Vehicle lamp

Abstract

To improve utilization efficiency of light emitted from a light source, to ensure sufficient brightness of light emitted from a desired area toward the outside.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp comprises a plurality of light sources arranged in a predetermined state, a reflector that reflects light emitted from the plurality of light sources, and an inner lens that controls the light reflected by the reflector, where the reflector has a plurality of reflection control surfaces that respectively reflect the light emitted from the plurality of light sources, the inner lens has an annular incident surface onto which the light reflected by the plurality of reflection control surfaces is made incident, and a reflection surface that internally reflects the light made incident from the incident surface, and the light internally reflected by the reflection surface is radiated from an annular irradiation area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle lamps in which light emitted from a light source is controlled by a reflector and an inner lens and then irradiated.

Background Art

[0002] Some vehicle lamps are configured such that a light source that emits light is disposed inside a lamp outer casing formed by a cover and a lamp housing, and the light emitted from the light source is guided in a predetermined direction by an inner lens used as a light guide (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0003] In the vehicle lamps described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the light emitted from the light source is internally reflected (total reflection) by the inner lens, guided in a predetermined direction, and irradiated outward.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the vehicle lamps as described above, in order to guide the incident light in a predetermined direction by the inner lens and emit it, it is possible to irradiate light outward from a desired area. However, it is desired to increase the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the light source and ensure sufficient luminance of the light irradiated outward.

[0006] Therefore, the vehicle lamp of the present invention aims to increase the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the light source and ensure sufficient luminance of the light irradiated from a desired area to the outside.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a plurality of light sources arranged in a predetermined state, a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the plurality of light sources, and an inner lens that controls the light reflected by the reflector. The reflector is formed with a plurality of reflection control surfaces for reflecting the light emitted from the plurality of light sources respectively. The inner lens is formed with an annular incident surface for the light reflected by the plurality of reflection control surfaces to be incident thereon and a reflection surface for internally reflecting the light incident from the incident surface. The light internally reflected by the reflection surface is irradiated from an annular irradiation area.

[0008] Thereby, the light emitted from the plurality of light sources arranged in a predetermined state is reflected by the reflection control surfaces of the reflector, incident on the inner lens, internally reflected by the reflection surface, and irradiated from the annular irradiation area.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, since the light emitted from the plurality of light sources arranged in a predetermined state is reflected by the reflection control surfaces of the reflector, incident on the inner lens, internally reflected by the reflection surface, and irradiated from the annular irradiation area, the total amount of light increases, and sufficient incident light amount on the inner lens is ensured by the light being reflected by the reflection control surfaces of the reflector and incident on the inner lens. Thus, it is possible to increase the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the light source and ensure sufficient luminance of the light irradiated from a desired area to the outside.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the vehicle lamp of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Hereinafter, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions will be described with the irradiation direction of light from the vehicle lamp being the front. However, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions shown below are for convenience of explanation, and the implementation of the present invention is not limited to these directions.

[0013] The vehicle lamp 1 is used, for example, as an accessory lamp that is lit when the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on. However, the vehicle lamp 1 is not limited to an accessory lamp, and may be applied as other types of vehicle lamps such as a daytime running lamp, a tail lamp, or a stop lamp.

[0014] The vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp housing 2 having an opening at the front end and a cover 3 that closes the opening of the lamp housing 2 (see FIG. 1). The lamp housing 2 and the cover 3 constitute a lamp outer casing 4, and an internal space of the lamp outer casing 4 is formed as a lamp chamber 5.

[0015] An inner lens 6 is disposed in the lamp chamber 5. The inner lens 6 is formed in a horizontally long shape, and is integrally formed of a main body portion 7 formed in a horizontally long annular shape and a mounting portion 8 provided so as to connect the upper and lower portions of the main body portion 7 (see FIGS. 1 to 4).

[0016] The space inside the main body portion 7 is formed as an arrangement space 7a. The inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 7 is formed as an incident surface 9. On the main body portion 7, a first reflecting surface 10 and a second reflecting surface 11 are formed on the back side. The first reflecting surface 10 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the inner lens 6 and is annular. The second reflecting surface 11 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the inner lens 6 and is annularly formed.

[0017] The portion between the first reflecting surface 10 and the second reflecting surface 11 in the main body portion 7 is provided as an intermediate portion 7b. On the main body portion 7, an annular emission surface 12 is formed on the front side of the second reflecting surface 11. A diffusion step 12a is formed on the emission surface 12.

[0018] Two attachment portions 8 are provided, separated from each other left and right, for example. A screw insertion hole 8a is formed in the attachment portion 8.

[0019] The inner lens 6 is attached to an attachment boss (not shown) of the lamp housing 2 by attachment screws (not shown) inserted through the screw insertion holes 8a, for example.

