Lamp for vehicle

Abstract

To promote the functionalization of high luminosity which can achieve a narrowed light emitting state and can emit different kinds of light after enhancing the use efficiency of light.SOLUTION: A lamp for a vehicle comprises: a light guide body which has a light guide part extending in a prescribed direction and introduces light emitted from a first light source; and a plate-shaped emission part which is continued to an external peripheral face of the light guide part. In the light guide part, a width in the same direction as a thickness direction of the light emission part is set wider than a thickness of the light emission part, one end face of the light guide part in a longitudinal direction is formed as an incident face to which the light emitted from the first light source is made incident, a tip face of the light emission part is formed as a light emission face from which the light is emitted, a plurality of control faces for controlling the light introduced to the light emission part by the light guide part so as to progress toward the light emission face are formed, a protrusive incident part which is continued to the external peripheral face of the light guide part and to which the light emitted from a second light source is made incident is provided at the light guide body, and the light which is made incident to the incident part is emitted from the emission part through the light guide part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technical field of a vehicle lamp having a light guide that guides incident light and emits it. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is a type of vehicle lamp in which light emitted from a light source is guided by a light guide and emitted from an exit surface of the light guide (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, a light guide having a round shaft shape extending in a predetermined direction is provided, and a first reflecting element and a second reflecting element are formed on the outer peripheral surface as two types of reflecting elements. Light incident from the incident surface and reflected by the first reflecting element travels toward a first exit portion, and light incident from the incident surface and reflected by the second reflecting element travels toward a second exit portion, and the light is emitted from the first exit portion and the second exit portion, respectively.

[0004] By reflecting light by these two types of reflecting elements and emitting the light from different emission sites, it is possible for the light guide to irradiate a wide range of light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-183143 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, there has been a trend toward thinner vehicle lamps from the viewpoint of vehicle shape and design, and it is desirable to have a narrower light-emitting area from the vehicle lamp to emit light in a horizontally elongated manner. It is also desirable to have a light-emitting state in which the light-emitting portions of the thin lines are closely arranged.

[0007] When a light guide having a round shaft as described in Patent Document 1 is used, such a narrow light emitting state can be realized by reducing the diameter of the light guide.

[0008] However, when the diameter of the light guide is reduced, the diameter of the incident surface is also reduced accordingly, so that the amount of light emitted from the light source that is incident on the light guide is reduced, resulting in a decrease in the light utilization efficiency.

[0009] In addition, there are various types of vehicle lamps that emit different types of light, such as clearance lamps, turn signal lamps, and daytime running lamps, but even in vehicle lamps that can achieve the narrow light-emitting state described above, it is desirable for them to have a high luminous intensity function that enables them to emit different types of light.

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that realizes a narrow light-emitting state while improving the efficiency of light utilization, and also provides a high-luminosity function that allows different types of light to be emitted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises a light guide having a light guide portion extending in a predetermined direction and guiding light emitted from a first light source, and a plate-shaped exit portion continuous with an outer peripheral surface of the light guide portion, the width of the light guide portion in the same direction as the thickness direction of the exit portion is larger than the thickness of the exit portion, one end face in the longitudinal direction of the light guide portion is formed as an entrance surface into which light emitted from the first light source is incident, and a tip face of the exit portion is formed as an exit surface from which light is emitted, the exit portion is formed with a plurality of control surfaces that control the light guided by the light guide portion to be directed toward the exit surface, the light guide is provided with a protruding entrance portion continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the light guide portion and into which light emitted from a second light source is incident, and the light incident on the entrance portion passes through the light guide portion and is emitted from the exit portion.

