Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture that is configured to form a light distribution pattern for low beam having a horizontal and inclined cutoff line at an upper end part by reflecting emission light from a light-emitting element forward of the lighting fixture by a reflector, and that is configured to perform low-beam irradiation with the light distribution pattern for low beam matching the traffic situation of a country or area while securing sufficient front visibility.SOLUTION: A reflection surface 30a of a reflector 30 covers a light-emitting surface 20a of a light-emitting element 20 from below, and a region located nearby below an oblique cutoff line is formed with reflected light from a front end edge nearby region 30a1 thereof. Then a shade 40 which is arranged in front of the lighting fixture so as to block direct light from the light-emitting element 20 is configured to move between a light blocking position where the direct light traveling to the front end edge nearby region 30a1 is blocked and a light blocking resetting position where the light blocking is reset.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp provided with a reflector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a configuration of a vehicle lamp, a light distribution pattern for a low beam having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at the upper end is formed by reflecting the light emitted from a light emitting element forward by a reflector. Such a configuration is known.

[0003] In "Patent Document 1", as such a vehicle lamp, one provided with a lamp unit for left light distribution and a lamp unit for right light distribution is described.

[0004] Also, in "Patent Document 2", for a vehicle lamp for right light distribution, by attaching a mask seal to a predetermined position of its lamp lens, the vehicle lamp for right light distribution can be made to conform to the traffic conditions in countries and regions with left light distribution. Such a configuration is described.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The vehicle lamp described in the above "Patent Document 1" can perform low beam irradiation with a light distribution pattern for a low beam conforming to the traffic conditions of a country or region by properly using the lamp unit for left light distribution and the lamp unit for right light distribution depending on the country or region where the vehicle travels.

[0007] However, when such a configuration is adopted, a lamp unit for left-side lighting and a lamp unit for right-side lighting are required.

[0008] On the other hand, when the vehicle lamp described in the above "Patent Document 2" is adopted, since a mask seal will be attached in countries and regions with left-side lighting, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient forward visibility when driving under low-beam illumination. In particular, in the case of a vehicle lamp with a narrow vertical width, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient forward visibility.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in a vehicle lamp configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at the upper end by reflecting the emitted light from a light-emitting element forward by a reflector, a configuration capable of ensuring sufficient forward visibility is provided, and a vehicle lamp capable of performing low-beam illumination with a low-beam light distribution pattern adapted to the traffic conditions of a country or region is provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The present invention is configured to include a movable shade and devise the configuration of the reflector so as to achieve the above object.

[0011] That is, the vehicle lamp according to the present invention In a vehicle lamp configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at the upper end by reflecting the emitted light from a light-emitting element forward by a reflector, The light-emitting element is arranged with its light-emitting surface directed in a required direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp. The reflecting surface of the reflector is formed so as to cover the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element from the front side in the required direction. The reflector is configured to form a region located in the vicinity below the above-mentioned diagonal cut-off line in the above-mentioned low beam light distribution pattern by the reflected light from the vicinity of the front edge of the above-mentioned reflecting surface. A shade for blocking direct light from the above-mentioned light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp is disposed at a position in front of the lamp with respect to the above-mentioned light-emitting element. The above-mentioned shade is configured to be movable between a light-shielding position for blocking direct light from the above-mentioned light-emitting element to the vicinity of the front edge region of the reflecting surface of the above-mentioned reflector and a light-shielding release position for releasing the blocking of the direct light, which is characterized thereby.

[0012] The above-mentioned "low beam light distribution pattern" may be a left low beam light distribution pattern or a right low beam light distribution pattern as long as it has horizontal and diagonal cut-off lines at the upper end.

[0013] The specific orientation of the above-mentioned "light-emitting element" is not particularly limited as long as its light-emitting surface is disposed in a required direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp.

[0014] The above-mentioned "required direction" may be a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the lamp or a direction inclined with respect thereto.