[0020] A reflector 13 is disposed in the lamp chamber 5. The reflector 13 is formed in a horizontally long shape and is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 7 so as to cover the arrangement space 7a of the inner lens 6 from the front side. In the state where the reflector 13 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 7, the portion excluding the front end portion is located in the arrangement space 7a.

[0021] For example, two attachment holes 13a are formed in the reflector 13, separated from each other left and right. The reflector 13 is provided with a plurality of reflecting portions 14, and the reflecting portion 14 has at least one first reflection control surface 15 formed as a paraboloid of revolution (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The reflecting portions 14 are provided, for example, three by three at intervals left and right in the portion other than the left and right both end portions of the reflector 13 and two by two continuously up and down at the left and right both end portions of the reflector 13.

[0022] A first reflection control surface 15 is formed on a reflecting portion 14 provided on a portion of the reflector 13 other than the left and right end portions thereof.

[0023] A first reflection control surface 15 and a second reflection control surface 16 are formed on the reflecting portions 14 provided at the left and right end portions of the reflector 13. For example, on the reflecting portions 14 provided at the left and right end portions of the reflector 13, two first reflection control surfaces 15 and at least one second reflection control surface 16 formed on a surface other than a paraboloid of revolution are formed (see FIG. 5).

[0024] The light reflected by the reflecting portion 14 is incident into the inner lens 6 from the incident surface 9. However, by configuring a part of the reflecting portion 14 to have the second reflection control surface 16, it becomes possible to make the light incident on a portion where it is difficult for the light reflected by the first reflection control surface 15 to be incident on the incident surface 9. For example, the incident surface 9 is formed in a shape having four corners (corner portions) 9a with a large curvature. When it is difficult for the first reflection control surface 15 to make the light incident on the whole or a part of the corner portion 9a, it becomes possible to reflect the light by the second reflection control surface 16 toward the portion where it is difficult to be incident.

[0025] By configuring a part of the reflecting portion 14 to have the first reflection control surface 15 and the second reflection control surface 16 in this way, it becomes possible to make the light reflected by the reflector 13 be incident evenly on the entire incident surface 9 of the inner lens 6.

[0026] The reflector 13 is attached, for example, to an attachment boss (not shown) of the lamp housing 2 by an attachment screw (not shown) inserted through the attachment hole 13a. In a state where the reflector 13 is attached to the lamp housing 2, since the arrangement space 7a of the inner lens 6 and the attached portion 8 are covered from the front side, it is possible to improve the visibility when the vehicle lamp 1 is visually recognized from the outside.

[0027] A circuit board 17 is disposed on the rear side of the inner lens 6. The circuit board 17 is disposed in a state facing the front-rear direction and is attached to the lamp housing 2 by means such as screwing. The circuit board 17 is formed with insertion holes (not shown) through which the attachment bosses of the lamp housing 2 are inserted. Therefore, by inserting the attachment bosses through the insertion holes of the circuit board 17 and positioning the tip ends of the attachment bosses in front of the circuit board 17, the inner lens 6 and the reflector 13 are attached to the attachment bosses.

[0028] A plurality of light sources 18 are mounted on the front surface of the circuit board 17. As the light sources 18, for example, light emitting diodes (LEDs: Light Emitting Diodes) are used. Each light source 18 is positioned directly behind the reflecting portion 14 in the reflector 13. Therefore, the same number of light sources 18 as the number of reflecting portions 14 are provided, and a plurality of light sources 18, for example, 10 light sources 18 are mounted on the circuit board 17 in a state of being positioned annularly as a whole.

[0029] In a state where the reflector 13 is attached to the lamp housing 2, as described above, the attached portion 8 of the inner lens 6 is covered from the front side by the reflector 13, and the light source 18 is also covered by the reflector 13.

[0030] In the vehicle lamp 1 configured as described above, when light is emitted from each of the plurality of light sources 18, the emitted light is incident on the reflecting portion 14 of the reflector 13 respectively, reflected by the first reflection control surface 15 and the second reflection control surface 16, and incident on the inner lens 6 from the incident surface 9 (see FIG. 6).

[0031] The light incident on the inner lens 6 is internally reflected (total reflection) in order by the first reflection surface 10 and the second reflection surface 11, emitted from the emission surface 12, transmitted through the cover 3, and irradiated outward. At this time, the light is internally reflected in a state of being converged by the first reflection surface 10 and incident on the second reflection surface 11, and internally reflected in a state of being diffused by the second reflection surface 11 and incident on the emission surface 12.