[0012] As a result, light guided by the light guiding section, whose width is greater than the thickness of the exit section, is controlled by multiple control surfaces in the exit section and emitted from the exit surface of the exit section, and light incident on the entrance section is emitted from the exit section. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, light guided by the light guiding section, whose width is made larger than the thickness of the exit section, is controlled by multiple control surfaces in the exit section and exits from the exit surface of the exit section, thereby increasing the amount of light emitted from the light source entering the entrance surface, and as the light guided by the light guiding section is exited from the exit surface and the light entered into the entrance section is exited from the exit section, it is possible to realize a narrow light-emitting state while improving the light utilization efficiency, and to achieve high luminous intensity functionality that enables the emission of different types of light. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 2 to 15 show an embodiment of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention, and this figure is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is a plan view of a light guide showing an example in which the exit surface is curved as viewed from above and below. FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a light guide showing an example in which an exit surface is curved as viewed from the left and right direction. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing optical paths in an example in which the control surface is formed in a triangular shape. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing optical paths in an example in which the control surface is formed in a quadrangular shape. FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a control hole is formed in an emission portion. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a light emission state. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a light guide and the like according to a first modified example. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a light guide and the like according to a first modified example. [Figure 12] 13 is a plan view showing an example in which a rectangular control groove is formed in a light guide according to a first modified example. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a light guide and the like according to a second modified example. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a light guide and the like according to a third modified example. [Figure 15] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the light guide portion is formed in a different shape in the light guide according to the third modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] In the following, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions will be described assuming that the direction of light emitted from the vehicle lamp is the forward direction. However, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions described below are for the convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to these directions in terms of implementation.

[0017] The vehicle lamp of the present invention is preferably used as a clearance lamp, a turn signal lamp, a daytime running lamp, or a combination lamp having the functions of a plurality of these lamps when attached to the front end of the vehicle body. It is preferably used as a tail lamp, a stop lamp, a turn signal lamp, or a combination lamp having the functions of a plurality of these lamps when attached to the rear end of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the vehicle lamp of the present invention can also be applied as other vehicle lamps, such as an indicator lamp during automatic driving, an interior lamp, or an illumination lamp built into a door handle.

[0018] A vehicle lamp 1 comprises a lamp housing 2 that opens at the front or from the front to the side, and a cover 3 that closes the opening of the lamp housing 2 (see FIG. 1). The lamp housing 2 and the cover 3 form a lamp outer case 4, and the internal space of the lamp outer case 4 is formed as a lamp chamber 5.

[0019] In the lamp chamber 5, there are arranged a first light source 6 mounted on a board (not shown), a plurality of second light sources 7 mounted on another board (not shown), and a light guide 8 that guides the light emitted from the first light source 6 and the second light source 7 (see Figs. 1 to 3). In addition to the first light source 6, the second light source 7, and the light guide 8, various members such as an extension may be arranged in the lamp chamber 5. Furthermore, there may be only one second light source 7, and the first light source 6 and the second light source 7 may be mounted on a single board.

[0020] As the first light source 6, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) is used. The first light source 6 is located to the side of the light guide 8. As the second light source 7, for example, a light emitting diode is also used. The second light source 7 is located behind the light guide 8, for example, spaced apart on the left and right.

[0021] The light guide 8 is composed of a light guide section 9 extending in a predetermined direction, for example, in the left-right direction, a plate-shaped exit section 10 connected to the outer peripheral surface 9a of the light guide section 9, and a plurality of protruding entrance sections 11 each protruding from the light guide section 9, and the light guide section 9, exit section 10 and entrance section 11 are integrally formed from a transparent resin material or glass material.

[0022] The cross-sectional shape of the light guiding section 9 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is, for example, circular, and is formed in a round shaft shape. The diameter of the light guiding section 9 is, for example, 4 mm or more. The end face of the light guiding section 9 on the first light source 6 side in the longitudinal direction is formed as a first incident surface 9b, and the first incident surface 9b is positioned in a state facing the first light source 6. The light emitted from the first light source 6 is incident on the first incident surface 9b. The light guiding section 9 does not have a step shape such as a reflective step.

[0023] The shape of the light guiding section 9 is not limited to a round shaft shape, and the cross-sectional shape in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be, for example, a rectangular shape, an elliptical shape, or another shape.

