Vehicle lamp

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp capable of improving a design effect both when the lamp is turned on and the lamp is turned off.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp includes an inner lens 23 into which light from a light source 211 is incident on one face and from which the light is emitted from the other face. The inner lens 23 is inclined at a prescribed angle with respect to a reference face Bs perpendicular to an emission optical axis Ex of the light source 211. A lens step 236 constituted by a plurality of inclined face parts SS, SL, and SM, which differ in angle with respect to the reference face Bs, is formed in the inner lens 23. The lamp presents a high luminance appearance while the different inclined face parts are selectively changed over time when the lamp is turned on and turned off, and a design effect is improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp having an improved appearance design effect both when lit and when unlit. [Background technology]

[0002] For automobile lighting lamps and other auxiliary lamps, proposals have been made to improve the appearance of the lamp when viewed from the outside, whether it is lit or not, i.e., the design effect. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology in which a reflector having light reflecting steps with a required pattern is disposed behind a projection lens that projects light. According to Patent Document 1, by reflecting light incident on the projection lens from the outside with the reflector and emitting it in the front direction of the lamp, it is possible to observe light and dark in a required pattern based on the reflector when viewed from the front direction of the lamp, and it is possible to improve the design effect of the lamp. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-212405 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 is mainly aimed at enhancing the design effect when the lamp is not lit. However, when the light emitted from the light source is emitted from the projection lens when the lamp is lit, and the brightness of the emitted light becomes high to a certain extent, the external light reflected by the reflector becomes inconspicuous. Therefore, the design effect of the reflector is canceled, and it is difficult to enhance the design effect when the lamp is lit.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that can enhance the design effect both when the lamp is lit and when it is not lit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a vehicle lighting fixture having a lens that receives light emitted from a light source on one surface and emits the incident light from the other surface, the lens being inclined at a required angle with respect to a reference plane perpendicular to the emission optical axis of the light source, and the lens having a lens step formed thereon composed of a plurality of inclined surface portions each having a different angle with respect to the reference plane.

[0007] In the present invention, the lens step is configured so that the multiple inclined surface portions form a required pattern when the lens is viewed from the other surface side. In particular, it is preferable that the multiple inclined surface portions include inclined surface portions whose surface angles differ in three-dimensional directions. For example, it is preferable that the inclined surface portions include a steep slope portion having a surface angle larger than a required angle with respect to a reference plane, a gentle slope portion having a surface angle smaller than the required angle, and a medium slope portion having a surface angle equal to the required angle.

[0008] In the present invention, for example, the other surface of the lens is formed with at least a steep slope portion and a gentle slope portion, and one surface is formed with a steep slope portion, a gentle slope portion, and a medium slope portion. The lens is formed in an annular shape having an inner peripheral portion on the inside and an outer peripheral portion on the outside, and the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion are inclined at a required angle in different directions with respect to a reference plane, and have a triangular roof-shaped cross section protruding toward the other surface. In this case, it is preferable that the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion are inclined symmetrically with respect to the output optical axis. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the lens is inclined at a required angle with respect to a reference plane, and the lens is formed with a lens step composed of a plurality of inclined surface portions with different angles with respect to the reference plane, so that when the light is turned on, the light emitted from the light source is emitted in different directions by the plurality of inclined surface portions, and when observed from the outside, the different inclined surface portions of the lens step are observed as high-luminance surfaces, enhancing the design effect. Also, when the light is turned off, external light is reflected by the different inclined surface portions of the lens step and observed as high-luminance surfaces, enhancing the design effect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of an automobile equipped with a front lamp to which the present invention is applied, and an enlarged front view of the front lamp with a part cut away. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the clearance lamp unit. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view mainly showing the light guide of the clearance lamp unit, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line aa in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line bb in FIG. 4, showing a cross-sectional view mainly of the inner lens of the clearance lamp unit. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a main part of an inner lens, in which (a) is an enlarged plan view and (b) is an enlarged perspective view with a part broken away. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing some optical paths in the inner lens. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating the appearance of the clearance lamp. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of an automobile CAR equipped with front lamps FL, each of which combines a clearance lamp CL and a headlamp HL, on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle body. Fig. 1 also shows an enlarged front view of the front lamp FL, with a portion of the front lamp broken away. The front lamp FL is formed in a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front, with a headlamp HL disposed in its center and an annular clearance lamp CL disposed so as to surround the headlamp HL.

