Vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To secure a good light emission state and achieve improvement of light utilization efficiency.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp fitting includes: a light source configured to emit light; and a transparent material having a light guide part in which a part of an outer peripheral surface is formed as an emission surface, the transparent material extending in a predetermined direction and configured to guide the light emitted from the light source. One end of the light guide part in an extending direction which is a direction in which the transparent material extends is provided as an incident side end where the light emitted from the light source enters, and the other end of the light guide part in the extending direction is provided branched as a loop part. The structure allows the light guided from the incident side end of the light guide part toward the other end to be guided from the branched portions of the loop part in directions opposite to each other. Thus, an amount of light emitted from the loop part increases and leaking of the light from the loop part is less likely to occur. Therefore, the vehicle lamp fitting can secure a good light emission state and then achieve improvement of light utilization efficiency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technical field of a vehicle lamp in which light emitted from a light source is guided by a light guide and then emitted. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicle lamps are equipped with a light guide body that has a light guide section that extends in a predetermined direction, for example, the left-right direction, and in which light emitted from a light source is guided in the light guide section and emitted from an exit surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, one end face of the light guide section in the extension direction, which is the direction in which the light guide body extends, is formed as an incident surface, and light emitted from the light source is incident from the incident surface and guided in the light guide section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6967394 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a configuration in which light is guided from one side in the longitudinal direction of the light guide section, such as the light guide described in Patent Document 1, light is emitted from the end face opposite the incident side, which may result in a so-called point light condition in which the end face opposite the incident side shines brighter than other parts, or the light emission from the end face opposite the incident side may reduce the light utilization efficiency.

[0006] Some light guides have a structure in which the end opposite the incident side of the light guide section is branched. In particular, in such a structure, since light is guided to each branched section, the amount of light guided in the non-branched section and each branched section can differ greatly, which may impair the uniformity of the light brightness.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that ensures good light emission while improving light utilization efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention comprises a light source that emits light, and a light guide having a light guide portion with a portion of its outer surface formed as an emission surface, extending in a predetermined direction and guiding the light emitted from the light source, wherein one end of the light guide portion in the extension direction, which is the direction in which the light guide extends, is provided as an incident end portion into which the light emitted from the light source is incident, and the other end of the light guide portion in the extension direction is branched and provided as a loop portion.

[0009] As a result, the light guided from the incident end of the light guide portion toward the other end is guided in opposite directions from each of the branched portions of the loop portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the light guided from the incident end of the light-guiding section toward the other end is guided in opposite directions from each branched portion of the loop section, thereby increasing the amount of light emitted from the loop section and making it less likely for light to leak from the loop section, thereby ensuring good light emission conditions while improving the light utilization efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 2 to 6 show an embodiment of the vehicle lamp of the present invention, and this figure is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view of the light guide as seen from a different direction from that in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which light is guided in the loop portion. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which an outer reflective step or the like is formed in the loop portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] In the following, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions will be described assuming that the direction of light emitted from the vehicle lamp is the front. However, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions shown below are for the convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to these directions in terms of implementation.

[0014] The vehicle lamp has a light guide extending in a predetermined direction, and is attached to, for example, the back gate or trunk lid of the vehicle to function as a stop lamp, etc. However, as long as the vehicle lamp has a configuration with a light guide extending in a predetermined direction, it may be provided as a vehicle lamp having a function other than the function of a stop lamp.

[0015] Furthermore, the following shows an example of a vehicle lamp in which the predetermined direction (extension direction), which is the direction in which the light guide extends, is the left-right direction, but the predetermined direction is not limited to the left-right direction and may be, for example, a direction other than the left-right direction, such as the up-down direction.

[0016] The vehicle lamp 1 comprises 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 Figure 1). The lamp housing 2 and the cover 3 form a lamp outer casing 4, and the internal space of the lamp outer casing 4 forms a lamp chamber 5.

[0017] A lamp unit 6 is disposed in the lamp chamber 5. The lamp unit 6 has an inner lens 7, a holder 8, and a light guide 9.

[0018] The inner lens 7 is formed in a shape that extends left and right, is disposed at the frontmost side of the lamp unit 6, and is made of, for example, a milky white resin material. The inner lens 7 is made of a milky white resin material, and has the function of diffusing light that passes through it. The inner lens 7 may have a diffusion step formed thereon.

[0019] The holder 8 is formed in a shape that extends in the left and right directions and is disposed behind the inner lens 7. The holder 8 may have a function of reflecting light.

[0020] The light guide 9 is made of a transparent resin material and has a shape that extends to the left and right. The direction in which the light guide 9 extends is the extension direction. The light guide 9 is held by a holder 8 and is disposed behind the inner lens 7.