[0024] However, by forming the cross-sectional shape of the light-guiding section 9 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction into a circular shape, the shape of the light-guiding section 9 does not become angular, and it is possible to increase the area without excessively increasing the outer shape of the first incident surface 9b, thereby improving the light incidence efficiency while forming the light-guiding section 9 into a simple shape.

[0025] In addition, if there is a possibility that light that does not enter the light exit section 10 from the light guide section 9 when light is guided by the light guide section 9 will be emitted as leakage light, at least a portion of the light guide section 9 may be covered with an extension or the like to prevent the occurrence of leakage light.

[0026] The emission portion 10 is continuous with a part of the outer peripheral surface 9a of the light guiding portion 9. The emission portion 10 is formed in a flat plate shape, for example, a rectangular shape, and one long side is continuous with the outer peripheral surface 9a of the light guiding portion 9. The thickness T of the emission portion 10 is smaller than the width H of the light guiding portion 9 in the up-down direction. Therefore, the width H of the light guiding portion 9 in the same direction as the thickness direction of the emission portion 10 is larger than the thickness T of the emission portion 10.

[0027] The tip surface of the emission section 10 is formed as, for example, a planar emission surface 10a facing forward. The emission surface 10a has a vertical width of, for example, about 2 mm to 3 mm, and light is emitted from the emission surface 10a. However, the emission surface 10a of the emission section 10 may be formed in a curved shape that is convex toward the front when viewed from the top-bottom direction (see FIG. 4), or may be formed in a curved shape that is convex toward the front when viewed from the left-right direction (see FIG. 5). Furthermore, the emission surface 10a of the emission section 10 may be formed in a curved shape that is concave toward the front when viewed from the top-bottom direction, or may be formed in a curved shape that is concave toward the front when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0028] Incidentally, lens steps may be formed on the exit surface 10a. By forming lens steps on the exit surface 10a, the design of the exit surface 10a is improved when the exit surface 10a is viewed from the outside through the cover 3, and visibility can be improved. In addition, it is also possible to form lens steps on the exit surface 10a or perform a predetermined processing so that the light emitted from the exit surface 10a is emitted in a diffused state.

[0029] A plurality of control grooves 12 are formed in the emission section 10 (see Figs. 2, 3 and 6). The control grooves 12 are formed near the light guide section 9 and are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the light guide section 9. The control grooves 12 are open in the thickness direction of the emission section 10, for example, upward, but may be open downward. When viewed from the top-bottom direction, the control grooves 12 are formed, for example, in a triangular shape. However, the shape of the control grooves 12 is not limited to a triangular shape, and may be formed in other shapes such as a rectangular shape (see Fig. 7). When the control grooves 12 are formed in a rectangular shape, the corners of the shape are unlikely to have acute angles, making it easy to process and allowing the control grooves 12 to be formed with high processing accuracy.

[0030] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1, by setting the emission portion 10 in a state where it is inclined relative to the horizontal, it is possible to make the upper or lower surface of the emission portion 10 or the control groove 12 formed in the emission portion 10 visible from the outside through the cover 3, thereby ensuring a good design.

[0031] Furthermore, the width of emission section 10 in the front-to-rear direction can be set to any size depending on the size of lamp chamber 5 and its relationship with other members arranged in lamp chamber 5. For example, emission section 10 can be formed into a shape in which the width in the front-to-rear direction changes in the longitudinal direction of light-guiding section 9.

[0032] The control groove 12 is formed by a bottom surface 13 facing upward and a peripheral surface 14 whose lower edge is continuous with the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface 13, and one surface of the peripheral surface 14 is a control surface 14a. The peripheral surface 14 is a slightly inclined surface in order to ensure the draft angle of the mold when the emission portion 10 is formed. The control surface 14a is a surface of the peripheral surface 14 located on the first incident surface 9b side of the light guide portion 9, and is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the light guide portion 9, for example, formed as a curved surface. The control surface 14a is inclined so as to move away from the first incident surface 9b as it moves forward. The control surface 14a has a function of controlling the light guided by the light guide portion 9, and the light guided by the light guide portion 9 and incident on the control surface 14a is totally reflected by the control surface 14a and moves toward the emission surface 10a.

