Vehicle lamp

Abstract

The light guide body (4) has a first curved portion (13) curved from the branch portion (10) toward one side in the first direction, a second curved portion (14) curved from the branch portion (10) toward the other side in the first direction, a first light guide emission portion (20) located at the first curved portion (13), and a second light guide emission portion (21) located at the second curved portion (14). The branch part (10) is opposite to a branch central part (22) which is formed by bending and branching the first bending part (13) and the second bending part (14) from the boundary (10a) of the branch part (10) in opposite directions; and a second reflection region (E2) that faces the first light guide emission section (20) and the second light guide emission section (21) provided on both sides of the branch center section (22), the first reflection region (E1) being a region having a greater degree of light diffusion than the second reflection region (E2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-133575 filed on August 24, 2022, and the contents are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Conventionally, as a vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, there is known a structure in which a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a rod-shaped or plate-shaped light guide are combined.

[0004] In such a vehicle lamp, light emitted from a light source is incident from the base end side of a light guide body, and is guided toward the front end side of the light guide body while being repeatedly reflected inside the light guide body. In addition, light reflected by a plurality of reflective cutouts provided on the back side of the light guide body is emitted from the front side of the light guide body. Thus, the light emitting portion provided on the front side of the light guide body can emit light in a linear or planar manner.

[0005] In addition, there is a structure in which, after light is branched by a branching portion provided in a light guide, a light emitting portion provided between one side and the other side of the light guide sandwiching the branching portion emits light (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 below).

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-093216 Summary of the invention

[0009] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] However, in the above-mentioned light guide, due to the difference in the optical path length of the light guided from the base end side to the front end side, uneven brightness sometimes occurs in the light emitting portion. That is, when uneven brightness occurs in the light emitting portion of the light guide, in the axial direction of the light guide, the front end side where the optical path length from the light source is long becomes relatively darker due to light attenuation compared to the base end side where the optical path length from the light source is short. Therefore, such brightness is recognized as uneven brightness of the light emitting portion.

[0011] Therefore, when a rod-shaped light guide is made to emit light linearly, there is a problem of deterioration of the lighting feeling, such as reduction in visibility and aesthetics of the light-emitting portion due to the occurrence of the above-mentioned uneven brightness.

[0012] In addition, when a curved portion or branch portion formed by bending a part of the light guide is provided between the incident portion and the light emitting portion, if the length of the curved portion or branch portion is short and the curvature is small, part of the light guided inside the curved portion or branch portion will not be directed toward the front end side of the light guide, and sometimes becomes stray light and leaks out from the curved portion or branch portion to the outside. In this case, due to the so-called point light emission in which a part of the base end side of the curved portion or branch portion appears to emit more intense light than the surroundings, the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle lamp when lit is deteriorated.

[0013] Furthermore, between one curved portion and another curved portion that are bent in opposite directions across the branch portion, not only the above-mentioned point-like light emission is generated, but also a dark portion that is darker than other portions (uneven brightness) is generated. In particular, in the case of a configuration in which the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source is offset relative to the boundary of the branch portion, the light amount of the light branched by the branch portion is different, and thus the generation of uneven brightness near the boundary becomes more significant.

[0014] An aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle lamp capable of improving the appearance of light emission by preventing the occurrence of uneven brightness.

[0015] Means for solving problems

[0016] The embodiment of the present invention provides the following configurations.

[0017] [1] A vehicle lamp, characterized in that it comprises:

[0018] light source;

[0019] a light guide that guides the light emitted from the light source;

[0020] a reflecting member that reflects light emitted from the light guide,

[0021] The light guide has:

[0022] a first light guide portion disposed in front of the light source;

[0023] an incident portion located at a base end side of the first light guide portion and causing light emitted from the light source to be incident into the first light guide portion;

[0024] a branch portion located at a front end side of the first light guide portion;

[0025] A second light guide portion, which is extended from one side of the branch portion toward the first direction;

[0026] a third light guide portion extending from the branch portion toward the other side of the first direction;