[0012] The present invention is applied to the clearance lamp CL, and the design effect of a "sparkling" appearance, in other words a "sparkling" appearance, is achieved in different forms when the lamp is turned on and off. The clearance lamp CL can also function as a daytime running lamp. In the following description, the forward direction refers to the direction in which the front lamp FL projects light, and here the front direction of the vehicle is defined as the forward direction.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view at the center of the front lamp FL, and Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view with the main parts exploded. The front lamp FL is equipped with a lamp housing 100 having a required front-to-rear dimension (depth dimension), and in this lamp housing 100, a headlamp unit 1 functioning as a headlamp HL and a clearance lamp unit 2 functioning as a clearance lamp CL are disposed.

[0014] The lamp housing 100 is composed of a lamp body 101 having an approximately cylindrical container shape with an open front, and a transparent outer lens 102 having a circular shallow dish shape attached to the front opening of the lamp body 101. The lamp body 101 is attached to the body of the automobile by a support piece 103 provided on the periphery. The outer lens 102 is made of a colorless and transparent resin with a central portion curved to be slightly convex forward, and is fixed and supported at its periphery on the edge of the front opening of the lamp body 101. When the turn signal lamp TSL of the automobile CAR shown in FIG. 1 is integrally formed with the front lamp FL, the lamp housing 100 may be configured to integrally house the lamp unit of the turn signal lamp TSL.

[0015] The headlamp unit 1 includes a unit base 10, on which a light source 11 and a reflector 12 are mounted. The light source 11 is composed of an LED (light emitting diode) that emits white light, and the reflector 12 reflects the light emitted by the LED 11 in a concentrated state. The headlamp unit 1 further includes an projection lens 13 that projects the light reflected by the reflector 12 forward, and this projection lens 13 is supported on the base unit 10 by a lens holder 14. A shade 15 for blocking a portion of the light reflected by the reflector 12 is provided on the lens holder 14.

[0016] This headlamp unit 1 is disposed at a substantially central position within a lamp housing 100 so that the irradiation lens 13 is disposed at the center position of the front lamp FL, in other words, at a substantially central position of the circular outer lens 102, and is supported by a lamp body 101 at a unit base 10 by a support member not shown in the drawing. In addition, a substantially disc-shaped, opaque extension 16 is integrally attached to a position on the front side of the headlamp unit 1 in order to prevent other parts other than the irradiation lens 13, such as the unit base 10 and the reflector 12, from being exposed to the outside through the outer lens 102. This extension 16 may be formed of a light reflecting member, which has an appearance close to a mirror surface when observed from the outside, thereby enhancing the design effect of the front lamp FL.

[0017] When the headlamp unit 1 is turned on, the light emitted from the light source 11 is reflected by the reflector 12 in a concentrated state, and is then transmitted through the projection lens 13 and projected forward. At this time, a part of the light reflected by the reflector 12 is blocked by the shade 15, thereby forming a headlamp with low beam distribution. Alternatively, the headlamp may be formed as a headlamp with high beam distribution by not providing a shade and forming a structure in which a part of the light is not blocked. Alternatively, although not shown, the headlamp may be formed as a headlamp capable of switching between low beam distribution and high beam distribution by selectively emitting light from a plurality of light sources or by performing light blocking control using a movable shade. Furthermore, the headlamp may be formed as a headlamp with variable light distribution ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) light distribution by providing a multi-segment LED as a light source.