[0032] Thus, in the vehicle lamp 1, since the light is internally reflected in a state where it is converged by the first reflecting surface 10 of the inner lens 6, the light is converged by the first reflecting surface 10 and incident on the second reflecting surface 11, and the thickness of the intermediate portion 7b, which is the portion between the first reflecting surface 10 and the second reflecting surface 11 in the inner lens 6, can be reduced, and the inner lens 6 can be miniaturized.

[0033] Further, since the light is internally reflected in a state where it is diffused by the second reflecting surface 11 of the inner lens 6, the light is incident on the emission surface 12 in a state where it is diffused by the second reflecting surface 11, so that the width of the light emission region from the emission surface 12 can be widened, and the light irradiated toward the outside can be irradiated over a wide range of regions.

[0034] When the light is emitted from the emission surface 12 as described above, the light is emitted in a diffused state by the diffusion step 12a formed on the emission surface 12 and is emitted from the entire region of the emission surface 12, so that uniform light is irradiated from the annular irradiation region toward the outside.

[0035] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1, a plurality of reflection control surfaces (the first reflection control surface 15 and the second reflection control surface 16) for reflecting the light emitted from the plurality of light sources 18 are formed on the reflector 13, and an annular incident surface 9 for the light reflected by the first reflection control surface 15 and the second reflection control surface 16 to be incident on the inner lens 6 and reflecting surfaces (the first reflecting surface 10 and the second reflecting surface 11) for internally reflecting the light incident from the incident surface 9 are formed on the inner lens 6, and the light is irradiated from the annular irradiation region.

[0036] Therefore, the light emitted from a plurality of light sources 18 arranged in a predetermined state is reflected by the reflection control surface of the reflector 13, enters the inner lens 6, is internally reflected by the reflection surface, and is irradiated from an annular irradiation region. As a result, the total amount of light increases, and since the light is reflected by the reflection control surface of the reflector 13 and enters the inner lens 6, a sufficient amount of incident light on the inner lens 6 is ensured. The utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the light source 18 can be increased, and sufficient luminance of the light irradiated from a desired region to the outside can be ensured.

[0037] In addition, a first reflection surface 10 that internally reflects the light incident from the incident surface 9 as a reflection surface and a second reflection surface 11 that internally reflects the light internally reflected by the first reflection surface 10 are formed.

[0038] Therefore, since the light reflected by the first reflection control surface 15 and the second reflection control surface 16 of the reflector 13 is reflected twice in the inner lens 6 and then emitted, the light can be precisely controlled by both the first reflection surface 10 and the second reflection surface 11 to irradiate light in a desired state.

[0039] Furthermore, since the light source 18 is shielded by the reflector 13, the light source 18 is shielded by the reflector 13 that reflects the light emitted from the light source 18, and a dedicated shielding member such as an extension for shielding the light source 18 is not required. The light source 18 can be shielded while reducing the number of parts.

[0040] Also, since the light source 18 is shielded by the reflector 13, the light source 18 is not visible when the vehicle lamp 1 is visually recognized from the outside, and the visibility when the vehicle lamp 1 is visually recognized from the outside can be improved.

[0041] Incidentally, in the above, an example of the inner lens 6 in which the light incident from the incident surface 9 is internally reflected twice and emitted from the emission surface 12 is shown, but it is also possible to configure the inner lens 6 such that the light is internally reflected once and emitted from the emission surface 12.

[0042] Further, at least the reflecting portion 14 of the reflector 13 is vapor-deposited with aluminum or the like, but the front surface of the reflector 13 may also be vapor-deposited. By vapor-depositing the front surface of the reflector 13, it becomes possible to make the diffusion step 12a of the emission surface 12 reflected on the front surface of the reflector 13 when the lamp is not lit, and the design property when the lamp is not lit can be improved.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1 Vehicle lamp 6 Inner lens 9 Incident surface 10 First reflecting surface 11 Second reflecting surface 13 Reflector 15 First reflection control surface 16 Second reflection control surface 18 Light source

Claims

1. A plurality of light sources positioned side by side in a predetermined state, a reflector that reflects light emitted from the plurality of light sources, and an inner lens that controls the light reflected by the reflector, wherein the reflector is formed with a plurality of reflection control surfaces for reflecting light emitted from the plurality of light sources respectively, the inner lens is formed with an annular incident surface for receiving light reflected by the plurality of reflection control surfaces and a reflection surface for internally reflecting the light incident from the incident surface, and the light internally reflected by the reflection surface is irradiated from an annular irradiation region A vehicle lamp.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the reflection surface is formed with a first reflection surface for internally reflecting the light incident from the incident surface and a second reflection surface for internally reflecting the light internally reflected by the first reflection surface. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the light is internally reflected in a state of being converged by the first reflection surface. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light is internally reflected in a state of being diffused by the second reflection surface. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the light source is shielded by the reflector. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4.

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