Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture that can improve appearance at the time of light emission by preventing the occurrence of luminance unevenness.SOLUTION: A light guide body 4 comprises a first curved part 13 curved toward one side in a first direction from a branch part 10, and a second curved part 14 curved toward the other side in the first direction from the branch part 10. The branch part 10 is formed so that at least a boundary 10a between the first curved part 13 and the second curved part 14 draws a straight line in a cross section in a second direction orthogonal to an axial direction of a first light guide part 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a combination of a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a rod-shaped or plate-shaped light guide has been known as a vehicle lamp to be mounted on a vehicle.

[0003] In such vehicle lamps, light emitted from a light source is incident on the base end side of the light guide and is guided toward the tip side of the light guide while being repeatedly reflected inside the light guide. In addition, light reflected by multiple reflection cuts provided on the back side of the light guide is emitted from the front side of the light guide. This makes it possible for the light emitting section provided on the front side of the light guide to emit light in a line or a surface.

[0004] Furthermore, some vehicle lamps branch the light at a branching section provided on the light guide, and then emit light from a light-emitting section provided between one side and the other side of the light guide, sandwiching the branching section (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-65071 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when the above-mentioned branching section is provided, a part of the light guided inside the branching section does not travel to the tip of the light guide, but becomes stray light and leaks out from the branching section to the outside. In this case, the amount of light taken in from the branching section to the tip of the light guide is reduced, and the utilization efficiency of the light guided inside the light guide is reduced.

[0007] In particular, when the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source is misaligned with respect to the boundary of the branching section, a difference occurs in the amount of light branched at the branching section, and the amount of light taken in as described above is reduced, making it more difficult to distribute the amount of light.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that increases the light capture efficiency at the branching section while reducing the light that leaks to the outside from the branching section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means. [1] A light source; a light guide for guiding the light emitted from the light source, The light guide body includes a first light guide portion disposed in front of the light source, an incident portion located on a base end side of the first light guiding portion and allowing light emitted from the light source to enter the inside of the first light guiding portion; A branch portion located on a tip side of the first light guiding portion; a second light guiding portion extending from the branching portion toward one side in a first direction; a third light guiding portion extending from the branch portion toward the other side in the first direction; a first curved portion in which a part of the second light guiding portion is curved from the branching portion toward one side in the first direction; a second curved portion in which a part of the third light guiding portion is curved from the branching portion toward the other side in the first direction, The branching portion is formed so that at least a portion of a boundary between the first curved portion and the second curved portion forms a straight line in a cross section in a second direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the first light-guiding portion. [2] The vehicular lamp according to [1], wherein the branch portion is formed in a cross section in the second direction so as to describe an ellipse formed by connecting two mutually tangent circles of the first curved portion and the second curved portion with two parallel tangent lines. [3] The vehicular lamp according to [1], wherein 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 each tip side in a cross section in a third direction perpendicular to the axial direction. [4] The light guide body includes a first reflecting portion located on a rear side of the second light guide portion and reflecting light guided inside the second light guide portion toward a front side of the second light guide portion; a first emission section located on a front side of the second light guiding section and configured to emit the light reflected by the first reflection section to an outside of the second light guiding section; a second reflecting portion located on a rear side of the third light guiding portion and reflecting the light guided inside the third light guiding portion toward a front side of the third light guiding portion; The vehicle lamp described in [1] above, characterized in that it has a second exit portion located on the front side of the third light guiding portion and exits the light reflected by the second reflecting portion to the outside of the third light guiding portion. Effect of the Invention

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that prevents the occurrence of uneven brightness, thereby increasing the light intake efficiency at the branching section and reducing the amount of light leaking to the outside from the branching section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a configuration of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a bottom view showing the configuration of the vehicular lamp shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a top view of a light source provided in the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicular lamp taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. [Figure 6]6 is a perspective view showing the configurations of a coupler-attached socket, an inner lens, and a reflecting member shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 2 is a front view showing the configuration of a light source, an inner lens, and a reflective member. FIG. [Figure 8] 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a coupler-equipped socket and an inner lens shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens taken along a cutting plane B shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens taken along a cutting plane C shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens taken along a cutting plane D shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 12] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a branched portion of the inner lens. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, in order to make each component easier to see, the dimensions of the components may be shown on different scales, and the dimensional ratios of each component may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

[0013] As an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a vehicle lamp 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 11 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 3 is a top view of the light source 3 provided in the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the coupler-equipped socket 7, the inner lens 4, and the reflecting member 5. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the light source 3, the inner lens 4, and the reflecting member 5. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the coupler-equipped socket 7 and the inner lens 4. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens 4 taken along the cut plane B shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens 4 taken along the cut plane C shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lens 4 taken along the cut plane D shown in FIG. 8.

