the vehicle headlamp X and the vehicle headlamp 1, the upper figure is a schematic diagram showing which light source forms each illumination pattern, the middle figure is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between each illumination pattern and the light source forming these illumination patterns, and the lower figure is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the reflector.

[0057] In the vehicle headlamp X, the irradiation patterns arranged sequentially in the left-right direction are formed by lights reflected by the reflection surfaces arranged sequentially in the left-right direction.

[0058] Specifically, the irradiation patterns 20A and 20B are formed by the light emitted from the first light source 9A and the second light source 9B and reflected by the first reflection surface 13a, respectively, the irradiation patterns 20C and 20D are formed by the light emitted from the third light source 9C and the fourth light source 9D and reflected by the second reflection surface 13b, respectively, the irradiation patterns 20E and 20F are formed by the light emitted from the fifth light source 9E and the sixth light source 9F and reflected by the third reflection surface 13c, respectively, and the irradiation pattern 20G is formed by the light emitted from the seventh light source 9G and reflected by the fourth reflection surface 13d. At this time, the focal lengths of the first reflection surface 13a, the second reflection surface 13b, the third reflection surface 13c, and the fourth reflection surface 13d in the vehicle headlamp X are, for example, approximately 20 mm.

[0059] In the vehicle headlamp X as described above, a good ADB function is exhibited, and since the respective halves of the irradiation patterns 20 , 20 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction are provided as patterns overlapping each other, brightness unevenness is unlikely to occur in light distribution.

[0060] However, in order to cope with the advanced design of vehicles in recent years, it is desired to develop a vehicle headlamp with a small vertical width, and it is desired to achieve miniaturization of the reflector while maintaining the basic structure of the vehicle headlamp X. In order to miniaturize the reflector, it is considered to make the focal length of the reflecting surface in the reflector smaller than the focal length of the reflecting surface in the vehicle headlamp X.

[0061] If the focal length of the reflecting surface is reduced, the curvature of the reflecting surface becomes larger, and the vertical width of the reflector becomes smaller, so that the vehicle headlamp can be miniaturized.

[0062] However, if the focal length of the reflecting surface is reduced, the irradiation pattern formed by the light emitted from the light source is shifted in the left-right direction, and the overlapping manner of each irradiation pattern changes, which easily causes uneven brightness. For example, if the focal length of the reflecting surface is made smaller by about several millimeters relative to the reflecting surface of the reflecting portion 13X in the vehicle headlamp X while maintaining the basic structure of the vehicle headlamp X, for example, the irradiation pattern 20B formed by the light emitted from the light source 9B is shifted in a direction away from the irradiation pattern 20A.

[0063] Therefore, in the lamp unit 5 of the vehicle headlamp 1, the focal lengths of the first reflecting surface 13a, the second reflecting surface 13b, the third reflecting surface 13c, and the fourth reflecting surface 13d are further reduced by about several millimeters relative to the reflecting surface of the reflecting portion 13X in the vehicle headlamp X, and as described in detail below, at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately following overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately preceding in the left-right direction, and adjacent irradiation patterns with non-overlapping areas are formed by the light emitted from the common light source. It should be noted that the following description is given by taking the case where half of the areas in the irradiation patterns overlap with each other as an example.

[0064] Specifically, if Figure 4 As shown in the figure on the right side of the figure, the illumination patterns 20A and 20C are respectively formed by the light emitted from the first light source 9A and the second light source 9B and reflected by the first reflecting surface 13a, the illumination patterns 20B and 20D are respectively formed by the light emitted from the third light source 9C and the fourth light source 9D and reflected by the second reflecting surface 13b, the illumination patterns 20E and 20G are respectively formed by the light emitted from the fifth light source 9E and the sixth light source 9F and reflected by the third reflecting surface 13c, and the illumination pattern 20F is formed by the light emitted from the seventh light source 9G and reflected by the fourth reflecting surface 13d.

