Vehicle lamp
By designing the structure of the light guide in vehicle lamps and adjusting the guidance and distribution of light, the problem of uneven brightness is solved, the aesthetics and visual recognition are improved, and a uniform and bright effect is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380059425.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-08-23
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-28
AI Technical Summary
In the existing vehicle lamps, the uneven brightness caused by different optical path lengths leads to a decrease in visual recognition and aesthetics of the light-emitting part. When the lengths of the bent parts and branches are short, stray light will be generated, affecting aesthetics.
By designing the structure of the light guide body, the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source is offset with respect to the boundary of the branch portion, and the proportion of the branch light is adjusted according to the length difference between the second light guide part and the third light guide part to ensure uniform distribution of the light. At the same time, by adjusting the position and cross-sectional area of the connecting part of the protruding part and the bent part, the guidance and distribution of light are further optimized.
It effectively prevents the occurrence of uneven brightness, improves the aesthetics and visual recognition when luminous, and ensures the uniform and brightness of the lamp.
Smart Images
Figure CN119731471A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle lamp.
[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-132234 filed on August 23, 2022, the contents of which 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. 2017-92011 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, even when a rib connecting one light guide portion sandwiching the branch portion and the other light guide portion is provided and the rib is made to emit light, the uneven brightness generated in the rib deteriorates the aesthetic appearance when emitting light. In particular, when the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source is configured to be offset relative to the boundary of the branch portion, the amount of light branched by the branch portion differs, and thus the uneven brightness 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 has:
[0018] Light source; and
[0019] a light guide for guiding light emitted from the light source,
[0020] The light guide has: a first light guide portion, which is arranged in front of the light source;
[0021] 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;
[0022] a branch portion located at a front end side of the first light guide portion;
[0023] A second light guide portion extending from the branch portion toward one side of the first direction;
[0024] a third light guide portion extending from the branch portion toward the other side of the first direction;
[0025] 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;
[0026] 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;
[0027] a first protrusion protruding from the first bent portion toward a side opposite to the branch portion;
[0028] a second protrusion protruding from the second curved portion toward a side opposite to the branch portion,
[0029] The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source is configured to be offset to one side or the other side of the first direction relative to the boundary of the branch portion,
[0030] According to the ratio of the light branched to the second light guide unit side and the third light guide unit side via the branching portion,
[0031] A position of a first connection portion connecting the first protrusion and the first bent portion and a position of a second connection portion connecting the second protrusion and the second bent portion are different at least in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
[0032] [2] The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, characterized in that the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are arranged closer to the central axis of the first curved portion and the second curved portion in the second direction so that the proportion of light branched by the branching portion is relatively smaller,
[0033] The larger the proportion of light branched by the branching portion is, the more the first bent portion and the second bent portion are arranged away from the central axis in the second direction.
[0034] [3] The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, characterized in that, according to the ratio of the light branched to the second light guide portion side and the third light guide portion side via the branch portion,
[0035] The first connection portion and the second connection portion have different cross-sectional areas.
[0036] [4] The vehicle lamp according to [3] above, characterized in that, with respect to the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, as the proportion of light branched via the branching portion increases, the cross-sectional areas thereof decrease.
[0037] The smaller the proportion of light branched by the branching portion is, the larger the cross-sectional area is.
[0038] [5] The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, wherein the light guide has:
[0039] a first reflecting portion, which is located on the back side of the second light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the second light guide portion toward the front side of the second light guide portion;
[0040] a first emitting portion, which is located on the front 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;
[0041] a second reflecting portion, which is located on the back side of the third light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the third light guide portion toward the front side of the third light guide portion;
[0042] a second emitting portion, which is located on the front side of the third light guide portion and emits the light reflected by the second reflecting portion to the outside of the third light guide portion;
[0043] a third reflecting portion, which is located on the back side of the first protrusion and reflects the light guided inside the first protrusion toward the front side of the first protrusion;
[0044] a third emitting portion, which is located on the front side of the first protruding portion and emits the light reflected by the third reflecting portion to the outside of the first protruding portion;
[0045] a fourth reflecting portion located on the rear side of the second protrusion and reflecting the light guided inside the second protrusion toward the front side of the second protrusion; and
[0046] The fourth emission portion is located on the front side of the second protrusion portion and emits the light reflected by the fourth reflection portion to the outside of the second protrusion 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 A front view of the vehicle lamp after the enclosed portion III shown in FIG.