[0014] In addition, in the drawings shown below, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set up, with the X-axis direction being the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, the Y-axis direction being the left-to-right direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, and the Z-axis direction being the up-down direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 1.

[0015] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is, for example, an application of the present invention to a lid lamp mounted on a back gate or a trunk lid at the rear of a vehicle.

[0016] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the respective directions when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front (rear of the vehicle). Therefore, the respective directions when the vehicle is viewed from the front (front of the vehicle) are the reverse of the front, rear, left, and right directions.

[0017] A vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment has a configuration in which a light source 3, an inner lens 4, and a reflecting member 5 are arranged inside a lamp body 2, as shown in Figs.

[0018] The lamp 2 has a reflective member 5 that constitutes a housing 5a with an open front, and a transparent outer lens (cover lens) 6 that covers the opening of this housing, and has an overall elongated shape that extends in the width direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle width direction").

[0019] The lamp body 2 has a curved shape from the center to both ends in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the slant shapes given to both corners on the rear end side of the vehicle. Note that 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, etc.

[0020] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment includes a coupler-equipped socket 7 in which a light source 3 is disposed. The coupler-equipped socket 7 is detachably attached around an attachment hole (not shown) provided in the lower part of the reflecting member 5 constituting the housing described above, in a state where the coupler-equipped socket 7 is inserted into the inside of the lamp body 2 from the attachment hole.

[0021] 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 elements 8 are, for example, LEDs, and are mounted on a surface of a circuit board (not shown) on which a drive circuit for driving the LEDs is provided, and emit light radially forward (upward in this embodiment). The multiple light-emitting elements 8 are provided on the same surface of the same circuit board, and emit light L radially in the same direction.

[0022] 3, in the light source 3 of this embodiment, four light-emitting elements 8 are arranged side by side in all four directions, with their centers aligned with the central axis AX of the coupler-equipped socket 7. Therefore, when the multiple light-emitting elements 8 are regarded as one light source 3, the optical axis of the light source 3 is treated as being aligned with the central axis AX of the coupler-equipped socket 7 (hereinafter, the optical axis AX of the light source 3).

[0023] In this embodiment, the configuration includes a socket with a coupler 7 in which the above-mentioned light source 3 is arranged, but this is not necessarily limited to such a configuration, and the configuration may also be such that the circuit board on which the light source 3 is arranged is arranged inside the lighting body 2.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 to 11, 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 (socket 7 with coupler).

[0025] The inner lens 4 has a long round rod shape that extends asymmetrically in the vehicle width direction, sandwiching the light source 3 (socket 7 with coupler) in order to match the shape of the lamp body 2. That is, the light source 3 (socket 7 with coupler) is disposed in a position shifted from the center in the vehicle width direction, and one side of the inner lens 4 sandwiching the light source 3 (socket 7 with coupler) is longer than the other side.

[0026] The inner lens 4 has a first light-guiding section 9 arranged in front of the light source 3 and extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle, a branching section 10 located at the tip (upper end in this embodiment) of the first light-guiding section 9, a second light-guiding section 11 extending from the branching section 10 toward one side (left in this embodiment) in the vehicle width direction, a third light-guiding section 12 extending from the branching section 10 toward the other side (right in this embodiment) in the vehicle width direction, a first curved section 13 in which a portion of the second light-guiding section 11 is curved from the branching section 10 toward one side (left in this embodiment) in the vehicle width direction, and a second curved section 14 in which a portion of the third light-guiding section 12 is curved from the branching section 10 toward the other side (right in this embodiment) in the vehicle width direction.

[0027] The inner lens 4 also has an incident portion 15 located at the base end (lower end in this embodiment) of the first light-guiding portion 9, a first reflecting portion 16 located at one surface (lower surface in this embodiment) of the second light-guiding portion 11, a first exit portion 17 located at the other surface (upper surface in this embodiment) of the second light-guiding portion 11, a second reflecting portion 18 located at one surface (lower surface in this embodiment) of the third light-guiding portion 12, a second exit portion 19 located at the other surface (upper surface in this embodiment) of the third light-guiding portion 12, a first light-guiding exit portion 20 located at the first curved portion 13, and a second light-guiding exit portion 21 located at the second curved portion 14.