[0015] The above-mentioned "shade" is configured to be movable between the light-shielding position and the light-shielding release position, but the specific mode of its movement is not particularly limited.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention is configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element forward of the lamp by a reflector. At this time, the light-emitting element is arranged with its light-emitting surface directed in a required direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp, and the reflector is formed such that its reflecting surface covers the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element from the front side in the required direction. However, a shade for blocking the direct light from the light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp is arranged at a position closer to the front of the lamp than the light-emitting element, so that it is possible to prevent inadvertently giving glare to the drivers of oncoming vehicles, preceding vehicles, pedestrians, etc.

[0017] Furthermore, the reflector is configured to form a region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line in the low-beam light distribution pattern by the reflected light from the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface. Also, the shade is configured to be movable between a light-shielding position for blocking the direct light from the light-emitting element toward the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector and a light-shielding release position for releasing this light-shielding, so that the following operational effects can be obtained.

[0018] That is, by blocking the direct light from the light-emitting element toward the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector with the shade, it is possible to form the low-beam light distribution pattern as a light distribution pattern in which the region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line is missing. Therefore, by moving this shade to either the light-shielding position or the light-shielding release position, it is possible to perform low-beam irradiation with a low-beam light distribution pattern that conforms to the traffic conditions of the country or region.

[0019] At this time, since the size of the light distribution pattern formed by the reflected light in the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector is extremely small, the low-beam light distribution pattern formed when the shade is in the light-shielding position can be formed as a light distribution pattern in which only the region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line is locally missing, thereby ensuring sufficient forward visibility.

[0020] According to the present invention as described above, in a vehicle lamp configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at the upper end by reflecting the emitted light from the light-emitting element forward of the lamp by a reflector, a configuration capable of ensuring sufficient forward visibility is adopted, and low-beam irradiation can be performed with a low-beam light distribution pattern conforming to the traffic conditions of the country or region.

[0021]

[0021] In the above configuration, if it is further configured to include a moving mechanism for moving the shade between a light-shielding position and a light-shielding release position, the shade can be easily moved by driving this moving mechanism.

[0022] In the above configuration, if it is further configured such that the required direction is set to a downward direction, it becomes possible to easily shield the direct light traveling from the light-emitting element forward of the lamp with the shade.

[0023] In the above configuration, if the light-emitting element is further arranged with its light-emitting surface facing obliquely forward of the lamp, even when the reflecting surface of the reflector is formed to extend longer than the light-emitting element to a position on the front side of the lamp, the plane normal direction of the light-emitting surface can be directed to the substantially central region thereof. Therefore, the size of the light source image of the light-emitting element formed by the reflected light from each part of the reflecting surface can be made uniform, and thereby the low-beam light distribution pattern can be formed as a light distribution pattern with less light distribution unevenness. And thereby, sufficient forward visibility can be ensured even in a vehicle lamp having a narrow vertical width.

[0024] In the above configuration, if the reflector is further configured such that the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface is composed of a plurality of reflecting elements, the region of the reflecting surface shielded by the shade in the light-shielding position can be limited to the minimum region necessary for forming a region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line. And thereby, it is possible to prevent the low-beam light distribution pattern from being missing more than necessary.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1.

[0028] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the direction indicated by X is "in front of the lamp", the direction indicated by Y is "left direction" (which is "right direction" when viewing the front of the lamp) orthogonal to "in front of the lamp", and the direction indicated by Z is "upward direction". The same applies to the figures other than FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is configured such that a light emitting element 20 and a reflector 30 are housed in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body 12 and a transparent cover 14 having a through-hole shape attached to the front end opening thereof. And this vehicle lamp 10 forms a low beam distribution pattern (which will be described later) having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting element 20 forward by the reflector 30.

[0030] The vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as a lamp for performing low beam irradiation suitable for traffic conditions in countries and regions where traffic keeps to the right. However, it is configured to be able to perform low beam irradiation suitable for traffic conditions in countries and regions where traffic keeps to the left as needed. To achieve this, it is provided with a movable shade 40 capable of shielding a part of the light emitted from the light emitting element 20.

