Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture in which a board and a light guide body can be accurately positioned and fixed.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture comprises a light source, a board 26 on which the light source is mounted, a light guide body 32 for guiding light from the light source, a bracket 24 holding the board 26, and a supporting structure 50 supporting the light guide body 32 on the board 26. The supporting structure 50 comprises: a boss part 56 provided in the bracket 24; a boss through hole 58 provided in the board 26, and into which the boss part 56 is inserted; a light guide body supporting part 52 provided in the light guide body 32; a boss fitting part 60 provided in the light guide body supporting part 52, and into which the boss part 56 is fitted; and a fastening member 54 fastening and fixing the light guide supporting part 52 and the board 26 to the bracket 24 together by being fastened to the boss part 56.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been proposed vehicle lamps that combine a light source such as an LED with a light guide that controls the light from the light source. In such vehicle lamps, light emitted from the light source enters the light guide from an entrance portion of the light guide, travels through the light guide, and is emitted forward of the lamp from an exit portion of the light guide. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-67521 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-190342 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-51950 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vehicle lamp having the above-described configuration, it is important to accurately align and fix the substrate on which the light source is mounted and the light guide in order to guide the light from the light source into the light guide.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp in which a substrate and a light guide can be accurately aligned and fixed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle lamp comprising a light source, a substrate on which the light source is mounted, a light guide that guides light from the light source, a bracket that holds the substrate, and a support structure that supports the light guide on the substrate, wherein the support structure comprises a boss portion provided on the bracket, a boss through-hole provided on the substrate through which the boss portion passes, a light guide support portion provided on the light guide, a boss fitting portion provided on the light guide support portion into which the boss portion fits, and a fastening member that fastens the light guide support portion and the substrate together to the bracket by fastening to the boss portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can accurately align and fix a substrate and a light guide. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the third lamp unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the third lamp unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a third lamp unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front view of the third lamp unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of a ray tracing simulation when the first LED is made to emit light. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of a ray tracing simulation when the second LED is made to emit light. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the third lamp unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the third lamp unit shown in FIG. 8 taken along the line AA. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the third lamp unit shown in FIG. 8 taken along the line BB. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the support structures shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The following configurations are for illustrative purposes only to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined solely by the appended claims. Identical or equivalent components and members shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the components in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Some components that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted from the drawings. Furthermore, when terms indicating directions, such as "up," "down," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "inside," and "outside," are used in this specification, they refer to the directions in the position of the vehicular lamp when mounted on a vehicle.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle lamp 10 includes a lamp body 12 and a transparent outer cover 14 that covers the front opening of the lamp body 12. The lamp body 12 and the outer cover 14 form a lamp chamber 16.

[0011] The vehicle lamp 10 according to this embodiment is a combination headlamp, and has one first lamp unit 18, one second lamp unit 20, and four third lamp units 22 arranged in a lamp chamber 16. The four third lamp units 22 are arranged side by side in a direction inclined relative to the vehicle width direction, following the shapes of the lamp body 12 and the outer cover 14. The number of each lamp unit is not particularly limited.

[0012] The first lamp unit 18 functions as a high and low beam lamp, the second lamp unit 20 functions as a daytime running lamp and a clearance lamp, and the third lamp unit 22 functions as a turn signal lamp and a clearance lamp.

[0013] The structure of the first lamp unit 18 that functions as a high and low beam lamp is not particularly limited, and for example, a reflector type or projector type lamp unit can be used. The structure of the second lamp unit that functions as a daytime running lamp and clearance lamp is also not particularly limited, and for example, a lamp unit that uses a light source such as an LED and a light guide can be used.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the third lamp unit 22. Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the third lamp unit 22. Fig. 4 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the third lamp unit 22. Fig. 5 is a front view of the third lamp unit 22. The following mainly describes the configuration of one third lamp unit 22, but the other third lamp units 22 have the same configuration.

[0015] 2 to 5, the third lamp unit 22 includes a bracket 24, a substrate 26 held by the bracket 24, a first LED 28 and a second LED 30 as light sources mounted on the substrate 26, and a light guide 32 that guides light from the first LED 28 and the second LED 30 and irradiates it forward of the lamp. The light guide 32 is supported on the substrate 26 by a support structure 50 provided behind the third lamp unit 22. The support structure 50 will be described later. The third lamp unit 22 is fixed to the lamp body 12 via the bracket 24.