[0052] Figure 4 Yes Figure 2A bottom view of the vehicle lamp after the enclosed portion IV shown in FIG.
[0053] Figure 5 is based on Figure 3 sectional view of the vehicle lamp along the line segment VV shown in FIG.
[0054] Figure 6 is based on Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line segment VI-VI shown in FIG.
[0055] Figure 7 is based on Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line segment VII-VII shown in FIG.
[0056] Figure 8 is based on Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line segment VIII-VIII shown in FIG.
[0057] Fig. 9 Yes means Figure 3 A front view of the light source and the first inner lens is shown.
[0058] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 A top view of the first inner lens is shown.
[0059] Fig.11 is based on Fig. 9 A cross-sectional view of the light source and the first inner lens along the line segment XI-XI shown in FIG.
[0060] Fig.12 is based on Fig. 9 A cross-sectional view of the light source and the first inner lens along the line segment XII-XII shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0061] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0062] 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.
[0063] As one embodiment of the present invention, for example Figures 1 to 12 The vehicle lamp 1 shown will be described.
[0064] 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 Yes Figure 1 A front view of the vehicle lamp 1 in which the enclosed portion III shown in FIG. 1 is enlarged.
[0065] Figure 4 Yes Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the vehicle lamp 1 in which the enclosed portion IV shown in FIG. 1 is enlarged. Figure 5 is based on Figure 3 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along the line segment VV shown in FIG. Figure 6 is based on Figure 3 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line segment VI-VI shown in FIG. Figure 7 is based on Figure 3 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line segment VII-VII shown in FIG. Figure 8 is based on Figure 3 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line segment VIII-VIII shown in FIG. Fig. 9 Yes means Figure 3 A front view of the light source 3 and the first inner lens 4 is shown. Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 A top view of the first inner lens 4 is shown. Fig.11 is based on Fig. 9 2 is a cross-sectional view of the light source 3 and the first inner lens 4 along the line segment XI-XI shown in FIG. Fig.12 is based on Fig. 9 sectional view of the light source 3 and the first inner lens 4 along the line segment XII-XII 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 is a lamp in which the present invention is applied to a lid lamp mounted on, for example, a tailgate or a trunk lid at the rear of a 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 Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment has a structure in which a light source 3 , a first inner lens 4 , a reflector 5 , a second inner lens 6 , and an extension portion 7 are arranged inside a lamp body 2 .
[0070] The lamp body 2 includes a housing 8 with an opening in the front and a transparent outer lens (cover lens) 9 covering the opening of the housing 8 , and has an elongated shape extending in the width direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle width direction”) as a whole.
[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 10 with a coupler on which a light source 3 is disposed. The socket 10 with a coupler is inserted into the inner side of the lamp body 2 from a mounting hole (not shown) provided at the lower portion of the housing 8 and is detachably mounted around the mounting hole.
[0073] The light source 3 is composed of at least one or more (one in the present embodiment) LEDs that emit red light (hereinafter referred to as "light") L, and is mounted on a surface of a circuit substrate (not shown) provided with a driving circuit for driving the LED, and emits light radially toward the front (upward in the present embodiment).
[0074] In the present embodiment, the socket 10 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 .
[0075] The first inner lens 4 is made of a light guide body such as a transparent resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic, or glass, and is disposed in front of the light source 3 (the socket 10 with a coupler).
[0076] The first inner lens 4 has a long round bar shape that is asymmetrically extended in the vehicle width direction with the light source 3 (the socket 10 with the coupler) sandwiched therebetween to match the shape of the lamp body 2. That is, the light source 3 (the socket 10 with the coupler) is disposed at a position offset from the center of the first inner lens 4 in the vehicle width direction, and one side of the first inner lens 4 sandwiching the light source 3 (the socket 10 with the coupler) is longer than the other side.
[0077] The first inner lens 4 includes: a first light guide portion 11 arranged in front of the light source 3 (above in the present embodiment); a branch portion 12 located at the front end side (the upper end side in the present embodiment) of the first light guide portion 11; a second light guide portion 13 extending from the branch portion 12 toward one side in the vehicle width direction (the left side in the present embodiment); a third light guide portion 14 extending from the branch portion 12 toward the other side in the vehicle width direction (the right side in the present embodiment); a first bent portion 15 formed by bending a portion of the second light guide portion 13 from the branch portion 12 toward one side in the vehicle width direction; a second bent portion 16 formed by bending a portion of the third light guide portion 14 from the branch portion 12 toward the other side in the vehicle width direction; a first protrusion 17 protruding from the first bent portion 15 toward the side opposite to the branch portion 12; and a second protrusion 18 protruding from the second bent portion 16 toward the side opposite to the branch portion 12.