[0028] Incident section 15 is located on the base end (lower end) side of first light guiding section 9 and has a flat (planar) incident surface 15a facing light source 3. Incident section 15 allows light L emitted from light source 3 to enter the inside of first light guiding section 9 (inner lens 4) from incident surface 15a. Light L incident from incident section 15 is guided inside first light guiding section 9 toward branch section 10 located on the tip end (upper end) side of first light guiding section 9.

[0029] Incidentally, the incident section 15 is not limited to a configuration having the flat (planar) incident surface 15a described above, but may be configured to have a lens shape that collimates or focuses the light L radially emitted from the light source 3 and enters the inside of the first light-guiding section 9.

[0030] Branching section 10 is located at the tip (top) side of first light-guiding section 9, and is a section where first curved section 13 of second light-guiding section 11 and second curved section 14 of third light-guiding section 12 branch off while curving in opposite directions, and guides light L guided toward the tip (top) side of first light-guiding section 9 while branching off to the second light-guiding section 11 side and the third light-guiding section 12 side.

[0031] Furthermore, of the light L guided from the incident portion 15 to the branching portion 10, the light L1 branched from the branching portion 10 toward the second light guiding portion 11 is guided from the base end side to the tip side of the second light guiding portion 11 via the first curved portion 13. On the other hand, of the light L guided from the incident portion 15 to the branching portion 10, the light L2 branched from the branching portion 10 toward the third light guiding portion 12 is guided from the base end side to the tip side of the third light guiding portion 12.

[0032] In the inner lens 4, the second light guiding section 11 and the third light guiding section 12 have different lengths, and the second light guiding section 11 extended toward one side (the left side in this embodiment) in the first direction (the left-right direction in this embodiment) is longer than the third light guiding section 12 extended toward the other side (the right side in this embodiment) in the first direction.

[0033] In contrast, in the branching section 10, the proportion of light L1 guided toward the second light guiding section 11 and the proportion of light L2 guided toward the third light guiding section 12 are adjusted according to the difference in length (optical path length) between the second light guiding section 11 and the third light guiding section 12.

[0034] Specifically, in this branching section 10, the second light-guiding section 11 is longer than the third light-guiding section 12, and therefore the optical axis AX of the light L emitted from the light source 3 is shifted toward the second light-guiding section 11 with respect to the boundary line BX that passes through the boundary 10a between the second light-guiding section 11 and the third light-guiding section 12.

[0035] As a result, the proportion of light L1 that branches and is guided toward the second light guiding section 11 side out of the light L guided toward the branching section 10 is adjusted to be greater than the proportion of light L2 that branches and is guided toward the third light guiding section 12 side.

[0036] The first reflecting section 16 has a plurality of reflection cuts 16a arranged in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the second light guiding section 11, located on one surface (lower surface) side of the second light guiding section 11. The plurality of reflection cuts 16a are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc., as long as they reflect the light L1 incident on the one surface (lower surface) side of the second light guiding section 11 at an angle at which the light L1 is emitted (transmitted) from the other surface (upper surface) side of the second light guiding section 11 to the outside. In this embodiment, the plurality of reflection cuts 16a are provided in the left-right direction as grooves having a substantially triangular cross section that cut out the one surface (lower surface) side of the second light guiding section 11 in the front-rear direction.

[0037] Furthermore, in order to uniformize light L1 emitted from first exit portion 17 in the direction in which second light guiding portion 11 extends (left-right direction), the depth of the grooves forming reflection cuts 16a gradually increases from the base end side toward the tip end side of second light guiding portion 11. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent reflection cuts 16a may gradually decrease from the base end side toward the tip end side of second light guiding portion 11.

[0038] First emission section 17 has first emission surface 17a located on the other surface (upper surface) side of second light guiding section 11 and continuing in the extending direction (left-right direction) of second light guiding section 11. First emission surface 17a is configured by a convex surface curved in an arc shape in a cross section (vertical cross section) perpendicular to the extending direction of second light guiding section 11.

[0039] In the first emission section 17, the light L1 reflected by the plurality of reflection cuts 16a (first reflection sections 16) is emitted to the outside of the second light guide section 11 from the first emission surface 17a.