[0033] The control surface 14a may be formed into a shape having diffusion steps formed thereon, in addition to a curved or flat shape. By forming diffusion steps on the control surface 14a, the light emitted from the emission surface 10a is diffused, and the uniformity of the light can be ensured.

[0034] As described above, the emission portion 10 has the control groove 12 that is open in the thickness direction, and a part of the peripheral surface 14 that forms the control groove 12 serves as the control surface 14a.

[0035] Therefore, since the control surface 14a is configured by forming a groove in the emission portion 10, the control surface 14a can be easily formed with high processing accuracy.

[0036] The control grooves 12 may be of the same size or of different sizes. When the control grooves 12 are of different sizes, the size of each control groove 12 may be determined such that the area of ​​the control surface 14a increases with increasing distance from the exit surface 10a. Since the light guided by the light guiding section 9 attenuates with increasing distance from the exit surface 10a, such a configuration makes it possible to make the amount of light incident on all the control surfaces 14a constant, and to achieve uniformity in the brightness of the light emitted from the exit surface 10a.

[0037] In addition, while the above describes an example in which control groove 12 is formed in emission section 10, control hole 15 may be formed in emission section 10 instead of control groove 12 (see FIG. 8). Control hole 15 penetrates emission section 10 in the thickness direction and is formed by peripheral surface 16. One surface of peripheral surface 16 is control surface 16a. Control surface 16a has a function of controlling the light guided by light guiding section 9, and light guided by light guiding section 9 and incident on control surface 16a is totally reflected by control surface 16a and heads toward emission surface 10a.

[0038] In this way, a control hole 15 is formed through the thickness direction of the emission section 10, and a portion of the peripheral surface 16 that forms the control hole 15 is made into a control surface 16a. Since the control surface 16a is constructed by forming a hole in the emission section 10, it is possible to increase the area of ​​the control surface 16a, and light can be easily controlled.

[0039] The multiple entrance sections 11 are positioned at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the light guiding section 9 (see FIG. 3). The entrance sections 11 protrude rearward from the light guiding section 9 and are continuous with part of the outer circumferential surface 9a. The entrance sections 11 are positioned on the opposite side of the light guiding section 9 to the exit section 10, and their outer surfaces are formed as second entrance surfaces 11a having a curved shape that convex backward. The second light source 7 is disposed directly behind the second entrance surface 11a, and the second entrance surface 11a is positioned in a state facing the second light source 7. The second entrance surface 11a is formed as a curved shape that convex backward, and thus has the function of collecting incident light.

[0040] Incident portion 11 is located, for example, directly behind the portion between two adjacent control grooves 12. Therefore, no control groove 12 is present directly in front of incident portion 11. However, a portion of control groove 12 may be present directly in front of incident portion 11.

[0041] In the vehicle lamp 1 configured as described above, when light is emitted from the first light source 6, the emitted light is incident from the first entrance surface 9b and guided by the light guide section 9, and the light guided by the light guide section 9 is incident on each of the plurality of control surfaces 14a. The light incident on the control surface 14a is controlled by being totally reflected by the control surface 14a and directed toward the exit surface 10a, and is emitted from the exit surface 10a, transmitted through the cover 3, and irradiated toward the outside.

[0042] At this time, the light is controlled by each control surface 14a, and each controlled light is visually recognized as a narrow light-emitting portion from the emission surface 10a, and an emission state is created in which a plurality of light-emitting portions P, P, ... are closely lined up (see FIG. 9). In addition, since the emission surface 10a is formed in a shape elongated in the left-right direction, the light-emitting state visually recognized through the cover 3 by a viewer is visually recognized as a single horizontally elongated line-shaped light-emitting state in which the light-emitting portions P, P, ... are gathered together.