[0078] In addition, the first inner lens 4 includes: an incident portion 19 located on the base end side (the lower end side in the present embodiment) of the first light guide portion 11; a first reflecting portion 20 located on the back side (the back side of the vehicle lamp 1 in the present embodiment) of the second light guide portion 13; a first emitting portion 21 located on the front side (the front side of the vehicle lamp 1 in the present embodiment) of the second light guide portion 13; a second reflecting portion 22 located on the back side (the back side of the vehicle lamp 1 in the present embodiment) of the third light guide portion 14; and a first reflecting portion 23 located on the front side (the back side of the vehicle lamp 1 in the present embodiment) of the third light guide portion 14. a second emitting portion 23 located on the back side of the first protrusion 17 (in the present embodiment, on the front side of the vehicle lamp 1); a third reflecting portion 24 located on the front side of the first protrusion 17 (in the present embodiment, on the front side of the vehicle lamp 1); a third emitting portion 25 located on the back side of the first protrusion 17 (in the present embodiment, on the front side of the vehicle lamp 1); a fourth reflecting portion 26 located on the back side of the second protrusion 18 (in the present embodiment, on the back side of the vehicle lamp 1); and a fourth emitting portion 27 located on the front side of the second protrusion 18 (in the present embodiment, on the front side of the vehicle lamp 1).
[0079] The incident portion 19 is located at the base end (lower end) side of the first light guide portion 11, and has a flat (plane) incident surface 19a opposite to the light source 3. The incident portion 19 allows the light L emitted from the light source 3 to be incident from the incident surface 19a to the inside of the first light guide portion 11 (first inner lens 4). In addition, the light L incident from the incident portion 19 is guided inside the first light guide portion 11 toward the branch portion 12 located at the front end (upper end) side of the first light guide portion 11.
[0080] The incident portion 19 is not limited to the structure having the flat (plane) incident surface 19 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 11 .
[0081] The branch portion 12 is located on the front end (upper end) side of the first light guide portion 11. It is a portion where the first curved portion 15 of the second light guide portion 13 and the second curved portion 16 of the third light guide portion 14 are bent and branched in opposite directions to each other. It branches and guides the light L guided toward the front end side of the first light guide portion 11 toward the second light guide portion 13 side and the third light guide portion 14 side.
[0082] In addition, among the light L guided from the incident portion 19 toward the branch portion 12, the light L1 branched from the branch portion 12 toward the second light guide portion 13 is guided from the base end side toward the front end side of the second light guide portion 13 via the first curved portion 15. On the other hand, among the light L guided from the incident portion 19 toward the branch portion 12, the light L2 branched from the branch portion 12 toward the third light guide portion 14 is guided from the base end side toward the front end side of the third light guide portion 14.
[0083] Part of the light L1 branched toward the second light guide 13 is guided from the first curved portion 15 toward the first protruding portion 17. Part of the light L2 branched toward the third light guide 14 is guided from the second curved portion 16 toward the second protruding portion 18.
[0084] However, in the first inner lens 4, the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14 have different lengths, and the second light guide portion 13 extended toward one side of the first direction (the vehicle width direction of the vehicle lamp 1 in this embodiment) is longer than the third light guide portion 14 extended toward the other side of the first direction.
[0085] In contrast, in the branching portion 12 , the ratio of the light L1 guided toward the second light guide portion 13 and the ratio of the light L2 guided toward the third light guide portion 14 are adjusted according to the difference in length (optical path length) between the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14 .
[0086] Specifically, in the branch portion 12, since the second light guide portion 13 is longer than the third light guide portion 14, 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 13 relative to the boundary line BX passing through the boundary 12a between the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14.
[0087] Thus, the proportion of the light L1 branched and guided toward the second light guide portion 13 is adjusted to be greater than the proportion of the light L2 branched and guided toward the third light guide portion 14 , among the light L guided toward the branch portion 12 .