[0040] The second reflecting section 18 has a plurality of reflection cuts 18a arranged in a direction (left-right direction) in which the third light guiding section 12 extends, located on one surface (lower surface) side of the third light guiding section 12. The plurality of reflection cuts 18a may be any as long as they reflect the light L2 incident on the one surface (lower surface) side of the third light guiding section 12 at an angle at which the light L2 is emitted (transmitted) from the other surface (upper surface) side of the third light guiding section 12 to the outside, and are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc. In this embodiment, the plurality of reflection cuts 18a are provided in the left-right direction as grooves having a substantially triangular cross section that cut out the one surface (lower surface) side of the third light guiding section 12 in the front-rear direction.

[0041] Furthermore, in order to uniformize light L2 emitted from second exit portion 19 in the direction in which third light guiding portion 12 extends (left-right direction), the depth of the grooves forming reflection cuts 18a gradually increases from the base end side toward the tip end side of third light guiding portion 12. Alternatively, the intervals between adjacent reflection cuts 18a may gradually decrease from the base end side toward the tip end side of third light guiding portion 12.

[0042] Second emission section 19 has second emission surface 19a located on the other surface (upper surface) side of third light guiding section 12 and continuing in the extending direction (left-right direction) of third light guiding section 12. Second emission surface 19a is configured by a convex surface curved in an arc shape in a cross section (vertical cross section) perpendicular to the extending direction of third light guiding section 12.

[0043] In the second exit portion 19, the light L2 reflected by the multiple reflection cuts 18a (second reflecting portions 18) is emitted to the outside of the third light guide portion 12 from the second exit surface 19a.

[0044] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the first light-guiding output section 20 and the second light-guiding output section 21 are provided on either side of a branching central section 22 where the first curved section 13 and the second curved section 14 branch off from the boundary 10a of the branching section 10 while curving in opposite directions.

[0045] The first light guide output section 20 has a plurality of output cuts 20a located on the other surface (upper surface) side of the first curved section 13 and aligned in the direction in which the first curved section 13 extends (left-right direction). The plurality of output cuts 20a are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc., as long as they output (transmit) a portion of the light L3 of the light L1 incident on the other surface (upper surface) side of the first curved section 13 to the outside from the other surface (upper surface) side of the first curved section 13. In this embodiment, the plurality of output cuts 20a are provided as grooves aligned in the left-right direction, each groove having a substantially triangular cross section that cuts out the other surface (upper surface) side of the first curved section 13 in the front-rear direction.

[0046] In addition, the multiple exit cuts 20a homogenize the light L3 emitted from the first light guiding output section 20 in the first direction (left-right direction) in which the first curved section 13 extends, so that the spacing between adjacent exit cuts 20a gradually narrows from the base end side to the tip end side of the first curved section 13.

[0047] The second light guide output section 21 has a plurality of output cuts 21a located on the other surface (upper surface) side of the second curved section 14 and aligned in the direction in which the second curved section 14 extends (left-right direction). The plurality of output cuts 21a may be any cuts that emit (transmit) a portion of the light L4 of the light L2 incident on the other surface (upper surface) side of the second curved section 14 to the outside from the other surface (upper surface) side of the second curved section 14, and are not particularly limited in shape, size, number, etc. In this embodiment, the plurality of output cuts 21a are provided as grooves aligned in the left-right direction and having a substantially triangular cross section that cut out the other surface (upper surface) side of the second curved section 14 in the front-rear direction.

[0048] In addition, the multiple exit cuts 21a homogenize the light L4 emitted from the second light-guiding exit section 21 in the first direction (left-right direction) in which the second curved section 14 extends, so that the spacing between adjacent exit cuts 21a gradually becomes narrower from the base end side to the tip end side of the second curved section 14.

[0049] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the branching section 10 is formed so as to describe an ellipse in a cross section (vertical cross section) in a second direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the first light-guiding section 9, with two parallel tangent lines connecting the two mutually tangent circles of the first curved section 13 and the second curved section 14.

[0050] First light guiding section 9 has the same elliptical cross-sectional shape from incident section 15 to branching section 10. The diameters of the two circles mentioned above match the diameters of second light guiding section 11 and third light guiding section 12, which have circular cross-sectional shapes.

[0051] Moreover, the branching portion 10 is formed such that at least a part of the boundary 10a between the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 describes a straight line SL in a cross section (vertical cross section) in the second direction. That is, the boundary 10a of the branching portion 10 is formed such that the straight line SL divides the middle of two mutually tangent circles of the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14.