[0031] Next, the specific configuration of the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0032] The light emitting element 20 is a white light emitting diode and has a light emitting surface 20a having a horizontally long rectangular outer shape. This light emitting element 20 is mounted on the lower surface of a heat sink 50 extending in a plate shape along the horizontal plane with its light emitting surface 20a arranged downward. In the present embodiment, the light emitting element 20 is arranged with the direction perpendicular to the plane of its light emitting surface 20a directed straight downward as indicated by the one-dot chain line L1 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0033] The reflector 30 is a so-called parabolic reflector and has a reflecting surface 30a formed to cover the light emitting surface 20a of the light emitting element 20 from below. This reflector 30 has a horizontally long rectangular outer shape when viewed from the front of the lamp, and an upper end flange portion 30b extending in a flat plate shape toward the rear side of the lamp is formed at the upper end edge thereof. And this reflector 30 is supported by the heat sink 50 at its upper end flange portion 30b.

[0034] The reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 is composed of a plurality of reflecting elements 30s that are divided into a vertical and horizontal grid pattern when viewed from the front of the lamp. Specifically, this reflecting surface 30a is divided into four strip-shaped regions in the vertical direction, and each strip-shaped region is further divided into vertically long rectangular segments, and reflecting elements 30s are assigned to each of them.

[0035] The plurality of reflecting elements 30s are composed of a plurality of concave curved surfaces formed with a paraboloid of revolution with the light-emitting center of the light-emitting element 20 (i.e., the center position of the light-emitting surface 20a) as the focus and an axis extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp as the central axis. The orientation and curvature of the concave curved surfaces of each of these plurality of reflecting elements 30s are appropriately adjusted with respect to the reference plane, thereby controlling the reflection direction and diffusion angle of the direct light from the light-emitting element 20.

[0036] The heat sink 50 is formed thicker in the region that supports the upper end flange portion 30b of the reflector 30 than in the region that supports the light-emitting element 20. And in this heat sink 50, a horizontally long rectangular opening 50a that penetrates it in the vertical direction is formed at a position on the front side of the lamp with respect to the light-emitting element 20.

[0037] The shade 40 is configured to block the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 toward the front of the lamp in a state where it is disposed at a position on the front side of the lamp with respect to the light-emitting element 20. This shade 40 is composed of a plate-like member disposed in a state of being inclined forward with respect to the vertical plane orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the lamp. The lower end surface 40a of this shade 40 is formed so as to be inclined upward toward the front of the lamp with respect to the horizontal plane, and its upper end portion is disposed in a state of being inserted into the opening 50a of the heat sink 50.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the lower end surface 40a of the shade 40 extends along the horizontal plane in its right half (left half when viewed from the front of the lamp) in the left-right direction, but in its left half, it is formed to curve upward from the horizontal plane and further curve downward toward the left end position.

[0039] The shade 40 is configured to be movable by the drive mechanism 60 between the light-shielding position shown by the solid line and the light-shielding release position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of part III of FIG. 1. (a) is a view showing the state where the shade is in the light-shielding position, and (b) is a view showing the state where the shade is in the light-shielding release position. As also shown in FIG. 3, the drive mechanism 60 is fixed to the lower surface of the heat sink 50 at a position in front of the lamp with respect to the opening 50a.

[0041] The drive mechanism 60 includes a pair of left and right movable arms 62 that extend axially rearward of the lamp, and these are configured to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0042] The tip of each of the pair of left and right movable arms 62 is fixed to the front surface of the lower region of the shade 40. When the pair of left and right movable arms 62 move downward, the shade 40 is arranged in the light-shielding position shown in FIG. 3(a), while when they move upward, the shade 40 is arranged in the light-shielding release position shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0043] The drive mechanism 60 is configured such that a pair of left and right movable arms 62 move in the vertical direction by remote operation (for example, by operating a switch at the driver's seat of a vehicle).

[0044] When the shade 40 is in the moved light-shielding position, it is configured to block the direct light among the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 toward the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 that is directed toward the vicinity of the front edge region 30a1 (the region shown by the shaded lines in FIG. 1).

[0045] The boundary line BL between the area 30a1 near the front edge and the other general area on the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 is located in the lowermost reflecting area. At this time, in the right half of the reflecting area, the boundary line BL extends substantially horizontally near the upper edge of the lowermost reflecting area. On the other hand, in the left half of the reflecting area, the boundary line BL gradually curves downward from near the upper edge of the lowermost reflecting area and then curves upward from near the lower edge and extends toward the left end position.