[0088] A plurality of first reflecting portions 20 are arranged at intervals in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 13 extends on the back side of the second light guide portion 13. In addition, each first reflecting portion 20 is provided with a plurality of reflecting cutouts 20a arranged in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 13 extends.
[0089] The multiple reflective cutouts 20a are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc., as long as the light L1 incident on the back side of the second light guide 13 is reflected at an angle to be emitted (transmitted) from the front side of the second light guide 13 to the outside. In the present embodiment, as the multiple reflective cutouts 20a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cut the back side of the second light guide 13 in the up-down direction are arranged in the left-right direction.
[0090] Furthermore, in order to make the light L1 emitted from each first emission portion 21 uniform in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 13 extends, the depth of the groove portion forming the plurality of reflective slits 20a gradually deepens from the base end side toward the front end side of the second light guide portion 13. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent reflective slits 16a in the plurality of reflective slits 20a may also gradually narrow from the base end side toward the front end side of the second light guide portion 13.
[0091] The first emission portion 21 is located on the front side of the second light guide portion 13, and has a first emission surface 21a that is continuous in the direction (left-right direction) in which the second light guide portion 13 extends. The first emission surface 21a 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 extension direction of the second light guide portion 13.
[0092] In the first emission portion 21 , the light L1 reflected by the plurality of reflection cutouts 20 a (first reflection portion 20 ) is emitted from the first emission surface 21 a to the outside of the second light guide portion 13 .
[0093] A plurality of second reflecting portions 22 are arranged at intervals in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 14 extends on the back side of the third light guide portion 14. In addition, each second reflecting portion 22 is provided with a plurality of reflecting cutouts 22a arranged in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 14 extends.
[0094] The multiple reflective cutouts 22a are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc., as long as the light L2 incident on the back side of the third light guide 14 is reflected at an angle to be emitted (transmitted) from the front side of the third light guide 14 to the outside. In the present embodiment, as the multiple reflective cutouts 22a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cuts the back side of the third light guide 14 in the up-down direction are arranged in the left-right direction.
[0095] Furthermore, in order to make the light L2 emitted from each second emission portion 23 uniform in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 14 extends, the depth of the groove portion forming the plurality of reflection slits 22a gradually increases from the base end side toward the front end side of the third light guide portion 14. Alternatively, the interval between adjacent reflection slits 18a in the plurality of reflection slits 22a may also gradually decrease from the base end side toward the front end side of the third light guide portion 14.
[0096] The second emission portion 23 is located on the front side of the third light guide portion 14, and has a second emission surface 23a that is continuous in the direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guide portion 14 extends. The second emission surface 23a 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 extension direction of the third light guide portion 14.
[0097] In the second emission portion 23 , the light L2 reflected by the plurality of reflection cutouts 22 a (second reflection portion 22 ) is emitted from the second emission surface 23 a to the outside of the third light guide portion 14 .
[0098] The third reflecting portion 24 is located on the back side of the first protruding portion 17 inclined toward the front side of the first protruding portion 17 and has a plurality of reflecting cutouts 24a arranged in the direction in which the first protruding portion 17 protrudes (the up-down direction).
[0099] The multiple reflective cutouts 24a are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc., as long as they reflect the light L3 incident on the back side of the first protrusion 17 at an angle to be emitted (transmitted) from the front side of the first protrusion 17 to the outside. In the present embodiment, as the multiple reflective cutouts 24a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cut the back side of the first protrusion 17 in the left-right direction are arranged in the up-down direction.
[0100] In addition, in order to make the light L3 emitted from the first protrusion 17 uniform in the direction (up and down direction) in which the first protrusion 17 protrudes, the depth of the groove portion forming the plurality of reflective cutouts 24a gradually deepens from the base end side toward the front end side of the first protrusion 17. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent plurality of reflective cutouts 24a may gradually narrow from the base end side toward the front end side of the first protrusion 17.
[0101] The third emission portion 25 is located on the front side of the first protrusion 17, and has a flat (plane) third emission surface 25a opposite to the third reflection portion 24. In the third emission portion 25, the light L3 reflected by the plurality of reflection cutouts 24a (third reflection portion 24) is emitted from the third emission surface 25a to the outside of the first protrusion 17.
[0102] The fourth reflecting portion 26 is located on the back side of the second protruding portion 18 and is inclined toward the front side of the second protruding portion 18 , and has a plurality of reflecting cutouts 26 a arranged in the direction in which the second protruding portion 18 protrudes (the up-down direction).
