Lighting fixture unit

Abstract

To provide a lighting fixture unit.SOLUTION: A lighting fixture unit 14 includes: a first optical system 22 for forming a first light distribution pattern; and a second optical system 24 provided adjacent to the first optical system, and for forming a second light distribution pattern. The first optical system 22 includes a first lens 16a. The second optical system 24 includes a second lens 16b integrally provided with the first lens 16a. The first lens 16a includes: a first incident surface 28a where the light emitted from a first light emitting element enters; and a first emission surface 28b from which the light that has entered from the first incident surface 28a emits. The second lens 16b includes: a second incident surface 30a where the light emitted from a second light emitting element enters; and a second emission surface 30b from which the light that has entered from the second incident surface 30a emits.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamp unit, for example, to a lamp unit used in a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a lighting unit has been devised in which a plurality of lighting units, each with a different light distribution pattern, are arranged in a line. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a lighting unit in which a first low beam lighting unit, a second low beam lighting unit, and a high beam lighting unit are arranged in a line. In this lighting unit, the lens units of each lighting unit are integrally formed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 21 / 166533 Brochure Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When multiple lens units are integrally formed, such as in the lighting unit described above, if light that enters one lens unit exits from an adjacent lens unit, it does not contribute to forming the desired light distribution pattern and is wasted or results in glare.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and one of its exemplary objectives is to provide a new lighting unit that can reduce glare while achieving a light distribution of a desired brightness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a lamp unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is a lamp unit including a first optical system that forms a first light distribution pattern and a second optical system that is provided adjacent to the first optical system and forms a second light distribution pattern, and the first optical system has a first lens. The second optical system has a second lens that is provided integrally with the first lens. The first lens has a first entrance surface into which light emitted from a first light-emitting element is incident, and a first exit surface from which the light incident from the first entrance surface exits. The second lens has a second entrance surface into which light emitted from a second light-emitting element is incident, and a second exit surface from which the light incident from the second entrance surface exits. The first entrance surface has a suppression region provided on the outer periphery thereof that suppresses the light incident from the first entrance surface from proceeding toward the second exit surface.

[0007] According to this aspect, light incident through the first entrance surface is prevented from exiting through the second exit surface, thereby reducing glare while achieving the desired brightness of the first light distribution pattern formed by the first optical system.

[0008] The suppression region may have a second radius of curvature smaller than the first radius of curvature of the central region that is more inward than the suppression region, such that light incident on the outer periphery of the first incident surface is refracted more toward the central region.

[0009] The first emission surface has a third radius of curvature of an outer periphery from which light refracted in the suppression region exits, the third radius of curvature being greater than a fourth radius of curvature of a central region inside the outer periphery.

[0010] The outer periphery may have an annular surface perpendicular to the front direction of the first light emitting element.

[0011] The first optical system may have a first light-emitting element. The second optical system may have a second light-emitting element. The first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element may be arranged such that their light-emitting surfaces face the front of the vehicle lamp. This allows a compact and thin lamp unit to be realized.

[0012] The first optical system may be configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern, and the second optical system may be configured to form a high beam light distribution pattern as the second light distribution pattern.

[0013] Any combination of the above components, and any conversion of the expression of the present invention between a manufacturing method, a device such as a lamp or lighting, a light-emitting module, a light source, etc. are also valid as aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a new lighting unit that can reduce glare while realizing a light distribution with a desired brightness. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the lamp unit according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lamp unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp unit AA shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a first lens according to a reference example. [Figure 6] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a first lens according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the first lens, and FIG. 7(b) is a front view of the first lens shown in FIG. 7(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a front view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. A vehicle 10 shown in Fig. 1 includes a left vehicle lamp 12L disposed on the left front side of the vehicle, and a right vehicle lamp 12R disposed on the right front side of the vehicle. A lamp unit 14 is mounted on each of the left vehicle lamp 12L and the right vehicle lamp 12R.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a front view of the lamp unit according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lamp unit according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp unit AA shown in Fig. 2. The lamp unit 14 has a projection lens 16 having a circular shape when viewed from the front, a substrate 18, and semiconductor light-emitting elements 20a, 20b mounted on the substrate 18. Examples of the semiconductor light-emitting elements include LEDs, LDs, and EL elements.