[0065] That is, adjacent illumination patterns 20A, 20C are formed by light emitted from the first light source 9A and the second light source 9B constituting the first common light source 14A, adjacent illumination patterns 20B, 20D are formed by light emitted from the third light source 9C and the fourth light source 9D constituting the second common light source 14B, and adjacent illumination patterns 20E, 20F are formed by light emitted from the fifth light source 9E and the sixth light source 9F constituting the third common light source 14C. In addition, the overlapping manner of the illumination patterns 20, 20, ... does not change from that of the vehicle headlamp X, and is set so that half of the area in the illumination pattern 20B overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20A, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20C overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20B, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20D overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20C, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20E overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20D, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20F overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20E, and half of the area in the illumination pattern 20G overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20F.

[0066] In the vehicle headlamp 1 , the focal lengths of the first reflecting surface 13 a , the second reflecting surface 13 b , the third reflecting surface 13 c , and the fourth reflecting surface 13 d are set to, for example, 10 mm to 15 mm.

[0067] As described above, even if the focal length of the reflecting surface is reduced, it is difficult to produce uneven brightness in the light distribution of the vehicle headlamp 1 by making at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately following it overlap with at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and by forming adjacent illumination patterns with non-overlapping areas by light emitted from a common light source.

[0068] As described above, in the vehicle headlamp 1, the focal length of the reflecting surface (13a~13d) is set in the following manner, that is, at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern 20 with the number immediately following it overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern 20 with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and adjacent irradiation patterns 20, 20 (20A and 20C, 20B and 20D, 20E and 20G) whose areas do not overlap are respectively formed by light emitted from a common light source (14A~14C).

[0069] Therefore, in a state where at least half of the areas of the illumination patterns 20 respectively formed by the light emitted from each light source 9 overlap each other in the left-right direction, adjacent illumination patterns 20, 20 whose areas do not overlap are respectively formed by the light emitted from the common light source (14A to 14C). As a result, the focal length of the reflection surface (13a to 13d) can be reduced while forming a light distribution pattern 21 that is less likely to cause brightness unevenness, and the vehicle headlamp 1 can be miniaturized while suppressing brightness unevenness in the light distribution pattern 21.

[0070] Furthermore, the focal lengths of the first reflecting surface 13a, the second reflecting surface 13b, the third reflecting surface 13c and the fourth reflecting surface 13d are set to, for example, 10 mm to 15 mm. Therefore, the curvature of the reflector 7 is sufficiently large, and the vehicle headlamp 1 can be miniaturized by miniaturizing the reflector 7 sufficiently.

[0071] Furthermore, since the first common light source 14A, the second common light source 14B and the third common light source 14C are respectively composed of two light sources 9, 9, the number of reflecting surfaces 13 can be increased without excessively increasing the size of each reflecting surface 13 corresponding to each common light source 14, thereby ensuring the miniaturization of the vehicle headlamp 1 and achieving an increase in the freedom of light distribution control.

[0072] Furthermore, in the vehicle headlamp 1, since a plurality of shared light sources 14 are provided, the number of reflecting surfaces 13 is significantly reduced relative to the number of light sources 9, thereby improving the degree of freedom in light distribution control and achieving miniaturization in the left-right direction of the vehicle headlamp 1.

[0073] In addition, since at least one light source 9 (9G) is provided as a non-shared light source 15, and the plurality of light sources 9 are composed of a shared light source 14 and a non-shared light source 15, the degree of freedom in configuring the plurality of light sources 9 in relation to the plurality of reflecting surfaces 13 is improved, and the degree of freedom in design related to light distribution can be improved.

[0074] Next, a modification of the lamp unit 5 will be described (see Figures 5 to 8 ).

[0075] First, a lamp unit 5A according to a first modified example will be described (see Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 ).

[0076] The reflector 7 of the lamp unit 5A is formed with a first reflecting surface 13a, a second reflecting surface 13b, a third reflecting surface 13c and a fourth reflecting surface 13d (see Figure 5 ). The focal lengths of the first reflecting surface 13a, the second reflecting surface 13b, the third reflecting surface 13c and the fourth reflecting surface 13d of the reflector 7 are set to, for example, 10 mm to 15 mm.