[0103] The multiple reflective cutouts 26a are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc., as long as they reflect the light L4 incident on the back side of the second protrusion 18 at an angle to be emitted (transmitted) from the front side of the second protrusion 18 to the outside. In the present embodiment, as the multiple reflective cutouts 26a, grooves having a substantially triangular cross-section that cut the back side of the second protrusion 18 in the left-right direction are arranged in the up-down direction.
[0104] In addition, in order to make the light L4 emitted from the second protrusion 18 uniform in the direction (up and down direction) in which the second protrusion 18 protrudes, the depth of the groove portion forming the plurality of reflective cutouts 26a gradually deepens from the base end side toward the front end side of the second protrusion 18. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent plurality of reflective cutouts 26a may gradually narrow from the base end side toward the front end side of the second protrusion 18.
[0105] The fourth emission portion 27 is located on the front side of the second protrusion 18, and has a flat (plane) fourth emission surface 27a opposite to the fourth reflection portion 26. In the fourth emission portion 27, the light L4 reflected by the plurality of reflection cutouts 26a (fourth reflection portion 26) is emitted from the fourth emission surface 27a to the outside of the second protrusion 18.
[0106] The reflector 5 is made of a reflective member such as white resin, has an opening on the front side, and is arranged to surround the first inner lens 4 except for the front side of the first inner lens 4 .
[0107] The reflector 5 has a reflecting surface 5 a on its inner side. The light L1 to L4 emitted from the first inner lens 4 to the outside is reflected by the reflecting surface 5 a and emitted toward the front side of the first inner lens 4 .
[0108] The second inner lens 6 is made of a transparent resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic or a light guide such as glass, has a strip shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and is arranged to cover the front side of the first inner lens 4 .
[0109] The second inner lens 6 has: a flat (plane) incident surface 6a on its back side; a plurality of protrusions 6b protruding forward from positions respectively opposite to the first to fourth reflecting parts 20, 22, 24, and 26 on its front side; and a plurality of flat (plane) exit surfaces 6c at the front ends of each of the plurality of protrusions 6b.
[0110] The plurality of protrusions 6b correspond to the first to fourth reflection parts 20, 22, 24, and 26, respectively, and are arranged at equal intervals in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). The plurality of emission surfaces 6c are formed in a substantially rectangular shape at the tip of each protrusion 6b.
[0111] The second inner lens 6 allows the light L1 to L4 emitted from the first to fourth emission portions 21, 23, 25, and 27 to enter the interior from the incident surface 6a. The light L1 to L4 incident from the incident surface 6a is guided toward the front end inside the plurality of protrusions 6b and is emitted to the outside from each emission surface 6c.
[0112] The extension portion 7 is composed of a colored (for example, black) light shielding member covering the front side of the second inner lens 6, and has a plurality of openings 7a corresponding to the plurality of protrusions 6b. The extension portion 7 shields the light L1 to L4 emitted from the second inner lens 6 other than the emission surface 6c by arranging the protrusions 6b inside the openings 7a so that the emission surface 6c faces the outside from the openings 7a.
[0113] In the vehicle lamp 1 having the above-described structure, positions corresponding to the plurality of emission surfaces 6 c arranged in the vehicle width direction can be made to emit red light as the light emitting surface of the cap lamp.
[0114] However, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, in order to make the above-mentioned multiple emission surfaces 6c arranged along the vehicle width direction emit light roughly uniformly (equally), it is necessary to distribute (distribute) the light L emitted from the light source 3 in an appropriate proportion according to the lengths of the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14 sandwiching the branch portion 12.
[0115] Specifically, in the present embodiment, the second light guide portion 13 is longer than the third light guide portion 14 across the branch portion 12. Therefore, 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 13 with respect to the boundary line BX passing through the boundary 12a of the branch portion 12. Thus, a larger amount of light is distributed toward the second light guide portion 13 across the branch portion 12 than toward the third light guide portion 14.
[0116] In addition, in the present embodiment, the light quantity is adjusted by using the above-mentioned plurality of reflective cutouts 20a and 22a so that the light quantity of the light L1 distributed to each first emission portion 21 provided in the second light guide portion 13 is equal to the light quantity of the light L2 distributed to each second emission portion 23 provided in the third light guide portion 14. Thus, the emission surface 6c corresponding to the first emission portion 21 and the second emission portion 23 can be made to emit light substantially uniformly (equally).