[0043] On the other hand, when light is emitted from the second light source 7, the emitted light enters from the second entrance surface 11a, passes through the light guide unit 9 in a condensed state, and proceeds toward the exit surface 10a of the exit unit 10. A part of the light proceeding toward the exit surface 10a is totally reflected (internal reflection) by both the upper and lower surfaces of the exit unit 10, is emitted from the exit surface 10a, passes through the cover 3, and is irradiated toward the outside.

[0044] At this time, since the multiple second light sources 7 are positioned at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction of the emission section 10, the light emitted from the multiple second light sources 7 is emitted from the entire emission surface 10a in the left-right direction, and is visually recognized from the outside as a horizontally elongated light-emitting state. In addition, since the light emitted from the second light sources 7 passes between the control grooves 12 in the emission section 10, the light is emitted from the emission surface 10a without being refracted by the control grooves 12, and the light is easily emitted in a uniform state from the entire emission surface 10a.

[0045] The light emitted from the first light source 6 is irradiated to the outside as, for example, light of a clearance lamp, and the light emitted from the second light source 7 is irradiated to the outside as, for example, light of a turn signal lamp. Therefore, the light emitted from the first light source 6 and the light emitted from the second light source 7 are irradiated to the outside as different types of light.

[0046] In the above, an example is shown in which the vehicle lamp 1 functions as a combination lamp that emits light as both a clearance lamp and a turn signal lamp, but the vehicle lamp 1 may also function as a combination lamp that emits light as, for example, a daytime running lamp, a tail lamp, or a stop lamp in addition to the clearance lamp and turn signal lamp.

[0047] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1, the width H of the light-guiding section 9 in the same direction as the thickness direction of the emission section 10 is made larger than the thickness T of the emission section 10, and a plurality of control surfaces 14a, 16a are formed in the emission section 10 to control the light guided by the light-guiding section 9 to be directed toward the emission surface 10a.

[0048] Therefore, the light guided by the light-guiding section 9, whose width is made larger than the thickness of the exit section 10, is controlled by the multiple control surfaces 14a, 16a in the exit section 10 and is emitted from the exit surface 10a of the exit section 10, so that the amount of light emitted from the first light source 6 that enters the first entrance surface 9b is increased, thereby achieving a narrow light-emitting state while improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0049] Furthermore, since the light guided by the light guiding section 9 is emitted from the exit section 10 and the light incident on the entrance section 11 is emitted from the exit section 10, it is possible to achieve high luminous intensity functionality that enables the emission of different types of light.

[0050] Furthermore, in an example in which at least a portion of the exit section 10 is formed in a flat plate shape, the exit section 10 is formed in a simple shape and in a shape that makes it easy to control light, so that the structure is simplified and light can be easily controlled.

[0051] Modified examples of the light guide will be described below (see Figs. 10 to 15).

[0052] Since the basic structure of each of the modified light guides described below is similar to that of the light guide 8 described above, only the parts that differ from the light guide 8 will be described in detail. Parts with the same configuration as the light guide 8 will be given the same symbols as those used for the similar parts in the light guide 8, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0053] Light guide 8A according to the first modification has a different configuration of incident section 11 from light guide 8, and is composed of light guide section 9, emission section 10, and incident section 11A (see Figs. 10 and 11). In light guide 8A, light guide section 9, emission section 10, and incident section 11A are integrally formed from a transparent resin material or glass material.

[0054] For example, a plurality of incident portions 11A are provided and positioned side by side in the longitudinal direction of light guiding portion 9. Incident portion 11A is formed in a horizontally elongated shape.

[0055] Incident section 11A protrudes from light guiding section 9 and is continuous with a part of outer circumferential surface 9a. Incident section 11A is located on the opposite side of light guiding section 9 to output section 10, and is composed of reflection control section 17 that is continuous with light guiding section 9, and light entrance protrusion 18 that protrudes upward from the rear end of reflection control section 17.