[0052] In the inner lens 4, by making the boundary 10a between the incident portion 15 and the branching portion 10 into this shape, the light L guided from the incident portion 15 toward the branching portion 10 can be efficiently branched to the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side, thereby increasing the overall utilization efficiency of the light L while minimizing the loss of the light L1, L2 guided to the second light guiding portion 11 side and the third light guiding portion 12 side.

[0053] Incidentally, in the cross section in the second direction described above, the boundary 10a of the branching portion 10 does not necessarily have to have a shape in which both ends of the straight line SL are connected to two tangents. For example, the straight line SL may have a shape in which both ends branch off toward the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side, respectively, and are continuously (curved) connected to two tangents, or the straight line SL may have a shape in which the middle of two intersecting circles is divided by the straight line SL.

[0054] Furthermore, at the boundary 10a of the branching section 10, in a cross section (horizontal cross section) along the axial direction of the first light-guiding section 9, the boundary 10a is pointed between the first curved section 13 and the second curved section 14, but when molding the inner lens 4 using a mold, the boundary 10a may be rounded.

[0055] As shown in Figures 8 and 11, the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 are formed so as to gradually change from a straight line SL to a circular arc CL from the boundary 10a toward each tip side in a cross section (vertical cross section) in a third direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 7, the reflective member 5 is made of, for example, a white resin member having light diffusibility, and has a configuration in which a housing 5a and a reflector 5b are integrally formed.

[0057] The reflective member 5 has an opening 5c ​​on the front side of the vehicle lamp 1, and the housing 5a is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the inner lens 4 except for the upper side of the inner lens 4. The reflective member 5 is disposed so that the reflector 5b facing the other surface (upper surface) of the inner lens 4 is inclined toward the opening 5c ​​in the front. The outer lens 6 is disposed so as to cover the opening 5c ​​of the reflective member 5.

[0058] As a result, the reflecting member 5 reflects the light L1 to L4 emitted to the outside (upward) from the inner lens 4 by the reflector 5b, and emits the light L1 to L4 toward the opening 5c ​​in the front.

[0059] In addition, the reflective member 5 has a first reflective region E1 of the reflector 5b that faces the branch central portion 22 of the inner lens 4, and a pair of second reflective regions E2 that face the first light-guiding output portion 20 and the second light-guiding output portion 21 provided on both sides of the branch central portion 22.

[0060] The first reflective area E1 is formed as an area in which the degree of diffusion of the light L is greater than that of the second reflective area E2, for example by applying a textured finish.

[0061] In the vehicle lamp 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, the light L1 to L4 (L) emitted from the front side of the outer lens 6 can cause the front side of the outer lens 6 to emit red light in a line as the light emitting surface S of the lid lamp.

[0062] In the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, of the light L1, L2(L) that is branched and guided from the branch portion 10 of the above-mentioned inner lens 4 to the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side, the light L5, L6 that leaks out from the branch central portion 22 to the outside of the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 is reflected forward by the first reflection area E1 of the reflector 5b.

[0063] The branch center portion 22 is an area where point light is likely to occur due to the leaked light L5, L6. Since the first reflection area E1 is an area where the degree of light diffusion is greater than that of the second reflection area E2, the first reflection area E1 reflects the light L5, L6 leaked from the branch center portion 22 while diffusing it more than the second reflection area E2, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of point light.

[0064] On the other hand, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the light L3, L4 emitted from the first light guiding and emitting portion 20 and the second light guiding and emitting portion 21 to the outside of the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 is reflected forward by a pair of second reflective areas E2 of the reflector 5b.

[0065] Since the first light guiding output section 20 and the second light guiding output section 21 are areas prone to the occurrence of dark areas that are darker than other parts, the occurrence of dark areas can be suppressed by emitting light L3, L4 from the first light guiding output section 20 and the second light guiding output section 21.

[0066] As a result, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to emit light approximately uniformly in the area corresponding to the area between the first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 branched off from the branching portion 10 (the first reflective area E1 and the pair of second reflective areas E2).

[0067] 8 to 11, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the boundary 10a of the branch portion 10 is formed to describe a straight line SL. The first curved portion 13 and the second curved portion 14 are formed to gradually change from the straight line SL to a circular arc CL from the boundary 10a toward their respective tip ends.

[0068] In this case, the portion that is the straight line SL has a smaller reflection angle of the lights L1 and L2 than the portion that is the arc CL, making it easier for the lights L1 and L2 to be totally reflected, so it is possible to reduce the amount of the lights L5 and L6 that leak to the outside from the branching portion 10.