[0117] On the other hand, when the optical axis AX of the light L emitted from the light source 3 is arranged to be offset from the boundary line BX of the boundary 12a of the branch portion 12, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9As shown, the ratios of the light L1 and the light L2 branched to the second light guide unit 13 and the third light guide unit 14 via the branching portion 12 differ.
[0118] In contrast, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, Fig.10 , Fig.11 as well as Fig.12 As shown, according to the ratio of the light L1 and L2 branched to the second light guide portion 13 side and the third light guide portion 14 side via the branch portion 12, the position of the first connection portion 30a connecting the first protrusion 17 and the first bent portion 15 and the position of the second connection portion 30b connecting the second protrusion 18 and the second bent portion 16 are different at least in a second direction (in the present embodiment, the front-rear direction of the vehicle lamp 1) orthogonal to the first direction.
[0119] Specifically, the first connection portion 30a and the second connection portion 30b are arranged closer to the central axis CX of the first curved portion 15 and the second curved portion 16 in the front-rear direction of the branch portion 12 as the ratio of the light L1 and L2 branched by the branch portion 12 becomes relatively smaller.
[0120] Thus, the ratio of the light L3 guided from the first connection portion 30 a toward the first protrusion 17 or the light L4 guided from the second connection portion 30 b toward the second protrusion 18 can be relatively increased.
[0121] On the other hand, the first connection portion 30a and the second connection portion 30b are arranged further away from the central axis CX of the first curved portion 15 and the second curved portion 16 in the front-rear direction of the branch portion 12 as the ratio of the light L1 and light L2 branched via the branch portion 12 is relatively larger.
[0122] Thus, the ratio of the light L3 guided from the first connection portion 30 a toward the first protrusion 17 or the light L4 guided from the second connection portion 30 b toward the second protrusion 18 can be relatively reduced.
[0123] In this embodiment, if Fig.10 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, in the front-to-back direction of the branch portion 12, the first protrusion 17 (first connecting portion 30a) is configured to be offset from the center axis CX of the second curved portion 16 toward the front side, and the second protrusion 18 (second connecting portion 30b) is configured to be close to the center axis CX of the second curved portion 16.
[0124] Thus, even if there is a difference in the ratio of the light L1 and L2 branched to the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14 via the branch portion 12, the ratio of the light L3 guided from the first connecting portion 30a toward the first protrusion 17 and the light L4 guided from the second connecting portion 30b toward the second protrusion 18 can be made equal.
[0125] Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the ratio of the light L3 emitted from the third emission portion 25 of the first protrusion 17 to the light L4 emitted from the fourth emission portion 27 of the second protrusion 18 is equal, so that the emission surfaces 6c corresponding to these first protrusions 17 (third emission portion 25) and second protrusions 18 (fourth emission portion 27) can be made to emit light approximately uniformly (equally) together with the emission surfaces 6c corresponding to the other emission portions (the first emission portion 21 and the second emission portion 23).
[0126] In addition, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the first connection portion 30 a and the second connection portion 30 b have different cross-sectional areas S1 and S2 depending on the ratio of the light L1 and L2 branched to the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14 via the branching portion 12 .
[0127] Specifically, regarding the first connection portion 30 a and the second connection portion 30 b , as the ratio of the light L1 , L2 branched via the branching portion 12 is relatively larger, the cross-sectional areas S1 , S2 thereof are relatively smaller.
[0128] Thus, the ratio of the light L3 guided from the first connection portion 30 a toward the first protrusion 17 or the light L4 guided from the second connection portion 30 b toward the second protrusion 18 can be relatively reduced.
[0129] On the other hand, as the ratio of the light L1 and the light L2 branched to the second light guide unit 13 and the third light guide unit 14 via the branching portion 12 becomes relatively smaller, the cross-sectional areas S1 and S2 become relatively larger.
[0130] Thus, the ratio of the light L3 guided from the first connection portion 30 a toward the first protrusion 17 or the light L4 guided from the second connection portion 30 b toward the second protrusion 18 can be relatively increased.
[0131] In this embodiment, if Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the thickness of the first protrusion 17 is smaller than the thickness of the second protrusion 18, and thus the cross-sectional area S1 of the first connection portion 30a is smaller than the cross-sectional area S2 of the second connection portion 30b.