[0046] The position of this boundary line BL is set corresponding to the fact that the lower end surface 40a of the shade 40 is formed to extend along a horizontal plane in its right half, while in its left half, it is formed to curve upward from the horizontal plane and further curve downward and extend toward the left end position.

[0047] On the other hand, when the shade 40 is in the state of being moved to the light-shielding release position, the light shielding against the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 toward the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 is released, and thus the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 is incident on the entire area of the reflecting surface 30a.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a perspective view of the low-beam light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen disposed at a position 25 m in front of the vehicle lamp 10 by the irradiation light from the vehicle lamp 10. (a) is a diagram showing the low-beam light distribution pattern PL-R formed when the shade 40 is in the light-shielding release position, and (b) is a diagram showing the low-beam light distribution pattern PL-L formed when the shade 40 is in the light-shielding position.

[0049] The light distribution pattern PL-R for low beam shown in Fig. 4(a) is a light distribution pattern for low beam with right light distribution, and has horizontal and diagonal cut-off lines CL1 and CL2 at its upper edge. These cut-off lines CL1 and CL2 are formed such that the part on the oncoming lane side to the left of the V-V line passing vertically through the vanishing point H-V in the front direction of the lamp is the horizontal cut-off line CL1, and the part on the own lane side to the right of the V-V line is the diagonal cut-off line CL2. The elbow point E, which is the intersection of the two, is located about 0.5 to 0.6° below H-V.

[0050] In this light distribution pattern PL-R for low beam, a high luminance region HZ is formed so as to surround the elbow point E. This high luminance region HZ is formed so as to extend slightly more toward the own lane side along the horizontal and diagonal cut-off lines CL1 and CL2.

[0051] This light distribution pattern PL-R for low beam is formed by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of each of the plurality of reflecting elements 30s that make up the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 as described above.

[0052] In this light distribution pattern PL-R for low beam, the region located near the lower part of the diagonal cut-off line CL2 (i.e., the region constituting the upper right end of the high luminance region HZ) is formed by the reflected light from the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a (i.e., the region shown by the mesh lines in Fig. 1).

[0053] At that time, as shown by the optical paths of the reflected light from each part of the reflecting surface 30a in Fig. 2, the reflected light from the part closer to the rear edge becomes downward light compared to the reflected light from the part closer to the front edge. Also, the light source image of the light emitting element 20 is a brighter and smaller image formed by the reflected light from the part closer to the front edge than the light source image formed by the reflected light from the part closer to the rear edge. Therefore, the reflected light from the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a is suitable for forming the region located near the lower part of the diagonal cut-off line CL2 as a part of the high luminance region HZ.

[0054] And by performing low beam irradiation with such a low beam light distribution pattern PL-R, while not giving glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 2 or the like, sufficient forward visibility of the host vehicle driver is ensured.

[0055] On the other hand, the low beam light distribution pattern PL-L shown in FIG. 4(b) is a light distribution pattern in which a region located near the lower side of the diagonal cut-off line CL2 in the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R is missing, and is formed by blocking a part of the reflected light from the reflector 30 by the shade 40 at the light blocking position.

[0056] Specifically, this low beam light distribution pattern PL-L is such that the upper end of the high brightness region HZ is cut off by a cut-off line CL2-L that extends substantially horizontally along the vicinity below the H-H line passing through H-V horizontally, starting from a position near the right side of the elbow point E on the diagonal cut-off line CL2 of the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R. Note that the shape of this cut-off line CL2-L corresponds to the shape of the lower end face 40a of the shade 40 at the light blocking position.

[0057] And by performing low beam irradiation with such a low beam light distribution pattern PL-L, even though it is a light distribution pattern in which a part of the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R is missing, while not giving glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 2 or the like, a certain degree of forward visibility of the host vehicle driver is ensured.