[0018] 2 and 3, the clearance lamp unit 2 to which the present invention is applied is formed in a circular shape surrounding the illumination lens 13 of the headlamp unit 1 at approximately the center. The clearance lamp unit 2 is disposed in the lamp housing 100 in front of the extension 16 provided on the headlamp unit 1 and at a position along the inner peripheral edge of the outer lens 102.

[0019] 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the clearance lamp unit 2. It is equipped with an annular ring base 20, and an annular light source substrate 21 is supported along the rear surface of the ring base 20. In addition, a light guide 22 and an inner lens 23, each of which is substantially annular, are supported on the front side of the base ring 20 in a state where they are stacked in the front-rear direction.

[0020] Details of this clearance unit 2 will be described later, but a plurality of light sources 211 are equally arranged in the circumferential direction on the light source substrate 21, and the light emitted by each light source 211 is transmitted through the light guide 22 and the inner lens 23, and further transmitted through the outer lens 102 to be irradiated onto the front area of ​​the automobile, and is turned on as a clearance lamp CL having an annular lamp light emitting surface. Although not shown in Fig. 4, an extension 24 is provided to cover the inner periphery of the clearance lamp unit 2 as shown in Fig. 2.

[0021] The ring base 20 is made of an opaque material and is formed in a substantially circular ring shape, with a support piece 201 provided on a portion of its circumference, and is supported by the lamp body 101 by this support piece 201. This ring base 20 has a trough-shaped cross section with a bottom surface 202 facing forward, and light-transmitting windows 203 are opened at multiple locations on the bottom surface 202, here at eight equal locations in the circumferential direction, and penetrated in the front-rear direction.

[0022] A light source substrate 21 in the form of a circular ring plate is supported on the rear side of the ring base 20, which has a trough-shaped cross section, along the rear surface of the bottom surface 202. On the front surface of the light source substrate 21, a plurality of LEDs 211 emitting white light as a light source are mounted with their light-emitting surfaces facing forward. The number of LEDs 211 is the same as the number of light-transmitting windows 203 provided in the ring base 20, i.e., eight, and each LED 211 is mounted at a position facing the light-transmitting window 203. The light source substrate 21 is formed with electronic components and conductive patterns for controlling the emission of each LED 211, and is electrically connected to an on-board power source via a connector or the like, but a description of these will be omitted here.

[0023] The light guide 22 supported on the front side of the bottom surface 202 of the ring base 20 is made of a thick, circular, plate-shaped translucent resin. This light guide 22 is configured such that light from the LEDs 211 is incident on light entrance portions 221 provided at multiple points in the circumferential direction, the incident light is guided in the circumferential direction while being internally reflected in light reflection portions 222, and is emitted as light with a substantially uniform brightness distribution from the front surface as light exit portion 223.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the light guide 22, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 4. This cross-sectional view shows the ring base 20, the light source substrate 21, and a part of the inner lens 23. The light guide 22 has light entrance portions 221 formed at positions corresponding to the light transmission windows 203 provided in the ring base 20, in other words, at eight positions in the circumferential direction where the LEDs 211 are arranged, on the rear surface thereof. The light from the LEDs 211 is incident on the light entrance portions 221, and the rear surface of the light guide 22 is formed in a concave spherical shape centered on the emission optical axis Ex of the LEDs 211 (the normal line passing through the center of the light-emitting surface) so that the light emitted from the LEDs 211 in a divergent state is incident with high efficiency. Here, the light-emitting surface means the light-emitting surface of a semiconductor chip, or the light-emitting surface of a plate-like member that converts the wavelength of the light emitted from the semiconductor chip.