[0027] a first bent portion, which is formed by bending a portion of the second light guide portion from the branch portion toward one side of the first direction;

[0028] a second bent portion, which is formed by bending a portion of the third light guide portion from the branch portion toward the other side of the first direction;

[0029] a first light guide emitting portion, which is located in the first curved portion and emits a part of the light guided inside the first curved portion to the outside of the first curved portion; and

[0030] a second light guide output portion, which is located at the second curved portion and outputs a part of the light guided inside the second curved portion to the outside of the second curved portion;

[0031] The reflective component has:

[0032] a first reflection region facing a branch center portion where the first curved portion and the second curved portion are bent and branched in opposite directions from a boundary of the branch portion; and

[0033] a second reflection region, the second reflection region being opposite to the first light guide emitting portion and the second light guide emitting portion provided on both sides of the branch central portion;

[0034] The first reflection area is an area where light diffusion degree is greater than that of the second reflection area.

[0035] [2] The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, characterized in that:

[0036] The branch portion is formed such that, in a cross section in a second direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the first light guide portion, at least a portion of a boundary between the first curved portion and the second curved portion describes a straight line.

[0037] [3] The vehicle lamp according to [2] above, characterized in that:

[0038] The branch portion is formed so as to describe an elongated circle connecting two circles tangent to each other of the first curved portion and the second curved portion by two parallel tangent lines in a cross section in the second direction.

[0039] [4] The vehicle lamp according to [2] above, characterized in that:

[0040] The first curved portion and the second curved portion are formed so as to gradually change from the straight line to an arc from the boundary toward the respective front ends in a cross section in a third direction orthogonal to the axial direction thereof.

[0041] [5] The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, characterized in that:

[0042] The light guide has:

[0043] a first reflecting portion, which is located on one side of the second light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the second light guide portion toward the other side of the second light guide portion;

[0044] a first emitting portion, which is located on the other surface side of the second light guiding portion and emits the light reflected by the first reflecting portion to the outside of the second light guiding portion;

[0045] a second reflecting portion located on one surface side of the third light guide portion and reflecting the light guided inside the third light guide portion toward the other surface side of the third light guide portion; and

[0046] The second emission portion is located on the other surface side of the third light guide portion and emits the light reflected by the second reflection portion to the outside of the third light guide portion.

[0047] Effects of the Invention

[0048] As described above, according to the aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve the appearance of light emission by preventing the occurrence of uneven brightness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Figure 1 It is a front view showing the structure of the vehicle lamp according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A bottom view of the structure of the vehicle lamp is shown.

[0051] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The illustrated diagram is a plan view of a light source included in the vehicle lamp.

[0052] Figure 4 is based on Figure 1 sectional view of the vehicle lamp along line segment IV-IV shown in FIG.

[0053] Figure 5 Yes means Figure 1 A perspective view of the structure of a vehicle lamp is shown.

[0054] Figure 6 Yes means Figure 5 A three-dimensional view of the structure of a socket with a coupler, an inner lens and a reflective component is shown.

[0055] Figure 7 It is a front view showing the structure of a light source, an inner lens, and a reflecting member.

[0056] Figure 8 Yes means Figure 5 A perspective view of the structure of the socket with coupler and inner lens is shown.

[0057] Fig. 9 is based on Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the inner lens of the cutting plane IX shown in FIG.

[0058] Fig.10 is based on Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the inner lens at the cutting plane X shown in FIG.

[0059] Fig.11 is based on Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the inner lens of the cutting plane XI shown in FIG.

[0060] Fig. 12A It is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the branching portion of the inner lens.

[0061] Fig. 12B It is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the branching portion of the inner lens. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] In the drawings used in the following description, in order to make each component easier to see, the scales of dimensions may be different depending on the component, and the dimensional ratios of each component are not necessarily the same as the actual ones.

[0064] As one embodiment of the present invention, for example Figures 1 to 11 The vehicle lamp 1 shown will be described.