[0021] The light guide 9 has a light guide portion 10 that guides light and an inner surface portion 11 formed in a substantially flat plate shape (see FIGS. 2 to 4).

[0022] Light-guiding section 10 has, for example, extension section 12 formed in a straight line extending left and right, and loop section 13 continuous with extension section 12. Light-guiding section 10 has a substantially circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (see FIG. 1). Light-guiding section 10 has a front surface formed as emission surface 14. Light-guiding section 10 has a total reflection step 10a formed on the rear surface, and a diffusion step 10b formed on emission surface 14 (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

[0023] The end of the extension portion 12 opposite to the side where the loop portion 13 is continued is provided as an incident side end portion 12a. The shape of the extension portion 12 is not limited to a straight line, and it may also be partially curved.

[0024] The loop portion 13 is branched from the extension portion 12 and is composed of a straight portion and a curved portion, and is formed in a shape without corners (see Figures 3 to 5). The portion of the loop portion 13 branched upward from the extension portion 12 is provided as a first branch portion 15, and the portion branched downward from the extension portion 12 is provided as a second branch portion 16.

[0025] The inner surface portion 11 is formed inside the loop portion 13 and is continuous with the inner circumference of the loop portion 13. An inner reflective step 11a is formed on the rear surface of the inner surface portion 11. The inner reflective step 11a has a shape in which uneven portions extending up and down are formed side by side continuously on the left and right, for example.

[0026] Light source 17 is disposed on the side of incident end 12a of light guide 10, and light source 17 is mounted on a substrate (not shown). For example, a light emitting diode (LED) is used as light source 17. Light emitted from light source 17 is incident from incident end 12a and guided to the loop portion 13 side in light guide 10.

[0027] In the vehicle lamp 1 configured as described above, when light is emitted from the light source 17 and enters the light guide portion 10 from the incident end portion 12a, the incident light is guided in the light guide portion 10 toward the loop portion 13 (see FIG. 5). At this time, part of the light is reflected by the total reflection step 10a formed in the extension portion 12 and is emitted forward from the exit surface 14 of the extension portion 12.

[0028] The light that reaches the loop portion 13 is branched and guided to the first branch portion 15 and the second branch portion 16 .

[0029] Light A1 guided in first branching section 15 is guided from first branching section 15 toward second branching section 16. At this time, part of light A1 is reflected by total reflection step 10a formed in first branching section 15 and emitted forward from exit surface 14 of first branching section 15. In addition, another part of light A1 is incident on inner surface section 11 from first branching section 15, reflected by inner reflection step 11a, and emitted forward from inner surface section 11.

[0030] On the other hand, light A2 guided in second branching section 16 is guided from second branching section 16 toward first branching section 15. At this time, part of light A2 is reflected by total reflection step 10a formed in second branching section 16 and emitted forward from exit surface 14 of second branching section 16. In addition, another part of light A2 is incident on inner surface section 11 from second branching section 16, reflected by inner reflection step 11a, and emitted forward from inner surface section 11.

[0031] As described above, the light guided from the extension portion 12 to the first branch portion 15 is guided toward the second branch portion 16, and the light guided from the extension portion 12 to the second branch portion 16 is guided toward the first branch portion 15, both of which are guided along a loop-shaped path. Therefore, light leakage from the loop portion 13 is unlikely to occur, and a sufficient amount of light is emitted forward from the loop portion 13. Furthermore, a portion of each of the light A1 and light A2 guided in the loop portion 13 is incident on the inner surface portion 11 and emitted forward from the inner surface portion 11, so that a sufficient amount of light is emitted forward from the entire loop portion 13 and inner surface portion 11.

[0032] Furthermore, since a portion of the light guided from the extension portion 12 to the loop portion 13 is incident on the inner surface portion 11, the amount of light emitted forward from the loop portion 13 tends to be greater than the amount of light emitted forward from the inner surface portion 11.

[0033] When light is emitted forward from light guide section 10 as described above, the light is diffused in the vertical direction by diffusion steps 10b, so that light with uniform brightness can be irradiated over a wide area.

[0034] When light is emitted from the light guide 10, it passes through the inner lens 7 and the cover 3 in that order and is then emitted forward. At this time, the light is also diffused by the inner lens 7, so that light with uniform brightness can be emitted over a wider area.

[0035] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1, one end of the light-guiding section 10 in the extension direction is provided as an incident end 12a into which light emitted from the light source 17 is incident, and the other end of the light-guiding section 10 in the extension direction is branched and provided as a loop section 13.