[0025] In addition, the front surface of the light guide 22 where the light entrance portion 221 is formed is formed as a first light reflecting portion 222a curved into a convex curved surface with the light entrance portion 221 as the bottom. The convex curved surface of this first light reflecting portion 222a is formed in a parabolic shape, and the light reflected internally here is made into a substantially parallel light flux (light beam) and directed toward the rear surface of the light guide 22. Furthermore, in both side regions sandwiching the light entrance portion 221 on the rear surface of the light guide 22 in the circumferential direction, a second light reflecting portion 222b is formed, which is made of a step that internally reflects the light reflected by the first light reflecting portion 222a toward the front surface. Furthermore, the region of the front surface of the light guide 22 except for the first light reflecting portion 222a is configured as a light emitting portion 223, and the light source light reflected by the second light reflecting portion 222b is emitted from this light emitting portion 223 as light source light with a uniform brightness distribution.

[0026] In this embodiment, a substantially rectangular design protrusion 224 that protrudes inwardly is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the light guide 22 at a circumferential portion corresponding to the light entrance portion 221, and is configured so that a portion of the light incident on the light entrance portion 221 is also emitted from the front surface of this design protrusion 224. This design protrusion 224 is intended to enhance the design effect of the clearance lamp unit 2 in terms of its shape, but is not necessarily provided.

[0027] The inner lens 23 is formed in an annular trough shape so as to cover the light guide 22 between the ring base 20 and the inner lens 23, and is supported by the lamp body 101 together with the support piece 201 of the ring base 20 by a support piece 231 provided on a part of the circumference. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inner lens 23 along the line bb in FIG. 4, and shows the light guide 22, the ring base 20, and the light source substrate 21. The annular portion 232 of the inner lens 23 is formed in a cross-sectional shape of a triangular roof protruding forward. That is, it is composed of an inner peripheral portion 233 and an outer peripheral portion 234 that are inclined symmetrically at the same required angle in the inner and outer radial directions with the emission optical axis Ex of the LED 211 or an axis parallel to it as the axis of symmetry. Here, they are inclined symmetrically with respect to the emission optical axis Ex. Also, a design protrusion 235 is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the inner lens 23 at a circumferential portion that overlaps with the design protrusion 224 of the light guide 22. Furthermore, the above-mentioned extension 24 is disposed on this inner peripheral edge.

[0028] Here, first, the overall configuration of the annular portion 232 of the inner lens 23 will be described. FIG. 7(a) is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the inner lens 23, and FIG. 7(b) is an enlarged perspective view with a portion cut away. In the annular portion 232 of the inner lens 23, the entire region of the inner circumferential portion 233 including the design protrusion 235 and the region of the outer circumferential portion 234 except for eight regions in the circumferential direction corresponding to the light entrance portion 221 of the light guide 22 described above are formed of a light-transmitting resin, and the other regions are formed of a non-light-transmitting resin. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, the region of the non-light-transmitting resin is shown by dotted lines. Therefore, the light-transmitting region 237 formed of the light-transmitting resin is configured as a lamp light-emitting surface of the clearance lamp CL, and the non-light-transmitting region 238 formed of the non-light-transmitting resin is configured as a concealing surface. It is preferable that the non-light-transmitting region 238 is configured not to reflect light. Moreover, the light-transmitting region 237 and the light-opaque region 238 may be formed by two-color molding of resin.

[0029] A lens step 236 is formed on the surface of the light-transmitting region 237. This lens step 236 is configured to have a required pattern shape, that is, when viewed from the surface side, quadrangular pyramids that are diamond-shaped in plan view with their long diagonal line facing the radial direction and their short diagonal line facing the circumferential direction are adjacently arranged in the circumferential direction, and triangular pyramids or pyramids similar to this are arranged between each quadrangular pyramid. In other words, it is a shape in which multiple triangular pyramid surfaces are combined three-dimensionally with their respective sides in contact. In addition, in Figures 7(a) and (b), the sides that become the valleys of the lens step 236 are indicated by thick lines. Note that the design protrusion 235 is also configured as a part of the lamp light-emitting surface, but no particular step is formed here.