[0077] For example, six light sources 9, 9, ... are provided. Therefore, the number n of light sources 9 is 6. The light sources 9, 9, ... are provided in order from the inside to the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle as a first light source 9A, a third light source 9C, a second light source 9B, a fifth light source 9E, a fourth light source 9D, and a sixth light source 9F.

[0078] The first light source 9A and the sixth light source 9F are respectively provided as non-shared light sources 15, 15, and the light emitted from the first light source 9A is directed toward the first reflecting surface 13a, and the light emitted from the sixth light source 9F is directed toward the fourth reflecting surface 13d. The third light source 9C and the second light source 9B are provided as a first shared light source 14D that emits light toward the second reflecting surface 13b, and the fifth light source 9E and the fourth light source 9D are provided as a second shared light source 14E that emits light toward the third reflecting surface 13c.

[0079] In the lamp unit 5A, at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately following it overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and adjacent irradiation patterns with non-overlapping areas are formed by light emitted from the common light source (see Figure 6 ). It should be noted that Figure 6 In the description, the case where half of the areas in the irradiation pattern overlap with each other is taken as an example.

[0080] Specifically, the illumination patterns 20A and 20C are respectively formed by the light emitted from the second light source 9B and the third light source 9C and reflected by the second reflecting surface 13b, the illumination pattern 20B is formed by the light emitted from the light source 9A and reflected by the first reflecting surface 13a, the illumination patterns 20D and 20F are respectively formed by the light emitted from the fourth light source 9D and the fifth light source 9E and reflected by the third reflecting surface 13c, and the illumination pattern 20E is formed by the light emitted from the sixth light source 9F and reflected by the fourth reflecting surface 13d.

[0081] That is, adjacent illumination patterns 20A and 20C are formed by light emitted from the second light source 9B and the third light source 9C constituting the first common light source 14D, and adjacent illumination patterns 20D and 20F are formed by light emitted from the fourth light source 9D and the fifth light source 9E constituting the second common light source 14E. In addition, the overlapping manner of the illumination patterns 20, 20, ... is the same as that of the lamp unit 5, and it is set that half of the area in the illumination pattern 20B overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20A, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20C overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20B, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20D overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20C, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20E overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20D, and half of the area in the illumination pattern 20F overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20E.

[0082] As described above, in lamp unit 5A, similarly to lamp unit 5, even if the focal length of the reflecting surface is reduced, by making at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately following it overlap with at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and by forming adjacent illumination patterns with non-overlapping areas by light emitted from a common light source, it is difficult to produce uneven brightness in the light distribution of the vehicle headlamp 1.

[0083] Next, a lamp unit 5B according to a second modified example will be described (see Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 ).

[0084] The reflector 7 of the lamp unit 5B is formed with a first reflecting surface 13e and a second reflecting surface 13f (see Figure 7 ). The focal lengths of the first reflecting surface 13e and the second reflecting surface 13f of the reflector 7 are set to, for example, 10 mm to 15 mm.

[0085] For example, six light sources 9, 9, ... are provided. Therefore, the number n of light sources 9 is 6. The light sources 9, 9, ... are provided in order from the inside to the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle as a first light source 9A, a second light source 9B, a third light source 9C, a fourth light source 9D, a fifth light source 9E, and a sixth light source 9F.

[0086] The first light source 9A, the second light source 9B and the third light source 9C are provided as the first common light source 14F that emits light toward the first reflecting surface 13e, and the fourth light source 9D, the fifth light source 9E and the sixth light source 9F are provided as the second common light source 14G that emits light toward the second reflecting surface 13f.

[0087] In the lamp unit 5B, at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately following it overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and adjacent irradiation patterns with non-overlapping areas are formed by light emitted from the common light source (see Figure 8 ). It should be noted that Figure 8 In the description, the case where half of the areas in the irradiation pattern overlap with each other is taken as an example.