[0065] also, Figure 1 It is a front view showing the structure of the vehicle lamp 1 . Figure 2 It is a bottom view showing the structure of the vehicle lamp 1 . Figure 3 It is a plan view of the light source 3 included in the vehicle lamp 1 . Figure 4 is based on Figure 1 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line segment IV-IV shown in FIG. Figure 5 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the vehicle lamp 1 . Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the socket 7 with a coupler, the inner lens 4, and the reflecting member 5. Figure 7 It is a front view showing the structure of the light source 3, the inner lens 4, and the reflecting member 5. Figure 8 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the socket 7 with a coupler and the inner lens 4. Fig. 9 is based on Figure 8sectional view of the inner lens 4 along the cutting plane IX shown in FIG. Fig.10 is based on Figure 8 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens 4 along the cutting plane X shown in FIG. Fig.11 is based on Figure 8 1 is a sectional view of the inner lens 4 along the sectional plane XI shown in FIG.

[0066] In the drawings shown below, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set, and the X-axis direction is represented as the front-rear direction of the vehicle lamp 1, the Y-axis direction is represented as the left-right direction of the vehicle lamp 1, and the Z-axis direction is represented as the up-down direction of the vehicle lamp 1.

[0067] The vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment applies the present invention to, for example, a lid lamp mounted on a tailgate or a trunk lid at the rear of the vehicle.

[0068] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the descriptions of "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up" and "down" refer to directions when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front (rear of the vehicle). Therefore, directions when the vehicle is viewed from the front (front of the vehicle) are directions in which the front, rear, left and right directions are opposite.

[0069] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment has a structure in which a light source 3 , an inner lens 4 , and a reflecting member 5 are arranged inside a lamp body 2 .

[0070] The lamp body 2 has a reflective component 5 constituting a shell 5a with an opening on the front surface and a transparent outer lens (cover lens) 6 covering the opening of the shell, and as a whole has a long strip shape extending in the width direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle width direction").

[0071] In addition, the lamp body 2 has a shape that is bent from the center of the vehicle width direction toward the two ends in accordance with the inclined shape given to the two corners of the rear end side of the vehicle. In addition, the shape of the lamp body 2 is not limited to such a curved shape and can be appropriately changed in accordance with the design of the vehicle.

[0072] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment includes a socket 7 with a coupler provided with a light source 3. The socket 7 with a coupler is inserted into the inner side of the lamp body 2 from a mounting hole (not shown) provided at the lower part of the reflective member 5 constituting the housing, and is detachably mounted around the mounting hole.

[0073] The light source 3 has at least one or more (four in this embodiment) light-emitting elements 8 that emit red light (hereinafter referred to as "light") L. The light-emitting element 8 is composed of, for example, an LED, mounted on a surface of a circuit substrate (not shown) provided with a drive circuit for driving the LED, and emits light radially toward the front (in this embodiment, upward). In addition, a plurality of light-emitting elements 8 are provided on the same surface of the same circuit substrate, and emit light L radially toward the same direction.

[0074] In the light source 3 of this embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the four light emitting elements 8 are arranged in a square, and the centers thereof are arranged in a state where they coincide with the central axis AX of the socket with coupler 7. Therefore, when the plurality of light emitting elements 8 are regarded as one light source 3, the optical axis of the light source 3 is regarded as an optical axis that coincides with the central axis AX of the socket with coupler 7 (hereinafter referred to as the optical axis AX of the light source 3).

[0075] In the present embodiment, the socket 7 with a coupler on which the light source 3 is disposed is provided, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a structure, and a circuit board on which the light source 3 is provided may be disposed inside the lamp body 2 .

[0076] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figures 4 to 11 As shown, the inner lens 4 is made of a light guide such as a transparent resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic, or glass, and is disposed in front of the light source 3 (the socket 7 with a coupler).

[0077] The inner lens 4 matches the shape of the lamp body 2, and has a long round rod shape extending asymmetrically in the vehicle width direction across the light source 3 (the socket 7 with the coupler). That is, the light source 3 (the socket 7 with the coupler) is arranged at a position of the inner lens 4 deviated from the center in the vehicle width direction, and one side of the inner lens 4 across the light source 3 (the socket 7 with the coupler) is longer than the other side.