[0019] The lamp unit 14 includes a first optical system 22 that forms a first light distribution pattern, a second optical system 24 that is provided adjacent to the first optical system and that forms a second light distribution pattern, and a third optical system 26 that forms a third light distribution pattern. The first optical system 22 has a first lens 16a. The second optical system 24 has a second lens 16b that is provided integrally with the first lens 16a. The third optical system 26 has a third lens 16c that is provided integrally with the first lens 16a. The first lens 16a, the second lens 16b, and the third lens 16c are disposed so as to correspond to the vertices of a triangle. The first lens 16a, the second lens 16b, and the third lens 16c are integrally molded from a light-transmitting material (e.g., a transparent resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate).

[0020] The first optical system 22 has a semiconductor light emitting element 20a. The second optical system 24 has a semiconductor light emitting element 20b. The third optical system 26 has a semiconductor light emitting element (not shown). Each semiconductor light emitting element is arranged to face the front of the vehicle lamp 12L (12R). This allows a compact and thin lamp unit 14 to be realized.

[0021] The first optical system 22 is configured to form a part or all of a low beam light distribution pattern as a first light distribution pattern. The second optical system 24 is configured to form a part or all of a high beam light distribution pattern or a low beam light distribution pattern as a second light distribution pattern. The third optical system 26 is configured to form a part or all of a high beam light distribution pattern as a third light distribution pattern.

[0022] As a result, the lamp unit 14 according to this embodiment forms a low beam light distribution pattern by turning on the semiconductor light emitting elements of the first optical system 22 and the second optical system 24 and turning off the semiconductor light emitting elements of the third optical system 26. Also, the lamp unit 14 forms a high beam light distribution pattern by turning on the semiconductor light emitting elements of the second optical system 24 and the third optical system 26 and turning off the semiconductor light emitting elements of the first optical system 22.

[0023] The first lens 16a has a first incident surface 28a onto which the light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element 20a is incident and a first exit surface 28b from which the light incident from the first incident surface 28a exits. The second lens 16b has a second incident surface 30a onto which the light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element 20b is incident and a second exit surface 30b from which the light incident from the second incident surface 30a exits.

[0024] Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a first lens according to a reference example. In the first lens 32 shown in Fig. 5, the incident surface 32a forms one continuous optical surface. In the optical system 34 shown in Fig. 5, a part of the light (light L) of the semiconductor light emitting element 20a incident from the incident surface 32a does not exit from the exit surface 32b but exits from the exit surface 36b of the adjacent optical system 36. Since the light L' exiting from the exit surface 36b is not light controlled by the optical system 34, it does not contribute to the formation of a desired light distribution pattern and may cause glare.

[0025] In order to prevent the light L from emitting from the exit surface 36b of the adjacent optical system 36, it is preferable to dispose the semiconductor light emitting element 20a as far away from the entrance surface 32a as possible, so that the light L is incident at an angle close to perpendicular to the entrance surface 32a. In addition, by moving the semiconductor light emitting element 20a away from the first lens 16a, the maximum luminous intensity of the projected light distribution pattern increases. However, if the distance between the semiconductor light emitting element 20a and the entrance surface 32a is too long, the thickness of the lighting unit 14 increases, so the distance between the semiconductor light emitting element 20a and the entrance surface 32a needs to be kept within a certain range. Therefore, the light L is incident obliquely on the entrance surface 32a, especially in the outer region of the entrance surface 32a, and is emitted from the exit surface 32b spreading outward.

[0026] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, first entrance surface 28a of first lens 16a according to this embodiment is provided on its outer periphery with suppression region R that suppresses light incident from first entrance surface 28a from proceeding toward second exit surface 30b. Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the first lens according to this embodiment.