[0132] Thus, even if there is a difference in the ratio of the light L1 and L2 branched to the second light guide portion 13 and the third light guide portion 14 via the branch portion 12, the ratio of the light L3 guided from the first connecting portion 30a toward the first protrusion 17 and the light L4 guided from the second connecting portion 30b toward the second protrusion 18 can be made equal.
[0133] Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the ratio of the light L3 emitted from the third emission portion 25 of the first protrusion 17 to the light L4 emitted from the fourth emission portion 27 of the second protrusion 18 is equal, so that the emission surfaces 6c corresponding to these first protrusions 17 (third emission portion 25) and second protrusions 18 (fourth emission portion 27) can be made to emit light approximately uniformly (equally) together with the emission surfaces 6c corresponding to the other emission portions (the first emission portion 21 and the second emission portion 23).
[0134] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the light L emitted from the above-mentioned light source 3 can be roughly evenly distributed (distributed) to the multiple emission surfaces 6c arranged in the vehicle width direction, and these multiple emission surfaces 6c can emit light with a mutually uniform brightness.
[0135] Thus, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven brightness and improve the appearance when emitting light.
[0136] 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.
[0137] For example, 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.
[0138] 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.
[0139] 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.
[0140] Description of Reference Numerals
[0141] 1…Lamp for vehicle 2…Lamp body 3…Light source 4…First inner lens (light guide) 5…Reflector 6…Second inner lens 7…Extension 8…Casing 9…Outer lens 10…Socket with coupler 11…First light guide 12…Branch 13…Second light guide 14…Third light guide 15…First curved portion 16…Second curved portion 17…First protruding portion 18…Second protruding portion 19…Incident portion 20…First reflecting portion 21…First emission portion 22…Second reflecting portion 23…Second emission portion 24…Third reflecting portion 25…Third emission portion 26…Fourth reflecting portion 27…Fourth emission portion 30a…First connecting portion 30b…Second connecting portion L, L1, L2, L3, L4…Light
Claims
1. A vehicle lamp, characterized in that: The vehicle lamp comprises: Light source; and a light guide for guiding light emitted from the light source, 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 located at a front end side of the first light guide portion; A second light guide portion extending from the branch portion toward one side of 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 protrusion protruding from the first bent portion toward a side opposite to the branch portion; as well as a second protrusion protruding from the second curved portion toward a side opposite to the branch portion, The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source is configured to be offset to one side or the other side of the first direction relative to the boundary of the branch portion, According to the ratio of the light branched to the second light guide unit side and the third light guide unit side via the branching portion, A position of a first connection portion connecting the first protrusion and the first bent portion and a position of a second connection portion connecting the second protrusion and the second bent portion are different at least in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are arranged closer to the central axis of the first curved portion and the second curved portion in the second direction as the proportion of the light branched by the branching portion is relatively smaller. The larger the proportion of light branched by the branching portion is, the more the first bent portion and the second bent portion are arranged away from the central axis in the second direction.
3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connection portion and the second connection portion have different cross-sectional areas according to the ratio of light branched to the second light guide portion and the third light guide portion via the branch portion.
4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, characterized in that: Regarding the first connection portion and the second connection portion, as the proportion of light branched via the branching portion is relatively larger, the cross-sectional areas thereof are relatively smaller. The smaller the proportion of light branched by the branching portion is, the larger the cross-sectional area is.
5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light guide has: a first reflecting portion, which is located on the back side of the second light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the second light guide portion toward the front side of the second light guide portion; a first emitting portion, which is located on the front 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 the back side of the third light guide portion and reflects the light guided inside the third light guide portion toward the front side of the third light guide portion; a second emitting portion, which is located on the front side of the third light guide portion and emits the light reflected by the second reflecting portion to the outside of the third light guide portion; a third reflecting portion, which is located on the back side of the first protrusion and reflects the light guided inside the first protrusion toward the front side of the first protrusion; a third emitting portion, which is located on the front side of the first protruding portion and emits the light reflected by the third reflecting portion to the outside of the first protruding portion; a fourth reflecting portion located on the back side of the second protrusion and reflecting the light guided inside the second protrusion toward the front side of the second protrusion; as well as The fourth emission portion is located on the front side of the second protrusion portion and emits the light reflected by the fourth reflection portion to the outside of the second protrusion portion.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Light guide body and vehicular lighting tool
JP2017092011A
Powder material supply device and powder material supply method of laser processing device
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