[0056] The reflection control unit 17 has a first reflection surface 17a and a second reflection surface 17b on the rear end side, and both the first reflection surface 17a and the second reflection surface 17b are inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The first reflection surface 17a is located directly below the light-entering protrusion 18. The second reflection surface 17b is formed in a shape that is wide in the left-right direction, and is located, for example, directly behind a portion of the emission unit 10 that includes the multiple control grooves 12.

[0057] The outer surface of the light-entering protrusion 18 is formed as a second incident surface 18a having an upwardly convex curved shape. The second light source 7 is disposed directly above the second incident surface 18a, and the second incident surface 18a is positioned in a state facing the second light source 7. Since the second incident surface 18a is formed as an upwardly convex curved shape, it has the function of collecting incident light.

[0058] Incidentally, the light-entering protrusion 18 may protrude downward from the rear end of the reflection control portion 17. In this case, the second entrance surface 18a is formed into a downwardly convex curved surface, and the second light source 7 is positioned directly below the light-entering protrusion 18.

[0059] When the light guide 8A is used in the vehicle lamp 1, the light emitted from the first light source 6 is emitted from the emission surface 10a of the emission portion 10, transmitted through the cover 3, and irradiated to the outside.

[0060] On the other hand, when light is emitted from second light source 7, the emitted light is incident on second entrance surface 18a and collected, is totally reflected by first reflecting surface 17a and second reflecting surface 17b in this order, passes through light guide section 9, and proceeds toward exit surface 10a of exit section 10. A part of the light proceeding toward exit surface 10a is totally reflected by both the upper and lower surfaces of exit section 10, is emitted from exit surface 10a, is transmitted through cover 3, and is irradiated toward the outside.

[0061] At this time, since the multiple second light sources 7 are positioned side by side in the longitudinal direction of the emission section 10, the light emitted from the multiple second light sources 7 is emitted from the entire emission surface 10a in the left-right direction, and is visually recognized from the outside as a horizontally elongated light-emitting state. In addition, the light emitted from the second light source 7 is reflected by the second reflecting surface 17b having a wide shape in the left-right direction and passes through a portion of the emission section 10 that includes the multiple control grooves 12, so that it is likely to be emitted from the emission surface 10a in a horizontally elongated uniform light-emitting state.

[0062] In this way, in the light guide 8A, the light emitted from one second light source 7 is irradiated in a horizontally elongated light emission state, so that it is possible to reduce the number of second light sources 7, thereby reducing the number of parts, and to achieve a narrow light emission state.

[0063] Furthermore, when light guide 8A is used, similarly to when light guide 8 is used, light guided by light guide section 9 is emitted from exit section 10, and light incident on entrance section 11A is emitted from exit section 10, thereby achieving high luminous intensity functionality that enables the emission of different types of light.

[0064] When light guide 8A is used, the light emitted from second light source 7 passes through a portion of emission section 10 that includes multiple control grooves 12, and depending on the shape of control grooves 12, the light may pass through control grooves 12 and be emitted from emission surface 10a. For example, when control grooves 12 are formed in a shape such as a square (see FIG. 12), some light will travel through control groove 12 from the rear side to the front side, and the amount of light emitted from emission surface 10a will increase accordingly, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0065] Light guide 8B according to the second modification is different from light guide 8 in that a part of it is made of a different material. Light guide 8B does not necessarily have to be provided with incident portion 11. However, light guide 8B may be configured to have incident portion 11 or incident portion 11A.

[0066] In the following, the light guide 8B will be described as having no incident portion 11.

[0067] Light guide 8B is composed of light guide section 9 and emission section 10B, and is formed by integral molding (two-color molding) using different materials (see FIG. 13).

[0068] The light guide section 9 is made of a transparent resin material or glass material.