[0058] Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

[0059] The vehicle lamp 10 according to this embodiment is configured to form a right-distribution low-beam light distribution pattern PL-R having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines CL1 and CL2 at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 forward of the lamp by the reflector 30. At this time, the light-emitting element 20 is arranged with its light-emitting surface 20a facing downward (that is, in a state facing a required direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp), and the reflector 30 is formed such that its reflecting surface 30a covers the light-emitting surface 20a of the light-emitting element 20 from below (that is, from the front side in the above required direction). However, since a shade 40 for blocking direct light traveling from the light-emitting element 20 forward of the lamp is arranged at a position closer to the front of the lamp than the light-emitting element 20, it is possible to prevent inadvertently giving glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 2 (or the vehicle in front) or pedestrians.

[0060] Furthermore, the reflector 30 is configured to form a region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line CL2 in the low-beam light distribution pattern PL-R by the reflected light from the vicinity region 30a1 of the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a. Also, the shade 40 is configured to be movable between a light-shielding position for blocking direct light traveling from the light-emitting element 20 to the vicinity region 30a1 of the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 and a light-shielding release position for releasing this light shielding. Therefore, the following operational effects can be obtained.

[0061] That is, by blocking the direct light traveling from the light-emitting element 20 to the vicinity region 30a1 of the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 with the shade 40, it is possible to form a low-beam light distribution pattern PL-L in which the region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line CL2 in the low-beam light distribution pattern PL-R is missing. Therefore, by moving the shade 40 to either the light-shielding position or the light-shielding release position, it is possible to perform low-beam irradiation with the low-beam light distribution pattern PL-R or PL-L that conforms to the traffic conditions of the country or region.

[0062] For example, when driving in continental European countries with a right-hand traffic environment, low beam illumination is performed using the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R, while when moving to and driving in the UK with a left-hand traffic environment via the Dover Strait, low beam illumination can be performed using the low beam light distribution pattern PL-L.

[0063] At this time, since the size of the light distribution pattern formed by the reflected light in the region 30a1 near the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 is extremely small, the low beam light distribution pattern PL-L formed when the shade 40 is in the light-shielding position can be formed as a light distribution pattern in which only the region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line CL2 is locally missing, thereby ensuring sufficient forward visibility.

[0064] Thus, according to the present embodiment, in the vehicle lamp 10 configured to form the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R having the horizontal and oblique cut-off lines CL1 and CL2 at the upper end by reflecting the emitted light from the light-emitting element 20 forward by the reflector 30, while ensuring a sufficient forward visibility configuration, low beam illumination can be performed with the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R or PL-L that conforms to the traffic conditions of the country or region.

[0065] At this time, since the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment includes the moving mechanism 60 that moves the shade 40 between the light-shielding position and the light-shielding release position, the movement of the shade 40 can be easily performed by driving the moving mechanism 60.

[0066] Moreover, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, since the light-emitting element 20 is arranged with its light-emitting surface 20a facing downward (that is, since the above-mentioned required direction is set to the downward direction), it is easily possible to shield the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 toward the front of the lamp with the shade 40.

[0067] Further, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, since the vicinity region 30a1 of the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a in the reflector 30 is composed of a plurality of reflecting elements 30s, the region of the reflecting surface 30a shielded by the shade 40 in the shielding position can be limited to the minimum region necessary to form a region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line CL2. As a result, it is possible to prevent a part of the low beam light distribution pattern PL-R from being missing more than necessary from the low beam light distribution pattern PL-L.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the boundary line BL between the vicinity region 30a1 near the front edge of the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 and the other general region has been described as being set as a combination of a straight line in the right half and a curve in the left half in the lowermost reflecting region. However, it is also possible to set it as a curve or a straight line having other shapes, and it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a part or all of the boundary line BL is located in a reflecting region other than the lowermost reflecting region.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the vehicle lamp 10 has been described as being configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern PL-R for right light distribution. However, by reversing the left and right of the lamp configuration, it is also possible to adopt a configuration to form a low beam light distribution pattern for left light distribution.