[0078] The inner lens 4 includes: a first light guide portion 9, which is arranged in front of the light source 3 and extends in the up-down direction of the vehicle; a branch portion 10, which is located on the front end (the upper end in the present embodiment) side of the first light guide portion 9; a second light guide portion 11, which extends from the branch portion 10 toward one side in the vehicle width direction (the left in the present embodiment); a third light guide portion 12, which extends from the branch portion 10 toward the other side in the vehicle width direction (the right in the present embodiment); a first bent portion 13, which is a portion of the second light guide portion 11 bent from the branch portion 10 toward one side in the vehicle width direction (the left in the present embodiment); and a second bent portion 14, which is a portion of the third light guide portion 12 bent from the branch portion 10 toward the other side in the vehicle width direction (the right in the present embodiment).

[0079] In addition, the inner lens 4 has: an incident portion 15 located on the base end (the lower end in the present embodiment) side of the first light guide portion 9; a first reflecting portion 16 located on one surface (the lower surface in the present embodiment) side of the second light guide portion 11; a first emitting portion 17 located on the other surface (the upper surface in the present embodiment) side of the second light guide portion 11; a second reflecting portion 18 located on one surface (the lower surface in the present embodiment) side of the third light guide portion 12; a second emitting portion 19 located on the other surface (the upper surface in the present embodiment) side of the third light guide portion 12; a first light guide emitting portion 20 located on the first curved portion 13; and a second light guide emitting portion 21 located on the second curved portion 14.

[0080] The incident portion 15 is located at the base end (lower end) side of the first light guide portion 9, and has a flat (plane) incident surface 15a opposite to the light source 3. The incident portion 15 allows the light L emitted from the light source 3 to be incident from the incident surface 15a to the inside of the first light guide portion 9 (inner lens 4). In addition, the light L incident from the incident portion 15 is guided inside the first light guide portion 9 toward the branch portion 10 located at the front end (upper end) side of the first light guide portion 9.

[0081] The incident portion 15 is not limited to the structure having the flat (plane) incident surface 15 a described above, and may be a lens-shaped structure that parallelizes or converges the light L radially emitted from the light source 3 and makes it incident on the inside of the first light guide portion 9 .

[0082] The branch portion 10 is located on the front end (upper end) side of the first light guide portion 9, and is a portion where the first curved portion 13 of the second light guide portion 11 and the second curved portion 14 of the third light guide portion 12 are bent and branched in opposite directions to each other, so that the light L guided toward the front end (upper end) side of the first light guide portion 9 is branched and guided toward the second light guide portion 11 side and the third light guide portion 12 side.

[0083] In addition, among the light L guided from the incident portion 15 toward the branch portion 10, the light L1 branched from the branch portion 10 toward the second light guide portion 11 is guided from the base end side toward the front end side of the second light guide portion 11 via the first curved portion 13. On the other hand, among the light L guided from the incident portion 15 toward the branch portion 10, the light L2 branched from the branch portion 10 toward the third light guide portion 12 is guided from the base end side toward the front end side of the third light guide portion 12.

[0084] However, in the inner lens 4, the lengths of the second light guide portion 11 and the third light guide portion 12 are different, and the second light guide portion 11 extended toward one side (the left side in the present embodiment) of the first direction (the left-right direction in the present embodiment) is longer than the third light guide portion 12 extended toward the other side (the right side in the present embodiment) of the first direction.

[0085] In contrast, in the branching portion 10 , the ratio of the light L1 guided toward the second light guide portion 11 and the ratio of the light L2 guided toward the third light guide portion 12 are adjusted according to the difference in length (optical path length) between the second light guide portion 11 and the third light guide portion 12 .

[0086] Specifically, in the branch portion 10 , since the second light guide portion 11 is longer than the third light guide portion 12 , the optical axis AX of the light L emitted from the light source 3 is configured to be offset toward the second light guide portion 11 relative to the boundary line BX passing through the boundary 10a between the second light guide portion 11 and the third light guide portion 12 .