[0069] The emission section 10B is formed of a transparent material in the portion where the control groove 12 is present, and the remaining portion is formed of a material capable of diffusing light. Therefore, the emission section 10B is provided with a non-diffusion section 10x at the rear end portion formed of a transparent material, and the remaining portion is provided as a diffusion section 10y made of a material (micro-diffusion material) having a weak light diffusion function. In FIG. 13, the diffusion section 10y formed of a micro-diffusion material is given a matte finish. As the micro-diffusion material, for example, a material in which a transparent material contains a predetermined amount of a component having a diffusion function, such as titanium oxide, is used.

[0070] In the case where the light guide 8B is used in the vehicle lamp 1, when light is emitted from the first light source 6, the emitted light is incident from the first entrance surface 9b and guided by the light guide section 9, and the light guided by the light guide section 9 is incident on each of the plurality of control surfaces 14a. The light incident on the control surface 14a is controlled by being totally reflected by the control surface 14a and directed toward the exit surface 10a, and is emitted from the exit surface 10a, transmitted through the cover 3, and irradiated toward the outside.

[0071] At this time, the light is diffused and emitted by the portion of emission portion 10B formed of a microdiffusion material. Therefore, the light is emitted in a diffused state from emission surface 10a, ensuring a uniform light emission state.

[0072] In addition, when the light guide 8B is used, the light emitting portion 10B is made of a micro-diffusion material except for a part thereof, so that the light is emitted in a diffused state from the upper and lower surfaces of the part made of the micro-diffusion material. Therefore, the light is emitted in a diffused state not only forward but also obliquely forward upward and downward, so that uniform light can be irradiated over a wide range.

[0073] Furthermore, light guide 8B does not have a lens step formed at the rear end of light guide section 9. If a lens step is formed at the rear end of the light guide section, part of the light emitted from first light source 6 is likely to be emitted as leaked light from the outer circumferential surface of the light guide section, but since light guide 8B does not have a lens step formed at the rear end of light guide section 9, such leaked light is less likely to occur, and brightness can be improved by making effective use of light.

[0074] Furthermore, in the light guide 8B, a plurality of control grooves 12 or control holes 15 are formed at the end of the light exit portion 10B on the light guide portion 9 side, so that light is also incident on the end of the light exit portion 10B on the first light source 6 side in the left-right direction, and uniform light can be emitted from the entire exit surface 10a of the light exit portion 10B.

[0075] Light guide 8C according to the third modification is different from light guide 8 in that the shape of light guide portion 9 is different. Light guide 8C does not necessarily have to be provided with incident portion 11. However, light guide 8C may be configured to be provided with incident portion 11 or incident portion 11A.

[0076] In the following, the light guide 8C will be described as having no incident portion 11.

[0077] Light guide 8C is composed of light guide section 9C and emission section 10, and light guide section 9C and emission section 10 are integrally formed from a transparent resin material or glass material (see FIG. 14).

[0078] The cross-sectional shape of the light guide section 9C in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is non-circular, and for example, the outer periphery 19 in the cross-sectional shape is composed of a circular first portion 19a and an elliptical second portion 19b. Specifically, the outer periphery 19 is formed as the first portion 19a except for the rear end portion, and the rear end portion is the second portion 19b. In Fig. 14, the outer periphery of the ellipse continuing to the second portion 19b is shown by a dotted line for ease of understanding.

[0079] As described above, the cross-sectional shape of the light-guiding section 9C has an outer periphery 19 formed by a first portion 19a and a second portion 19b, the first light source 6 is positioned on an axial extension of one focus S1 of the elliptical shape of the light-guiding section 9C, and the other focus S2 of the elliptical shape is positioned on the boundary line between the light-guiding section 9C and the exit section 10, i.e., on the first portion 19a.