[0070] Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0071] First, a first modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0072] FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a vehicle lamp 110 according to this modification.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 5, the basic configuration of this vehicle lamp 110 is the same as that of the vehicle lamp 10 according to the above embodiment, but its vertical width is set to a value narrower than that in the case of the above embodiment, and the arrangement of the light-emitting element 20 is different from that in the case of the above embodiment. Accordingly, the configurations of the shade 140 and the heat sink 150 are also partially different from those in the case of the above embodiment.

[0074] That is, in this modification, the lamp body 112 and the light-transmitting cover 114 are formed with a vertical width narrower than that in the case of the above embodiment, and the reflector 130 is also formed with a vertical width narrower than that in the case of the above embodiment.

[0075] However, the reflector 130 of this modification also has its reflecting surface 130a divided into four vertically strip-shaped regions, and each strip-shaped region is further divided into vertically long rectangular segments, and reflecting elements 130s are assigned to each of them. And this reflector 130 is also supported by the heat sink 150 at its upper end flange portion 130b.

[0076] In this modification, the light-emitting element 20 is arranged with its light-emitting surface 20a facing obliquely downward in front of the lamp (that is, obliquely in front of the lamp). Specifically, the light-emitting element 20 of this modification is arranged with the normal direction of its light-emitting surface 20a inclined about 20 to 40° (for example, about 30°) toward the front side of the lamp with respect to the directly downward direction as indicated by the dashed line L2, so that the normal direction of the light-emitting surface 20a faces the substantially central region of the reflecting surface 130a of the reflector 130.

[0077] The heat sink 150 of this modification also has the same basic configuration as that in the case of the above embodiment. An opening 150a having a horizontally long rectangular shape penetrating in the vertical direction is formed at a position on the front side of the lamp with respect to the light-emitting element 20. And a light source support surface 150b for supporting the light-emitting element 20 in an inclined state is formed at the lower end portion on the rear surface side of the opening 150a of this heat sink 150.

[0078] The configuration of the shade 140 in this modification example is substantially the same as that in the above-described embodiment, and is configured to block direct light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 toward the front of the luminaire.

[0079] The lower end surface 140a of the shade 140 in this modification example also has substantially the same shape as that in the above-described embodiment. And this shade 140 is connected to the movable arm 62 of the drive mechanism 60, and is configured to be movable between a light-shielding position shown by a solid line and a light-shielding release position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5 by the drive mechanism 60.

[0080] When the shade 140 is in the light-shielding position, it is configured to block direct light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 toward the vicinity region 130a1 near the front edge of the reflecting surface 130a of the reflector 130. When the shade 140 is in the light-shielding release position, the above light-shielding is released.

[0081] Note that since the reflector 130 in this modification example is formed with a narrower vertical width than the reflector 30 in the above-described embodiment, the shade 140 in this modification example is arranged in a state slightly displaced toward the front of the luminaire with respect to the shade 40 in the above-described embodiment.

[0082] Even when the configuration of this modification example is adopted, the same operational effects as those in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0083] Also, as in this modification example, by adopting a configuration in which the light-emitting element 20 is arranged with its light-emitting surface 20a directed obliquely downward in front of the luminaire, even though the reflecting surface 130a of the reflector 130 is formed to extend longer to a position closer to the front of the luminaire than the light-emitting element 20, the plane normal direction of the light-emitting surface 20a can be directed toward the substantially central region thereof.

[0084] Therefore, the size of the light source image of the light-emitting element 20 formed by the reflected light from each part of the reflecting surface 30a can be made more uniform than in the case of the above-described embodiment, and thereby a low-beam light distribution pattern can be formed as a light distribution pattern with less light distribution unevenness.

[0085] Accordingly, even when a lamp configuration with a narrow vertical width such as the vehicle lamp 110 according to this modification example is adopted, sufficient forward visibility can be ensured.

[0086] Next, a second modification example of the above embodiment will be described.

[0087] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the vehicle lamp 210 according to this modification example.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 6, the basic configuration of this vehicle lamp 210 is the same as that of the vehicle lamp 10 according to the above embodiment, but the configuration of the drive mechanism 260 is different from that in the case of the above embodiment, and accordingly, the configurations of the shade 240 and the heat sink 250 are also partially different from those in the case of the above embodiment.