[0087] Thus, the proportion of the light L1 branched and guided toward the second light guide portion 11 is adjusted to be greater than the proportion of the light L2 branched and guided toward the third light guide portion 12 , among the light L guided toward the branching portion 10 .

[0088] The first reflecting portion 16 is located on one side (lower surface) of the second light guide portion 11, and has a plurality of reflecting cutouts 16a arranged in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 11 extends. The plurality of reflecting cutouts 16a may be cutouts that reflect the light L1 incident on one side (lower surface) of the second light guide portion 11 at an angle that allows it to be emitted (transmitted) from the other side (upper surface) of the second light guide portion 11 to the outside, and their shapes, sizes, numbers, etc. are not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as the plurality of reflecting cutouts 16a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cuts one side (lower surface) of the second light guide portion 11 in the front-back direction are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0089] Furthermore, in order to make the light L1 emitted from the first emission portion 17 uniform in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 11 extends, the depth of the groove portion forming the plurality of reflection slits 16a gradually increases from the base end side toward the front end side of the second light guide portion 11. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent reflection slits 16a in the plurality of reflection slits 16a may also gradually decrease from the base end side toward the front end side of the second light guide portion 11.

[0090] The first emission portion 17 is located on the other surface (upper surface) side of the second light guide portion 11, and has a first emission surface 17a that is continuous in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 11 extends. The first emission surface 17a is composed of a convex surface that is curved into an arc shape in a cross section (vertical cross section) in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the second light guide portion 11.

[0091] In the first emission portion 17 , the light L1 reflected by the plurality of reflection cutouts 16 a (first reflection portion 16 ) is emitted from the first emission surface 17 a to the outside of the second light guide portion 11 .

[0092] The second reflecting portion 18 is located on one surface (lower surface) side of the third light guide portion 12, and has a plurality of reflecting cutouts 18a arranged in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 12 extends. The plurality of reflecting cutouts 18a may be cutouts that reflect the light L2 incident on one surface (lower surface) side of the third light guide portion 12 at an angle that allows it to be emitted (transmitted) from the other surface (upper surface) side of the third light guide portion 12 to the outside, and their shapes, sizes, numbers, etc. are not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as the plurality of reflecting cutouts 18a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cuts one surface (lower surface) side of the third light guide portion 12 in the front-back direction are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0093] Furthermore, in order to make the light L2 emitted from the second emission portion 19 uniform in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 12 extends, the depth of the groove portion forming the plurality of reflection slits 18a gradually increases from the base end side toward the front end side of the third light guide portion 12. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent reflection slits 18a in the plurality of reflection slits 18a may also gradually decrease from the base end side toward the front end side of the third light guide portion 12.

[0094] The second emitting portion 19 is located on the other surface (upper surface) side of the third light guide portion 12, and has a second emitting surface 19a that is continuous in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 12 extends. The second emitting surface 19a is composed of a convex surface that is curved into an arc shape in a cross section (vertical cross section) in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the third light guide portion 12.

[0095] In the second emission portion 19 , the light L2 reflected by the plurality of reflection cutouts 18 a (second reflection portion 18 ) is emitted from the second emission surface 19 a to the outside of the third light guide portion 12 .

[0096] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the first light guide exit portion 20 and the second light guide exit portion 21 are provided on both sides of a branch central portion 22 where the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 are bent and branched in opposite directions from the boundary 10 a of the branch portion 10 .

[0097] The first light guide emission portion 20 is located on the other side (upper surface) of the first curved portion 13, and has a plurality of emission cutouts 20a arranged in the direction (left-right direction) in which the first curved portion 13 extends. The plurality of emission cutouts 20a may be cutouts that emit (transmit) a portion of the light L3 of the light L1 incident on the other side (upper surface) of the first curved portion 13 from the other side (upper surface) of the first curved portion 13 to the outside, and their shapes, sizes, numbers, etc. are not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as the plurality of emission cutouts 20a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cut the other side (upper surface) of the first curved portion 13 in the front-rear direction are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0098] In addition, in order to make the light L3 emitted from the first light guide emission portion 20 uniform in the first direction (left-right direction) extending from the first curved portion 13, the intervals between adjacent emission cuts 20a in the multiple emission cuts 20a gradually narrow from the base end side toward the front end side of the first curved portion 13.