[0016] The first LED 28 and the second LED 30 have different light emission colors. The first LED 28 is used as a light source for a turn signal lamp and emits amber light. The second LED 30 is used as a light source for a clearance lamp and emits white light. The first LED 28 and the second LED 30 emit light when supplied with current from the substrate 26. The first LED 28 and the second LED 30 are arranged on the substrate 26 so that their respective optical axes Ax1 and Ax2 face upward. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 26 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H.

[0017] In this embodiment, the light guide 32 has a generally plate-like shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The light guide 32 is disposed above the first LED 28 and the second LED 30 such that its extension direction is perpendicular to the optical axes Ax and Ax2. The light guide 32 includes a lower surface 32a facing the first LED 28 and the second LED 30, an upper surface 32b opposite the lower surface 32a, a front end surface 32c facing forward of the lamp, and a rear end surface 32d facing rearward of the lamp. The light guide 32 is formed of a transparent resin material such as acrylic or polycarbonate. The inclination angle θ1 of the lower surface 32a with respect to the horizontal direction H and the inclination angle θ2 of the upper surface 32b with respect to the horizontal direction H may be smaller than the inclination angle θ3 of the substrate 26 with respect to the horizontal direction H (including the case where the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are 0 degrees, i.e., the lower surface 32a and the upper surface 32b are parallel to the horizontal direction H).

[0018] The light guide 32 includes an incident portion 34 onto which light from the first LED 28 and the second LED 30 is incident, a reflecting portion 36 that totally reflects the light that has entered the light guide 32 from the incident portion 34, a light guide portion 38 that guides the light totally reflected by the reflecting portion 36, and an exit portion 40 that emits the light guided through the light guide portion 38.

[0019] The incident portion 34 is provided on the rear side of the lower surface 32a of the light guide 32. The incident portion 34 has a focal point F and has a lens shape that converts light from a light source disposed at the focal point F into parallel light. As shown in FIG. 4, the first LED 28 is disposed at the focal point F. The second LED 30 is disposed further rearward of the lamp than the first LED 28 (at a position farther from the emission portion 40 than the first LED 28).

[0020] The reflecting portion 36 is provided on the rear end surface 32d of the light guide 32. The reflecting portion 36 is inclined with respect to the optical axis Ax1 so that light incident on the light guide 32 from a light source disposed at the focal point F of the incident portion 34 is totally reflected. As shown in FIG. 3, the reflecting portion 36 may be formed with cylindrical steps that diffuse the reflected light.

[0021] Light-guiding section 38 has a generally plate shape and guides the light that has been totally reflected by reflecting section 36. Exit section 40 is provided at the front end (front end surface 32c) of light-guiding section 38. As shown in FIG. 2, exit section 40 may be provided with multiple fisheye lenses. Exit section 40 emits the light that has been guided through light-guiding section 38 forward of the lamp.

[0022] FIG. 6 shows the results of a ray tracing simulation when the first LED 28 is illuminated. As described above, the first LED 28 is a light source located at the focal point F of the incident portion 34. The first LED 28 is an amber-emitting LED and is used as a light source for a turn signal lamp. As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitted from the first LED 28 is converted into substantially parallel light at the incident portion 34 and enters the light guide 32. The parallel light that enters the light guide 32 is totally reflected by the reflecting portion 36 and directed toward the front of the lamp, travels through the light guide 38, and is emitted from the exit portion 40.

[0023] FIG. 7 shows the results of a ray tracing simulation when the second LED 30 is illuminated. As described above, the second LED 30 is a white-emitting LED and is used as a light source for a clearance lamp. The second LED 30 is disposed rearward of the lamp relative to the first LED 28. As shown in FIG. 7, the light emitted from the second LED 30 is collimated by the incident portion 34 and enters the light guide 32. The collimated light entering the light guide 32 is totally reflected by the reflecting portion 36 and directed toward the front of the lamp, travels through the light guide 38, and is emitted from the exit portion 40.

[0024] In this way, according to the third lamp unit 22 of this embodiment, by using the first LED 28 and the second LED 30 appropriately, it is possible to achieve two functions of a turn signal lamp and a clearance lamp with one lamp unit.

[0025] Fig. 8 is a plan view of the third lamp unit 22. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the third lamp unit 22 shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the third lamp unit 22 shown in Fig. 8. As described above,

[0026] The light guide 32 is supported on the substrate 26 by a support structure 50 provided behind the third lamp unit 22. In this embodiment, the light guide 32 is supported on the substrate 26 by two support structures 50 provided behind the third lamp unit 22.

[0027] The light guide 32 has a light guide support portion 52 located rearward of the light fixture relative to the incident portion 34. The light guide support portion 52 is fastened together with the substrate 26 to the bracket 24 by a fastening member 54. A screw can be used as the fastening member.