[0036] Therefore, the light guided from the incident end 12a of the light-guiding section 10 toward the other end is guided in opposite directions from the first branch section 15 and the second branch section 16 branched from the loop section 13, so that the amount of light emitted from the loop section 13 increases and light leakage from the loop section 13 is less likely to occur, thereby ensuring good light emission conditions and improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0037] Furthermore, even in the case of a configuration in which light is guided from an extension portion 12 having a small vertical width, such as the light guide 9, to a loop portion 13 having a vertical width greater than that of the extension portion 12, in the loop portion 13, light A1 is guided from the first branch portion 15 to the second branch portion 16, and light A2 is guided from the second branch portion 16 to the first branch portion 15.

[0038] Therefore, the light utilization efficiency is high and a large amount of light is emitted from the loop portion 13, and there is little difference between the amount of light emitted from the extension portion 12 and the amount of light emitted from the loop portion 13, so it is possible to achieve uniform light brightness even in configurations with different light-emitting widths.

[0039] Furthermore, since the loop portion 13 is formed in a shape without corners, there are no angular parts in the loop portion 13, which reduces light leakage from the loop portion 13 and enables the effective use of light to improve brightness.

[0040] Furthermore, the light guide 9 is provided with an inner surface portion 11 that is continuous with the loop portion 13 inside the loop portion 13, and the inner surface portion 11 is formed with an inner reflective step 11a.

[0041] Therefore, light is emitted from the loop portion 13 and also from the inner surface portion 11 located inside the loop portion 13 by the inner reflection step 11a, so that light is emitted from the entire other end of the light guide 9, thereby making it possible to uniformize the brightness of the light at the other end and improve the brightness.

[0042] In addition, since the diffusion steps 10b are formed on the exit surface 14 of the light guide 10, the diffusion steps 10b diffuse the light emitted from the light guide 10, thereby ensuring uniformity of the light emitted from the light guide 10. Furthermore, since the difference in brightness between the light emitted from the loop portion 13 and the light emitted from the inner surface portion 11 is also reduced, uniformity of the brightness of the light emitted from the other end of the light guide 9 can be achieved.

[0043] As described above, in the light guide 9, the amount of light emitted forward from the loop portion 13 tends to be greater than the amount of light emitted forward from the inner surface portion 11, so that, for example, an outer reflective step 18 may be formed on the loop portion 13 (see FIG. 6). The outer reflective step 18 is formed on a part of or the entire circumference of the outermost surface of the loop portion 13.

[0044] By forming the outer reflection step 18, a portion of the light (light B) guided to the loop portion 13 is internally reflected by the outer reflection step 18 toward the inner side surface portion 11 and emitted forward from the inner side surface portion 11.

[0045] In this way, outer reflective steps 18 that internally reflect light toward inner surface portion 11 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of loop portion 13, and part of the light guided to loop portion 13 is internally reflected by the outer reflective steps toward inner surface portion 11. Therefore, the amount of light guided to inner surface portion 11 increases, the difference in brightness between the light emitted from loop portion 13 and the light emitted from inner surface portion 11 is reduced, and the brightness of the light emitted from the other end of light guide body 9 can be made more uniform.

[0046] Furthermore, although the example above shows that the inner reflective step 11a having an uneven shape extending up and down is formed on the inner side surface portion 11 (see FIG. 4), the inner reflective step 11b may be formed on the inner side surface portion 11 instead of the inner reflective step 11a (see FIG. 6). The inner reflective step 11b is formed by arranging a plurality of recesses, each of which is open to the rear, in a matrix pattern, and the recesses are shaped, for example, like triangular pyramids. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Vehicle lighting fixtures 9 Light guide 10 Light guide section 10a Total reflection step 11 Inner side 11a Inner Reflection Step 12a Incidence side end 13 Loop section 14 Exit surface 17 Light source 18 Outer Reflection Step 11b Inner Reflection Step

Claims

1. A light source that emits light; a light guide body having a light guide portion formed as an emission surface on a part of an outer peripheral surface thereof, the light guide body extending in a predetermined direction and guiding the light emitted from the light source; one end of the light guide portion in the extension direction, which is the direction in which the light guide body extends, is provided as an incident side end to which the light emitted from the light source is incident, The other end of the light guiding portion in the extending direction is branched and provided as a loop portion. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

2. The loop portion is formed in a shape without corners.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. the light guide is provided with an inner surface portion that is continuous with the loop portion on the inside of the loop portion, An inner reflective step is formed on the inner surface.

3. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A diffusion step is formed on the light emitting surface of the light guide.

4. A vehicle lamp according to claim 3.

5. An outer reflective step is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the loop portion to internally reflect light toward the inner surface portion.

4. A vehicle lamp according to claim 3.

Images