[0099] The second light guide emission portion 21 is located on the other side (upper surface) of the second curved portion 14, and has a plurality of emission cutouts 21a arranged in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second curved portion 14 extends. The plurality of emission cutouts 21a may be cutouts that allow a portion of the light L4 of the light L2 incident on the other side (upper surface) of the second curved portion 14 to be emitted (transmitted) from the other side (upper surface) of the second curved portion 14 to the outside, and their shapes, sizes, numbers, etc. are not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as the plurality of emission cutouts 21a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cuts the other side (upper surface) of the second curved portion 14 in the front-rear direction are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0100] In addition, in order to make the light L4 emitted from the second light guide emission portion 21 uniform in the first direction (left-right direction) extending from the second curved portion 14, the intervals between adjacent emission cuts 21a in the multiple emission cuts 21a gradually narrow from the base end side to the front end side of the second curved portion 14.

[0101] like Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the branch portion 10 is formed by drawing an elongated circle connecting two circles tangent to each other of the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 with two parallel tangent lines in a cross section in a second direction (vertical cross section) orthogonal to the axial direction of the first light guide portion 9.

[0102] The first light guide portion 9 has the same oval cross-sectional shape from the incident portion 15 to the branch portion 10. The diameters of the two circles match the diameters of the second light guide portion 11 and the third light guide portion 12 having circular cross-sectional shapes.

[0103] In addition, the branch portion 10 is formed so that, in the cross section (vertical cross section) in the second direction, at least a portion of the boundary 10a between the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 describes a straight line SL. That is, the boundary 10a of the branch portion 10 is formed so that the middle of two circles tangent to each other of the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 are cut off by the straight line SL.

[0104] In the inner lens 4, by making the boundary 10a between the incident portion 15 and the branch portion 10 into such a shape, the light L guided from the incident portion 15 toward the branch portion 10 is efficiently branched to the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side, thereby suppressing the loss of the light L1 and L2 guided to the second light guide portion 11 side and the third light guide portion 12 side, and improving the overall utilization efficiency of the light L.

[0105] In addition, at the boundary 10a of the branch portion 10, in the cross section in the second direction mentioned above, it is not necessarily necessary to set it as a shape in which the two ends of the straight line SL are connected to the two tangents. For example, it can also be a shape in which the two ends of the straight line SL branch to the first bending portion 13 side and the second bending portion 14 side respectively and are continuously connected to the two tangents (while bending), or a shape in which the middle of two intersecting circles is cut off by the straight line SL.

[0106] In addition, at the boundary 10a of the branch portion 10, in the cross section (horizontal cross section) along the axial direction of the first light guide portion 9, it becomes a pointed shape between the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14, but it can also be formed into a shape with rounded corners between the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 when the inner lens 4 is molded using a mold.

[0107] like Figure 8 and Fig.11 As shown, the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 are formed so as to gradually change from the straight line SL to the arc CL from the boundary 10a toward the respective front ends in a cross section (vertical cross section) in a third direction orthogonal to the axial direction thereof.

[0108] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figures 4 to 7 As shown, the reflective member 5 is made of, for example, a white resin member having light diffusivity, and has a structure in which a housing 5 a and a reflector 5 b are integrally formed.

[0109] The reflective member 5 has an opening 5c ​​on the front side of the vehicle lamp 1, and the housing 5a is arranged so as to surround the inner lens 4 except for the upper side of the inner lens 4. In addition, the reflective member 5 is arranged so that the reflector 5b facing the other surface (upper surface) of the inner lens 4 is inclined toward the opening 5c ​​in front. The outer lens 6 is arranged so as to cover the opening 5c ​​of the reflective member 5.