[0030] 6, in the inner lens 23, the apex angle (intersection angle) of the apex A1, which is the boundary between the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234 formed in a triangular roof shape, is, for example, about 100 degrees. In other words, looking at the cross-sectional shapes of the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234, when a plane perpendicular to the incident direction of light emitted from the light guide 22 and incident on the rear surface of the inner lens 23 is taken as a reference plane Bs, the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234 are each inclined at a required angle φ1, here about 40 degrees, as shown by the two-dot chain line.

[0031] The lens step 236 formed in the light-transmitting region 237 is formed by protruding in a triangular shape in the plate thickness direction while maintaining the lens plate thickness of each of the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234. The lens step 236 is composed of a surface portion (hereinafter, a steep slope portion) SS inclined at an angle φ2 (φ2S) of about 60 to 80 degrees, which is larger than the inclination angle φ1 of each of the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234, and a surface portion (hereinafter, a gentle slope portion) SL inclined at an angle φ2 (φ2L) of about 0 to 30 degrees, which is smaller than the inclination angle φ1 of the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234. The inclination direction of the normal line of each inclined surface portion is different in the three-dimensional direction. Therefore, the lens step 236 forms a steep slope portion SS and a gentle slope portion SL on the rear surface and the front surface of the inner lens 23, whose surface angles (angles that the surface makes with respect to the reference surface Bs) are different in the three-dimensional direction.

[0032] The annular apex A1, which is the boundary between the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234 of the inner lens 23, is formed as a gentle slope portion SL. Furthermore, on the rear surface of the inner lens 23, in a region along the bottom of the lens step 236, i.e., in a region where the steep slope portion SS and the gentle slope portion SL are in contact, a middle slope portion SM is formed, which is inclined at an angle intermediate between the steep slope portion SS and the gentle slope portion SL and at approximately the same angle (about 50 degrees) as the inclination angle of the inner peripheral portion 233 and the outer peripheral portion 234. Here, the respective inclination angles of the multiple gentle slope portions SL, steep slope portions SS, and middle slope portions SM are not necessarily the same angle, and may be different within the above-mentioned angle range.

[0033] In the clearance lamp unit 2 configured as above, the LED 211 mounted on the light source substrate 21 emits light when the clearance lamp CL is turned on. As shown simply in Fig. 6, the light (white light) emitted from the LED 211 is transmitted through the light transmission window 203 of the ring base 20 and enters the light entrance portion 221 of the light guide 22, and is then internally reflected at the first light reflection portion 222a and the second reflection portion 222b of the light guide 22 to become a substantially parallel light beam. This reflected light is made into a parallel light beam with a uniform brightness distribution and emitted forward from the light exit portion 223 on the front surface of the light guide 22.

[0034] The emitted light is incident on the light-transmitting region 237 of the inner lens 23, and is subjected to light control such as refraction and reflection by the lens steps 236 formed in this light-transmitting region 237, and is emitted from the front surface of the inner lens 23. The emitted light is transmitted through the outer lens 102 and irradiated with a required light distribution toward the front of the automobile CAR. When the clearance lamp unit 2 is turned on in this manner, the light from the light guide 22 is transmitted through the inner lens 23 and emitted, but at this time, the emitted light is emitted in different directions based on the shape of the lens steps 236 of the inner lens 23. The required light distribution described above is formed by combining these lights.

[0035] 8 is a diagram showing the optical path of a portion of the light transmitted through the lens step 23. Light L1 incident from the light guide 22 onto the gentle slope portion SL on the rear surface of the inner lens 23 is emitted at an emission angle θ1 in substantially the same direction as the incident direction. This emission angle θ1 is the angle with respect to the incident direction Ex of the light incident from the light guide 22, and in this case is substantially 0 degrees. A portion of the light L2 incident on the gentle slope portion SL on the rear surface is refracted and emitted from the steep slope portion SS on the front surface at an emission angle θ2. This emission angle θ2 is different from the emission angle θ1.