[0069] As a result, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to reduce unnecessary light L5, L6 leaking from the above-mentioned branching portion 10, and to increase the capture efficiency of light L1, L2 (L) that is branched and guided from this branching portion 10 to the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side.

[0070] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the light L emitted from the above-mentioned light source 3 is appropriately distributed (distributed) to the second light-guiding section 11 side and the third light-guiding section 12 side on either side of the branching section 10, so that the light-emitting surface S extending in a line in the vehicle width direction can emit light with more uniform brightness (luminance).

[0071] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the light L guided from the above-mentioned incident portion 15 toward the branching portion 10 can be efficiently branched to the first curved portion 13 side and the second curved portion 14 side, and it is possible to increase the efficiency of capturing the light L1, L2 (L) while suppressing the loss (leakage light) of the light L1, L2 guided to the second light-guiding portion 11 side and the third light-guiding portion 12 side.

[0072] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to improve the efficiency of use of the light L emitted from the above-mentioned light source 3, prevent uneven brightness on the light-emitting surface S, and improve the appearance when illuminated.

[0073] The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the branching portion 10 is not necessarily limited to the shape shown in FIG. 9 described above, and may be an elliptical shape in which two spaced apart circles are connected by two parallel tangent lines as shown in FIG. 12(A), or an elliptical shape in which two intersecting circles are connected by two parallel tangent lines as shown in FIG. 12(B).

[0074] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the above-mentioned vehicle lamp 1 is applied to a lid lamp, but the vehicle lamp to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the above-mentioned rear vehicle lamp, and the present invention can also be applied to a front vehicle lamp.

[0075] In other words, in terms of vehicle lighting fixtures to which the present invention can be applied, in addition to the lid lamps described above, the present invention can be widely applied to vehicle lighting fixtures such as tail lamps, stop lamps, back lamps, daytime running lamps (DRLs), width lamps (position lamps), and turn indicators (turn lamps).

[0076] As for the light source, other than the above-mentioned LED, for example, a light emitting element such as a laser diode (LD) can be used. As for the color of the light emitted by the light source, other than the above-mentioned red light, it can be changed appropriately according to the application of the vehicle lamp, such as white light or orange light. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1...vehicle lamp 2...lamp body 3...light source 4...inner lens (light guide) 5...reflective member 6...outer lens 7...socket with coupler 8...light emitting element 9...first light guide section 10...branching section 11...second light guide section 12...third light guide section 13...first curved section 14...second curved section 15...entrance section 16...first reflecting section 17...first exit section 18...second reflecting section 19...second exit section 20...first light guide exit section 21...second light guide exit section 22...branching center section E1...first reflecting area E2...second reflecting area SL...straight line CL...arc L, L1 to L6...light

Claims

1. A light source and a light guide for guiding the light emitted from the light source, wherein the light guide includes a first light guide portion disposed in front of the light source, an incident portion located on the proximal end side of the first light guide portion for allowing the light emitted from the light source to enter the interior of the first light guide portion, a branching portion located on the distal end side of the first light guide portion, a second light guide portion extending from the branching portion toward one side in a first direction, a third light guide portion extending from the branching portion toward the other side in the first direction, a first curved portion in which a part of the second light guide portion is curved from the branching portion toward one side in the first direction, and a second curved portion in which a part of the third light guide portion is curved from the branching portion toward the other side in the first direction, and the branching portion is formed such that at least a part of the boundary between the first curved portion and the second curved portion forms a straight line in a cross section in a second direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the first light guide portion. A vehicle lamp characterized by this.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the incident portion and the branching portion are formed so as to draw an ellipse connecting between two circles in contact with each other between the first curved portion and the second curved portion by two parallel tangent lines in a cross section in the second direction.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first curved portion and the second curved portion are formed such that, in a cross section in a third direction orthogonal to their axial directions, they gradually change from a straight line to an arc toward the distal end side from the boundary.

4. The light guide includes a first reflecting portion located on the back side of the second light guide portion for reflecting the light guided inside the second light guide portion toward the front side of the second light guide portion, a first emitting portion located on the front side of the second light guide portion for emitting the light reflected by the first reflecting portion to the outside of the second light guide portion, a second reflecting portion located on the back side of the third light guide portion for reflecting the light guided inside the third light guide portion toward the front side of the third light guide portion, and a second emitting portion located on the front side of the third light guide portion for emitting the light reflected by the second reflecting portion to the outside of the third light guide portion. A vehicle lamp characterized by this.

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