[0110] Thus, the reflecting member 5 reflects the lights L1 to L4 emitted from the inner lens 4 to the outside (upward) by the reflector 5 b, and emits the lights L1 to L4 toward the front opening 5 c.

[0111] In addition, the reflecting component 5 has: a first reflecting area E1 in the reflector 5b opposite to the branch central portion 22 of the inner lens 4; and a pair of second reflecting areas E2 opposite to the first light guide emitting portion 20 and the second light guide emitting portion 21 arranged on both sides of the branch central portion 22.

[0112] The first reflection region E1 is formed into a region where the degree of diffusion of the light L is greater than that of the second reflection region E2 by, for example, performing embossing or the like.

[0113] In the vehicle lamp 1 having the above-described structure, the front side of the outer lens 6 can emit red light linearly as the light emitting surface S of the cap lamp using the lights L1 to L4 (L) emitted from the front side of the outer lens 6 .

[0114] However, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, as Figure 6 As shown, the first reflection area E1 of the reflector 5b is used to reflect the light L1 and L2 (L) branched and guided from the branch portion 10 of the above-mentioned inner lens 4 to the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14, and the light L5 and L6 leaking from the branch center portion 22 to the outside of the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 toward the front.

[0115] The branch central portion 22 is an area where point-like luminescence is easily generated due to the leaked light L5 and L6. The first reflection area E1 is an area where the light diffusion degree is greater than that of the second reflection area E2. Therefore, by making the light L5 and L6 leaking from the branch central portion 22 diffuse and reflect to a greater extent than the second reflection area E2, the generation of point-like luminescence can be suppressed.

[0116] On the other hand, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the light L3 and L4 emitted from the first light guide emitting section 20 and the second light guide emitting section 21 to the outside of the first curved section 13 and the second curved section 14 are reflected forward by the pair of second reflection regions E2 of the reflector 5b.

[0117] The first light guide emission portion 20 and the second light guide emission portion 21 are regions where dark portions darker than other portions are likely to be generated. Therefore, by emitting the lights L3 and L4 from the first light guide emission portion 20 and the second light guide emission portion 21 , generation of dark portions can be suppressed.

[0118] Thus, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the region corresponding to the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 branched from the branch portion 10 (the first reflection region E1 and the pair of second reflection regions E2 ) can be made to emit light substantially uniformly.

[0119] In addition, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, Figure 8 to Figure 11 As shown, the boundary 10a of the branch portion 10 is formed to draw a straight line SL. In addition, the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 are formed to gradually change from the straight line SL to the arc CL from the boundary 10a toward the respective front ends.

[0120] In this case, the reflection angle of the lights L1 and L2 in the portion forming the straight line SL becomes smaller than that in the portion forming the arc CL, and total reflection is more likely to occur, so that the lights L5 and L6 leaking to the outside from the branching portion 10 can be reduced.

[0121] Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to reduce unnecessary light L5 and L6 leaking from the branch portion 10 and improve the efficiency of taking in light L1 and L2 (L) branched and guided from the branch portion 10 to the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14.

[0122] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, by appropriately dividing (distributing) the light L emitted from the above-mentioned light source 3 into the second light guide portion 11 side and the third light guide portion 12 side separated by the branch portion 10, the light-emitting surface S extending linearly in the vehicle width direction can be made to emit light with more uniform brightness (brightness).

[0123] In addition, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the light L guided from the above-mentioned incident portion 15 toward the branch portion 10 can be efficiently branched toward the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side, the loss (light leakage) of the light L1 and L2 guided toward the second light guide portion 11 side and the third light guide portion 12 side can be suppressed, and the efficiency of taking in the light L1 and L2 (L) can be improved.

[0124] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of the light L emitted from the light source 3 , prevent the occurrence of uneven brightness on the light emitting surface S, and improve the appearance during light emission.

[0125] In addition, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be added without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0126] For example, the cross-sectional shape of the branch portion 10 is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned Fig. 9 The shape shown, such as Fig. 12A As shown, it can also be an elongated circle shape in which two parallel tangent lines connect two circles separated from each other, such as Fig. 12B As shown, the shape may also be an elongated circle in which two intersecting circles are connected by two parallel tangent lines.