[0036] The other light L3 incident on the steep slope SS on the rear surface of the inner lens 23 is refracted and emitted from the steep slope SS on the front surface at an emission angle θ3. On the other hand, the light L4 incident on the steep slope SS on the rear surface is internally reflected and then emitted from the gentle slope SL on the front surface at an emission angle θ4. These emission angles θ3 and θ4 are different from each other and also different from the emission angles θ1 and θ2.

[0037] Light L5 incident on the intermediate inclined surface portion SM on the rear surface of the inner lens 23 is emitted from the steeply inclined surface portion SS on the front surface at an emission angle θ5. Another light L6 incident on the intermediate inclined surface portion SM is emitted from the gently inclined surface portion SL on the front surface at an emission angle θ6. These emission angles θ5, θ6 are different from each other and also different from the emission angles θ1 to θ4.

[0038] Here, the emission angles θ1 to θ6 are angles in two-dimensional directions, but since each of the slopes SS, SL, and SM is inclined three-dimensionally, the emission angles θ1 to θ6 are also angles in three-dimensional directions. Therefore, the light emitted from the inner lens 23 is emitted at various emission angles in three-dimensional directions. Furthermore, since the light emitted from the light guide 22 actually includes light that is not necessarily parallel to the emission optical axis Ex, the variety of emission angles is further increased.

[0039] The above optical path has been described for the light transmitting region 237 of the outer circumferential portion 234, but also in the light transmitting region 237 of the inner circumferential portion 233, the emission angle of the emitted light is similarly changed by the lens step 236.

[0040] In this way, the light incident from the light guide 22 to each of the slopes SS, SL, SM on the rear surface of the inner lens 23 undergoes a slight change in emission direction when it is emitted from the front slopes SS, SL. Therefore, when an observer such as an occupant of another vehicle or a pedestrian visually recognizes the clearance lamp unit 2 from the front, even a slight change in the relative angular position with respect to the automobile will cause the light emitted from each slope to enter or not enter the observer's eye.

[0041] As a result, the brightness of each slope of the inner lens 23 visually recognized by the observer changes, and bright and dark slopes are observed. For example, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the slopes that are observed to be bright (filled slopes) change depending on the change in the relative position between the observer and the car. As a result, the brightness distribution of the lamp light-emitting surface of the clearance lamp changes over time due to the change in relative position over time, resulting in an appearance with a "sparkle" or "glittery," and improving the design effect of the clearance lamp.

[0042] On the other hand, when an observer observes the clearance lamp unit 2 when the clearance lamp unit 2 is not lit, the appearance of the clearance lamp CL is based on external light reflected by the inner lens 23. As some light paths are shown by dashed lines in Fig. 8, external light L11 and L12 incident on gentle slope portions SL with different inclination angles on the front surface of the inner lens 23 are reflected toward different angular directions. Also, external light L13 incident on steep slope portion SS is transmitted through the front surface, reflected at the rear surface, and transmitted through the front surface to be emitted in a different direction.

[0043] In this way, the external light is reflected or emitted in different directions from the inclined surfaces SS, SL on the front surface of the inner lens 23 and the inclined surfaces SS, SL, SM on the rear surface of the inner lens 23. Therefore, even when the clearance lamp unit 2 is not lit, the brightness of each inclined surface of the inner lens visually recognized by the observer changes when the relative position between the observer and the car changes slightly, just as when the clearance lamp unit 2 is lit. As a result, bright and dark inclined surfaces are observed, resulting in an appearance with a "sparkle" or "sparkle", and the design effect of the clearance lamp CL is enhanced. Here, the brightness and darkness of each inclined surface of the inner lens 23 differs between when the clearance lamp unit 2 is lit and when it is not lit due to the difference in brightness between the light source light and the external light, so the design effect of both is not necessarily the same.