[0088] Specifically, the illumination patterns 20A, 20C, and 20E are respectively formed by light emitted from the first light source 9A, the second light source 9B, and the third light source 9C and reflected by the first reflecting surface 13e, and the illumination patterns 20B, 20D, and 20F are respectively formed by light emitted from the fourth light source 9D, the fifth light source 9E, and the sixth light source 9F and reflected by the second reflecting surface 13f.

[0089] That is, adjacent illumination patterns 20A, 20C, 20E are formed by the light emitted from the first light source 9A, the second light source 9B, and the third light source 9C constituting the first common light source 14F, and adjacent illumination patterns 20B, 20D, 20F are formed by the light emitted from the fourth light source 9D, the fifth light source 9E, and the sixth light source 9F constituting the second common light source 14G. In addition, the overlapping manner of the illumination patterns 20, 20, ... is the same as that of the lamp unit 5, and is set to a state in which half of the area in the illumination pattern 20B overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20A, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20C overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20B, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20D overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20C, half of the area in the illumination pattern 20E overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20D, and half of the area in the illumination pattern 20F overlaps with half of the area in the illumination pattern 20E.

[0090] As described above, in lamp unit 5B, similarly to lamp unit 5, even if the focal length of the reflecting surface is reduced, by making at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately following it overlap with at least half of the area of ​​the illumination pattern with the number immediately preceding it in the left-right direction, and by forming adjacent illumination patterns with non-overlapping areas by light emitted from a common light source, it is difficult to produce uneven brightness in the light distribution of the vehicle headlamp 1.

[0091] In this way, even in the vehicle headlamp 1 using the lamp unit 5A or the lamp unit 5B, the focal length of the reflecting surface (13e, 13f) can be reduced while forming the light distribution pattern 21 that is less likely to cause brightness unevenness, and the vehicle headlamp 1 can be miniaturized while suppressing brightness unevenness in the light distribution pattern 21.

[0092] It should be noted that the number of reflecting surfaces and the number of light sources in the vehicle headlamp 1 are not limited to the number of the lamp units 5, 5A, 5B described above, and any number of light sources is sufficient, and other structures may also be provided. In addition, the configuration position of the light source relative to the reflecting surface is not limited to the configuration position of the lamp units 5, 5A, 5B, and one or more light sources may be arbitrarily configured for multiple reflecting surfaces.

[0093] In addition, the above shows an example in which half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately following overlaps with half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately preceding, but the overlapping area may be approximately half, and the overlapping area may be more than half. In addition, the present invention can also be applied to an example in which the following light distribution pattern is formed: a part of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately following overlaps with a part of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern with the number immediately preceding, and the areas of these overlapping areas are set to be approximately the same area.

[0094] Description of Reference Numerals

[0095] 1 Vehicle headlights

[0096] 7 Reflector

[0097] 9 Light Source

[0098] 13a~13g Reflection surface

[0099] 14A~14G share the same light source

[0100] 15 Non-shared light sources

[0101] 20A~20G irradiation pattern

[0102] 21 light distribution patterns

Claims

1. A vehicle headlamp, wherein: have: A reflector having a plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged in a left-right direction; n light sources, which emit light toward any one of the reflection surfaces arranged in the left-right direction; At least two of the light sources located at adjacent positions are arranged as a common light source emitting light toward the same reflecting surface. The light emitted from the n light sources respectively forms n illumination patterns that illuminate different areas in the left-right direction, The focal lengths of the multiple reflective surfaces are respectively set in the following manner: The n illumination patterns are sequentially arranged from the first illumination pattern to the nth illumination pattern in the left-right direction, At least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern of the later number among the adjacent numbers overlaps with at least half of the area of ​​the irradiation pattern of the earlier number among the adjacent numbers in the left-right direction, The adjacent irradiation patterns whose regions do not overlap are formed by the light emitted from the common light source.

2. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein: The focal length is set to 10 mm to 15 mm.

3. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The common light source is composed of the two light sources.

4. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A plurality of the common light sources are provided.

5. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: At least one of the light sources is provided as a non-shared light source other than the shared light source.

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