[0127] In the above embodiment, the vehicle lamp 1 is applied to a cover lamp. However, the vehicle lamp to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the rear vehicle lamp, but the present invention can also be applied to the front vehicle lamp.

[0128] That is, regarding the vehicle lamps to which the present invention is applied, in addition to the above-mentioned cover lamps, the present invention can also be widely applied to vehicle lamps such as tail lights, brake lights, reversing lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), vehicle width lights (position lights), direction indicators (turn signals), etc.

[0129] In addition, regarding the light source, in addition to the above-mentioned LED, a light-emitting element such as a laser diode (LD) can also be used. In addition, regarding the color of the light emitted by the light source, in addition to the above-mentioned red light, it can also be appropriately changed to white light, orange light, etc. according to the purpose of the vehicle lamp.

[0130] Description of Reference Numerals

[0131] 1…vehicle lamp; 2…lamp body; 3…light source; 4…inner lens (light guide); 5…reflecting member; 6…outer lens; 7…socket with coupler; 8…light emitting element; 9…first light guide portion; 10…branch portion; 11…second light guide portion; 12…third light guide portion; 13…first curved portion; 14…second curved portion; 15…incident portion; 16…first reflecting portion; 17…first emitting portion; 18…second reflecting portion; 19…second emitting portion; 20…first light guide emitting portion; 21…second light guide emitting portion; 22…branch center portion; E1…first reflecting area; E2…second reflecting area; SL…straight line; CL…circular arc; L, L1 to L6…light

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp, characterized in that: have: light source; a light guide that guides the light emitted from the light source; and a reflecting member that reflects light emitted from the light guide, The light guide has: A first light guide portion, which is arranged in front of the light source; an incident portion located at a base end side of the first light guide portion and causing light emitted from the light source to be incident into the first light guide portion; a branch portion, which is located at a front end side of the first light guide portion; A second light guide portion, which is extended from one side of the branch portion toward the first direction; a third light guide portion extending from the branch portion toward the other side of the first direction; a first bent portion, which is formed by bending a portion of the second light guide portion from the branch portion toward one side of the first direction; a second bent portion, which is formed by bending a portion of the third light guide portion from the branch portion toward the other side of the first direction; a first light guide emitting portion, which is located at the first curved portion and emits a part of the light guided inside the first curved portion to the outside of the first curved portion; as well as a second light guide output portion, which is located at the second curved portion and outputs a part of the light guided inside the second curved portion to the outside of the second curved portion; The reflective component has: a first reflection region, the first reflection region being opposite to a branch center portion where the first curved portion and the second curved portion are bent and branched in opposite directions from a boundary of the branch portion; as well as a second reflection region, the second reflection region being opposite to the first light guide emitting portion and the second light guide emitting portion provided on both sides of the branch central portion; The first reflection area is an area where light diffusion degree is greater than that of the second reflection area.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The branch portion is formed such that, in a cross section in a second direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the first light guide portion, at least a portion of a boundary between the first curved portion and the second curved portion describes a straight line.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, characterized in that: The branch portion is formed so as to describe an elongated circle connecting two circles tangent to each other of the first curved portion and the second curved portion by two parallel tangent lines in a cross section in the second direction.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first curved portion and the second curved portion are formed so as to gradually change from the straight line to an arc from the boundary toward the respective front ends in a cross section in a third direction orthogonal to the axial direction thereof.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light guide has: a first reflecting portion, which is located on one side of the second light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the second light guide portion toward the other side of the second light guide portion; a first emitting portion, which is located on the other surface side of the second light guiding portion and emits the light reflected by the first reflecting portion to the outside of the second light guiding portion; a second reflecting portion, which is located on one side of the third light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the third light guide portion toward the other side of the third light guide portion; as well as The second emission portion is located on the other surface side of the third light guide portion and emits the light reflected by the second reflection portion to the outside of the third light guide portion.

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