[0089] That is, in this modification example, the shade 240 is configured to be movable between a light-shielding position indicated by a solid line and a light-shielding release position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 by sliding along the opening 250a formed in the heat sink 250.

[0090] And, similar to the case of the above embodiment, when the shade 240 is in the light-shielding position, direct light from the light-emitting element 20 toward the vicinity of the front edge region 30a1 on the reflecting surface 30a of the reflector 30 is blocked, and when the shade 240 is in the light-shielding release position, the above light-shielding is released.

[0091] In the heat sink 250 of this modification example, an opening 250a penetrating in the vertical direction is formed with a front-rear width slightly wider than the plate thickness of the shade 240 and extending obliquely upward in front of the lamp along the inclination angle of the shade 240.

[0092] The drive mechanism 260 of this modification example is composed of a wire extending from the upper end surface of the shade 240, and is configured to move the shade 240 vertically along the opening 250a by mechanical remote control (for example, by manual operation by the vehicle driver at the driver's seat of the vehicle, etc.).

[0093] The shade 240 of this modification example is also composed of a plate-like member similar to that in the above embodiment, and its lower end surface 240a has a shape substantially similar to that in the above embodiment. However, the shade 240 of this modification example is configured to have a wider vertical width than in the above embodiment in order to smoothly perform vertical movement along the opening 250a.

[0094] Further, the lamp body 212 of this modification example has a shape similar to that in the above embodiment, but an opening 212a for inserting the wire as the drive mechanism 260 and the shade 240 is formed in its upper wall portion.

[0095] Even when the configuration of this modification example is adopted, the same operational effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0096] Also, as in this modification example, by adopting a configuration in which the movement of the shade 240 is performed by mechanical remote control, the vehicle lamp 210 can be configured at low cost.

[0097] Note that instead of adopting a configuration in which the movement of the shade 240 is performed by mechanical remote control as in this modification example, after replacing the wire as the drive mechanism 260 with a tab-shaped plate, it is also possible to configure the shade 240 to be moved by manually moving this plate vertically in the upper space of the lamp body 212.

[0098] Next, a third modification example of the above embodiment will be described.

[0099] FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a vehicle lamp 310 according to this modification example.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 7, the basic configuration of this vehicle lamp 310 is the same as that of the vehicle lamp 10 according to the above embodiment. However, the arrangement of the light-emitting element 20 is different from that in the case of the above embodiment. Accordingly, the configurations of the reflector 330, the shade 340, the heat sink 350, and the drive mechanism 360 are partially different from those in the case of the above embodiment. Also, the shapes of the lamp body 312 and the light-transmitting cover 314 that house these components are also partially different from those in the case of the above embodiment.

[0101] That is, the light-emitting element 20 of this modified example is arranged in a state where the normal direction of the light-emitting surface 20a thereof is directed upward as indicated by the one-dot chain line L3.

[0102] Further, the reflector 330 of this modified example has substantially the same shape as the shape obtained by turning the reflector 30 of the above embodiment upside down. That is, the reflector 330 of this modified example also has a configuration in which its reflecting surface 330a is divided into four vertically strip-shaped regions, and each strip-shaped region is further divided into vertically long rectangular segments, and reflecting elements 330s are assigned to each of them. However, the surface shape of each of them is slightly different from that in the case of the above embodiment (this will be described later).

[0103] Furthermore, the shade 340, the heat sink 350, and the drive mechanism 360 of this modified example have shapes obtained by turning the shade 40, the heat sink 50, and the drive mechanism 60 of the above embodiment upside down. And the reflector 330 of this modified example is supported by the heat sink 350 at its lower end flange portion 330b.

[0104] The shade 340 of this modified example has substantially the same shape as the shape obtained by turning the lower end surface 40a of the shade 40 of the above embodiment upside down at its upper end surface 340a. This shade 340 is connected to the movable arm 362 of the drive mechanism 360 and is configured to be movable between a light-shielding position indicated by a solid line and a light-shielding release position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 by the drive mechanism 360.