[0044] As described above, the clearance lamp of the embodiment can have a "sparkling" or "glittery" appearance whether it is lit or not, and the design effect of the clearance lamp CL can be enhanced. Note that, since no lens step is provided for the design protrusion 235, an appearance of uniform brightness is maintained whether it is lit or not. Therefore, by combining this appearance of uniform brightness with the "sparkling" or "glittery" appearance provided by the lens step 236, the design effect of the clearance lamp CL can be further enhanced.

[0045] In the embodiment, the inner lens 23 has an inner peripheral portion 233 and an outer peripheral portion 234 made of a plate-shaped lens inclined at a required angle with respect to a reference plane Bs, and a steep slope portion SS, a gentle slope portion SL, and a medium slope portion SM are formed based on the reference plane Bs. Therefore, the steep slope portion SS is formed at a large angle with respect to the reference plane Bs, i.e., with respect to the main surface of the plate-shaped lens, but when viewed from the inclined plate-shaped lens, the formation angle is reduced by the angle at which the plate-shaped lens is inclined. Therefore, when the steep slope portion SS is resin-molded in the inner lens 23, it is possible to avoid forming a cavity having a steep angle portion in the mold, and the occurrence of striae (welds) in the resin-molded product can be prevented, and an optically homogeneous, high-quality inner lens can be formed.

[0046] The inner lens in the present invention is not limited to a circular ring shape, but may be a rectangular ring shape, or may be formed in a line, a curve, or the like. The cross-sectional shape of the inner lens is not limited to a triangular roof shape, but may be formed in a straight plate shape inclined in one direction with respect to a reference plane perpendicular to the light axis of the light source. The planar shape of the lens steps formed on the inner and outer peripheries of the inner lens, that is, the pattern shape of the planar arrangement, is not limited to the diamond or triangular pattern shape of the embodiment. For example, it may be a pattern shape combining a polygonal pyramid such as a hexagonal pyramid or an octagonal pyramid, or a cone.

[0047] The vehicle lamp to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the clearance lamp of the embodiment, but may be applied to other auxiliary lamps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Headlamp unit 2 Clearance lamp unit 11 Light source (LED) 12 Reflector 13 Irradiation lens 16 Extension 20 Ring Base 21 Light source board 22 Light Guide 23 Inner Lens 211 Light source (LED) 221 Light incidence part 222(222a,222b) Light reflecting part 223 Light emitting part 232 Circular section 233 Inner circumference 234 Outer periphery 236 Lens Step 237 Translucent area 238 Opaque area SS steep slope section SL gentle slope section SM middle slope section HL Headlamp CL Clearance Lamp FL Front Lamp CAR

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp having a lens into one surface of which light emitted from a light source is incident and which emits the incident light from the other surface, wherein the lens is inclined at a required angle (φ1) with respect to a reference plane perpendicular to the emission optical axis of the light source, and the lens is formed with a lens step composed of a plurality of inclined surface portions each having a different angle (φ2) with respect to the reference plane.

2. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lens step has a plurality of inclined surface portions formed in a required pattern when the lens is viewed from the other surface side.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inclined surface portions include inclined surface portions whose surface angles differ in three-dimensional directions.

4. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface portion includes a steep slope portion having a surface angle greater than the required angle with respect to a reference plane, a gentle slope portion having a surface angle smaller than the required angle, and an intermediate slope portion having a surface angle equal to the required angle.

5. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein at least the steep slope portion and the gentle slope portion are formed on the other surface of the lens, and the steep slope portion, the gentle slope portion and the intermediate slope portion are formed on the one surface.

6. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lens is formed in an annular shape having an inner periphery on the inside and an outer periphery on the outside, the inner periphery and the outer periphery being inclined at the required angle in different directions with respect to the reference plane, and having a triangular roof-shaped cross-sectional shape protruding toward the other surface side.

7. 7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion are inclined symmetrically with respect to the exit optical axis.

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