[0028] Fig. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the support structures 50 shown in Fig. 10. The support structure 50 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 11. The other support structure 50 has a slightly different shape, but the basic structure is the same.

[0029] The support structure 50 includes a light guide support portion 52, a fastening member 54, a boss portion 56, a boss through-hole 58, and a boss fitting portion 60. In this example, the fastening member 54 is a screw.

[0030] The boss portion 56 is provided so as to protrude upward from the bracket 24. A screw hole 57 is formed in the center of the boss portion. A boss through-hole 58 is provided in the substrate 26. The boss through-hole 58 is sized and shaped to allow the boss portion 56 to be inserted therethrough. The light guide support portion 52 is configured integrally with the light guide 32 and is provided at the rear end of the light guide 32. The light guide support portion 52 is provided with a boss fitting portion 60. The boss fitting portion 60 is a recess formed in the light guide support portion 52 and is sized and shaped to allow the boss portion 56 to fit therethrough. A through-hole 62 is provided in the bottom surface of the support structure 50 for inserting the fastening member 54 therethrough.

[0031] The following describes how the substrate 26 and the light guide 32 are fixed to the bracket 24. First, the boss 56 of the bracket 24 is inserted into the boss through-hole 58 of the substrate 26. Then, the boss fitting portion 60 of the light guide support portion 52 is fitted into the boss 56 protruding from the boss through-hole 58. This positions the substrate 26 and the light guide 32 using the boss 56 as a reference. In this state, the fastening member 54 is threadedly fastened into the screw hole 57 of the boss 56 through the through-hole 62 of the light guide support portion 52, thereby fastening the light guide support portion 52 and the substrate 26 to the bracket 24 together.

[0032] Thus, with the support structure 50 according to this embodiment, the light guide 32 and the board 26 can be fixed to the bracket 24 while being accurately aligned with each other using the boss portion 56 of the bracket 24 as a reference. By fixing the light guide 32 and the board 26 with two support structures 50, the first LED 28 and the second LED 30 can be accurately aligned with the incident portion 34.

[0033] In the third lamp unit 22 according to this embodiment, the two support structures 50 are provided behind the lamp relative to the incident portion 34. This allows the size of the third lamp unit 22 in the vehicle width direction to be reduced, which is advantageous when arranging multiple third lamp units 22, as in the vehicular lamp 10 according to this embodiment.

[0034] In the vehicle lamp 10 according to this embodiment, a plurality of sets (four sets in this example) of the first LED 28, the second LED 30, and the light guide 32 are arranged in the vehicle width direction. The plurality of sets of the first LED 28 and the second LED 30 are mounted on a common substrate 26. By sharing the substrate 26 in this way, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and thereby lower costs.

[0035] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Vehicle lamp, 12 Lamp body, 14 Outer cover, 16 Lamp chamber, 18 First lamp unit, 20 Second lamp unit, 22 Third lamp unit, 24 Bracket, 26 Board, 28 First LED, 30 Second LED, 32 Light guide, 34 Incident portion, 36 Reflecting portion, 38 Light guide portion, 40 Exit portion, 50 Support structure, 52 Light guide support portion, 56 Boss portion, 58 Boss through hole, 54 Fastening member, 60 Boss fitting portion, 62 Through hole, 56a Screw hole.

Claims

1. A light source and a substrate on which the light source is mounted; a light guide that guides light from the light source; a bracket for holding the substrate; a support structure that supports the light guide on the substrate; A vehicle lamp comprising: a boss portion provided on the bracket; a boss through-hole provided in the substrate, through which the boss portion is inserted; a light guide support portion provided on the light guide; a boss fitting portion provided on the light guide support portion, into which the boss portion is fitted; a fastening member that fastens the light guide support portion and the substrate to the bracket by fastening to the boss portion; A vehicle lamp comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, comprising at least two of said support structures.

3. the light guide includes an incident portion to which light from the light source is incident, 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the support structure is provided rearward of the incident portion.

4. The light guide is a lower surface provided with an incident portion through which light from the light source is incident; an upper surface opposite the lower surface; a rear end surface provided with a reflecting portion that totally reflects the light incident from the incident portion; a front end surface provided with an exit portion that exits the light that has been totally reflected by the reflecting portion and traveled through the light guide; 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. the substrate is inclined relative to the horizontal direction, 5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 4, wherein the inclination angle of the upper surface and the lower surface with respect to the horizontal direction is smaller than the inclination angle of the substrate with respect to the horizontal direction.

6. A plurality of pairs of the light source and the light guide are arranged in the vehicle width direction, 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light sources are mounted on the common substrate.

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