[0080] With light guide 8C configured in this way, light B1 emitted from first light source 6 that is totally reflected at second portion 19b passes through focal point S2, and light B2 emitted from first light source 6 that is totally reflected at first portion 19a passes through focal point S1, is totally reflected at second portion 19b, and passes through focal point S2. In this case, if the line segment in the direction connecting exit portion 10 and light guide portion 9C is line segment L, the light that passes through focal point S2 enters exit portion 10 at a small angle (inclination angle) A with respect to line segment L, and is emitted from exit surface 10a.

[0081] Since the light is incident on the exit portion 10 at a small angle A with respect to the line segment L in this manner, the light emitted from the exit surface 10a is less likely to be diffused, and highly directional light can be emitted from the exit surface 10a. Therefore, it becomes possible to irradiate light with high luminance in an intended direction, and a good illumination state can be ensured for a predetermined area.

[0082] Furthermore, when light guide 8C is used, by changing the curvature of second portion 19b, it is possible to set focal points S1 and S2 of light guide section 9C to any position. By setting focal points S1 and S2 to any position, the angle A of incidence from light guide section 9C to exit section 10 can be adjusted, and the degree of diffusion of light exiting from exit surface 10a can be changed arbitrarily.

[0083] Although the light-guiding section 9C in which the outer periphery 19 is composed of the first portion 19a and the second portion 19b has been shown as an example above, the light-guiding section 9C can also be formed into other shapes (see FIG. 15).

[0084] For example, the light guide 9C may be symmetrical from top to bottom, and the outer periphery 19 may be configured with a semicircular first portion 19c, a pair of arc-shaped second portions 19d connected to both ends of the first portion 19c, and a third portion 19e connecting the pair of second portions 19d. The first portion 19c and the third portion 19e are each part of a circle having the same curvature, and the second portion 19d is formed in an arc shape that is convex toward the center Q of the circle. In FIG. 15, the circular outer periphery connecting the first portion 19c and the third portion 19e is shown by a dotted line for ease of understanding.

[0085] By forming the light-guiding portion 9C in this shape, the light totally reflected by the pair of second portions 19d and third portions 19e enters the exit portion 10 at a small angle A with respect to the line segment L, and the light emitted from the exit surface 10a is less likely to be diffused, allowing highly directional light to be emitted from the exit surface 10a.

[0086] Incidentally, light guiding portion 9C may be formed, for example, in an elliptical cross-sectional shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1 Vehicle lighting fixtures 6 First Light Source 7 Second Light Source 8 Light guide 9 Light guide section 9a Outer surface 9b First entrance surface 10. Emission section 10a Output surface 11 Input part 12 Control groove 14 Peripheral surface 14a Control Surface 15 Control hole 16 Circumferential surface 16a Control Surface 8A light guide 11A entrance section 8B Light guide 10B Emitter 8C light guide 9C Light guiding part

Claims

1. a light guide body including a light guide portion extending in a predetermined direction and guiding light emitted from a first light source, and a plate-shaped emission portion connected to an outer peripheral surface of the light guide portion; The light guide portion has a width in the same direction as the thickness direction of the light exit portion that is larger than the thickness of the light exit portion, One end surface in a longitudinal direction of the light guiding portion is formed as an incident surface into which the light emitted from the first light source is incident, a tip surface of the emission portion is formed as an emission surface from which light is emitted, A plurality of control surfaces are formed on the emission section to control the light guided by the light guiding section so as to be directed toward the emission surface, the light guide is provided with a protruding incident portion that is continuous with an outer peripheral surface of the light guide portion and into which the light emitted from the second light source is incident, The light incident on the input portion passes through the light guide portion and is output from the output portion. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

2. A control groove is formed in the emission portion so as to open in a thickness direction. A part of the peripheral surface forming the control groove is made into the control surface.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. A control hole is formed in the emission section so as to penetrate the emission section in a thickness direction. A part of the peripheral surface forming the control hole is made into the control surface.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

4. The cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light guide portion is formed into a circular shape.

4. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

5. At least a part of the emission portion is formed in a flat plate shape.

4. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

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