[0027] In the first optical system 22 shown in Fig. 6, the light L of the semiconductor light emitting element 20a incident from the suppression region R of the first incident surface 28a is not emitted from the second exit surface 30b but is emitted from the first exit surface 28b. This suppresses the light L incident from the first incident surface 28a from being emitted from the second exit surface 30b, and reduces glare while realizing the desired brightness of the first light distribution pattern formed by the first optical system 22. In addition, since the area of ​​the first exit surface 28b can be made substantially the same as the area of ​​the first incident surface 28a, the radial size of the first lens 16a can be suppressed.

[0028] Next, the width of the suppression region R will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, in the case where the first incident surface 28a including the suppression region R is a continuous single optical control surface, the light L incident outside the position P2 where the light L″ emitted from the end P1 of the first exit surface 28b is incident on the first incident surface 28a is emitted from the second exit surface 30b and becomes glare or the like (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the first lens 16a according to this embodiment needs to be devised in such a shape that the region outside the position P2 is the suppression region R. Specifically, the suppression region R has a second radius of curvature r2 smaller than the first radius of curvature r1 of the central region R′ inside the suppression region R. As a result, the light incident on the outer periphery of the first incident surface 28a is refracted further toward the central region.

[0029] FIG. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the first lens, and FIG. 7(b) is a front view of the first lens shown in FIG. 7(a). The first lens 38 shown in FIG. 7(a) has a first entrance surface 28a similar to the first lens 16a. On the other hand, the first exit surface 38b has a third radius of curvature r3 of the outer periphery R1 from which the light refracted in the suppression region R is emitted, which is larger than a fourth radius of curvature r4 of the central region R2 inside the outer periphery R1. Specifically, the outer periphery R1 of the first exit surface 38b of the first lens 38 has an annular surface perpendicular to the front direction of the semiconductor light emitting element 20a. The annular surface functions as, for example, an auxiliary optical surface. In addition, the annular shape is not limited to a circle or a square as long as it is a closed shape, and may be an ellipse, a rectangle, or a polygon, or may be a curve with discontinuous curvature.

[0030] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and suitable combinations or substitutions of the configurations of the embodiment are also included in the present invention. In addition, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing order in the embodiment based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art, and to make modifications such as various design changes to the embodiment, and the embodiment to which such modifications have been made is also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10 vehicle, 12L left side vehicle lamp, 14 lamp unit, 16 projection lens, 16a first lens, 16b second lens, 18 substrate, 20a semiconductor light emitting element, 22 first optical system, 24 second optical system, 28a first entrance surface, 28b first exit surface, 30a second entrance surface, 30b second exit surface, R suppression area.

Claims

1. A first optical system that forms a first light distribution pattern; a second optical system provided adjacent to the first optical system and configured to form a second light distribution pattern, the first optical system includes a first lens; the second optical system has a second lens that is integral with the first lens, the first lens has a first incident surface into which light emitted from a first light-emitting element is incident, and a first exit surface from which the light incident from the first incident surface exits; the second lens has a second incident surface into which light emitted from a second light-emitting element is incident, and a second exit surface from which the light incident from the second incident surface exits; A lighting unit, characterized in that the first entrance surface has a suppression area provided on its outer periphery to suppress light incident from the first entrance surface from traveling toward the second exit surface.

2. 2. The lamp unit according to claim 1, wherein the suppression area has a second radius of curvature smaller than a first radius of curvature of a central area located inward from the suppression area.

3. The lamp unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the first emission surface has a third radius of curvature of an outer periphery from which light refracted in the suppression area is emitted which is larger than a fourth radius of curvature of a central area inside the outer periphery.

4. The lamp unit according to claim 3 , wherein the outer circumferential portion has an annular surface perpendicular to a front direction of the first light emitting element.

5. the first optical system has the first light emitting element, the second optical system includes the second light emitting element, 5. The lamp unit according to claim 1, wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element are arranged such that a light-emitting surface of each of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element faces a front surface of the vehicle lamp.

6. The first optical system is configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern, 6. The lamp unit according to claim 5, wherein the second optical system is configured to form a high beam light distribution pattern as the second light distribution pattern.

Images