[0105] When the shade 340 is in the light-shielding position, it is configured to block the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 toward the vicinity of the front edge region 330a1 on the reflecting surface 330a of the reflector 330. When the shade 340 is in the light-shielding release position, the above light shielding is released.

[0106] Note that the heat sink 350 of this modification also has a configuration in which a horizontally long rectangular opening 350a is formed at a position in front of the lamp with respect to the light-emitting element 20.

[0107] In the reflecting surface 330a of the reflector 330 of this modification, the plurality of reflecting elements 330s constituting the four upper and lower strip-shaped regions are all formed in a concave curved surface shape similar to the plurality of reflecting elements 30s in the above embodiment. However, each of these plurality of reflecting elements 330s has a vertical cross-sectional shape that is slightly downward from the vertical cross-sectional shape obtained by inverting each of the plurality of reflecting elements 30s in the above embodiment upside down. Thus, it is configured to reflect the direct light from the light-emitting element 20 downward.

[0108] Specifically, as shown by the optical paths of the reflected light from each part of the reflecting surface 330a in FIG. 7, the reflected light from the part closer to the rear edge is more downward light than the reflected light from the part closer to the front edge. Also, the light source image of the light-emitting element 20 is a brighter and smaller image formed by the reflected light from the part closer to the front edge than the light source image formed by the reflected light from the part closer to the rear edge.

[0109] Therefore, similar to the case of the above embodiment, the reflected light from the vicinity of the front edge region 330a1 of the reflecting surface 330a is suitable for forming a region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line CL2 in the low-beam light distribution pattern PL-R shown in FIG. 4(a) as a part of the high-luminance region HZ.

[0110] Even when the configuration of this modification is adopted, substantially the same operational effects as those in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0111] Instead of adopting the configuration in which the light-emitting element 20 is arranged downward as in the above-described embodiment and the first and second modified examples, or the configuration in which the light-emitting element 20 is arranged upward as in the third modified example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the light-emitting element 20 is arranged horizontally.

[0112] The numerical values shown as specifications in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these may be set to different values as appropriate.

[0113] Further, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, and configurations with various other modifications can be adopted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0114] 2 Opposing vehicle 10, 110, 210, 310 Vehicle lamps 12, 112, 212, 312 Lamp body 14, 114, 314 Translucent cover 20 Light-emitting element 20a Light-emitting surface 30, 130, 330 Reflector 30a, 130a, 330a Reflecting surface 30a1, 130a1, 330a1 Region near the front edge 30b, 130b Upper flange portion 30s, 130s, 330s Reflective element 40, 140, 240, 340 Shade 40a, 140a, 240a Lower end surface 50, 150, 250, 350 Heat sink 50a, 150a, 250a, 350a Opening 60, 260, 360 Driving mechanism 62, 362 Movable arm 150b Light source support surface 212a Opening 330b Lower flange portion 340a Upper end surface BL Boundary line CL1 Horizontal Cutoff Offline CL2 Diagonal Cutoff Offline CL2-L Cutoff Offline E Elbow Point HZ High Luminance Region L1, L2, L3 Dashed Line (in the direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface) PL-L, PL-R Light Distribution Pattern for Low Beam

Claims

1. In a vehicle lamp configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern having horizontal and oblique cut-off lines at an upper end portion by reflecting light emitted from a light emitting element forward of the lamp by a reflector, the light emitting element is arranged with a light emitting surface directed in a required direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp, a reflecting surface of the reflector is formed to cover the light emitting surface of the light emitting element from the front side in the required direction, the reflector is configured to form a region located near the lower side of the oblique cut-off line in the low beam light distribution pattern by reflected light from a region near a front edge of the reflecting surface, a shade for blocking direct light traveling from the light emitting element forward of the lamp is disposed at a position forward of the lamp with respect to the light emitting element, the shade is configured to be movable between a light blocking position for blocking direct light traveling from the light emitting element to a region near the front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector and a light blocking release position for releasing the blocking of the direct light,

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism for moving the shade between the light blocking position and the light blocking release position.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the required direction is set to a downward direction.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting element is arranged with the light emitting surface directed obliquely forward of the lamp.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a region near a front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector is composed of a plurality of reflecting elements.

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