Vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp fitting which achieves improvement of visibility when the lamp fitting is turned on and also achieves improvement of artistic effect without increasing a plate thickness of a plate-like transparent material used in the lamp fitting.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp fitting includes: a light source 3; and a plate-like transparent material 4 which is disposed along a front-back direction of the lamp fitting and guides and emits light of the light source 3. The plate-like transparent material 4 includes: a light incident part 41 to which light of the light source 3 enters; a light control unit 42 which reflects the entering light on an inner surface to control light distribution of the guided light; and a light emission part 43 which is provided at a portion directed to the front side of the lamp fitting and emits the light controlled by the light control unit 42 to the front side or the lateral side of the lamp fitting. The light emission part 43 includes: an end surface 431 of the plate-like transparent material 4; and a light diffusion element 43s which transmits or reflects the guided light to / on side surfaces 434, 435 in a plate thickness direction of the plate-like transparent material 4 in a diffusion state to emit the light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting fixture suitable for use in vehicles such as automobiles, and more particularly to a vehicle lighting fixture (hereinafter also referred to as a lamp) equipped with an inner lens made of a plate-shaped light guide. [Background technology]

[0002] As one type of automotive lighting fixture, a lamp using multiple plate-shaped light guides has been proposed. Patent Document 1 proposes a lamp in which multiple plate-shaped light guides are arranged in parallel at required intervals in the plate thickness direction, with one end face of each plate-shaped light guide configured as a light incident surface and the other end face configured as a light exit surface. By arranging the light exit surfaces of the plate-shaped light guides along the planar direction of the light-emitting surface of the lamp, when the lamp is turned on, the light exit surfaces of each plate-shaped light guide emit light in a line-like light emission pattern, resulting in a lamp with high design value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-187936 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the lamp of Patent Document 1, the end faces of the plate-shaped light guide are configured as light-emitting surfaces, resulting in a line-shaped light emission pattern corresponding to the end faces. Therefore, with a thin plate-shaped light guide, the light emission pattern is configured as thin lines, which reduces visibility when observing the lamp and makes it difficult to improve the design. It is conceivable that increasing the thickness of the plate-shaped light guide would result in a light emission pattern with thicker lines when the lamp is lit, thereby improving the lamp's visibility and design. However, this would increase the mass (weight and volume) of multiple plate-shaped light guides combined, resulting in issues such as increased lamp weight and higher costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve visibility when the lamp is turned on and enhance the design effect without increasing the plate thickness of a plate-shaped light guide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a vehicle lamp including a light source and a plate-shaped light guide disposed along the front-to-rear direction of the lamp for guiding and emitting light from the light source, the plate-shaped light guide including a light entrance portion to which light from the light source is incident, a light control portion that controls the light distribution of the guided light by internally reflecting the incident light, and a light exit portion provided at a portion facing the front of the lamp for emitting the light controlled by the light control portion toward the front or side of the lamp. In addition, the light exit portion includes light diffusion elements at each of the end faces of the plate-shaped light guide and the side faces of the plate-shaped light guide in the plate thickness direction, which transmit or reflect the guided light in a diffused state and emit it.

[0007] Here, the light diffusing element is provided on at least the front end face of the plate-like light guide and one of both side faces of the plate-like light guide in the plate thickness direction, and is configured to emit guided light from at least the front end face and both side faces. Furthermore, it is preferable that the light diffusing element provided on the side face of the plate-like light guide is formed in a required pattern shape and configured to form a light pattern corresponding to the pattern shape. Furthermore, the light diffusing element is composed of a number of uneven steps of uniform or different sizes that transmit and reflect light in a diffused state. Alternatively, the light diffusing element is composed of a number of uneven steps with a uniform surface density or with a surface density that varies depending on the position.

[0008] The vehicle lamp of the present invention is configured, for example, such that a lamp unit is composed of a light source, a plate-shaped light guide, and an extension having a vertical slit for inserting and supporting the plate-shaped light guide in the front-rear direction of the lamp and supporting the light source and the plate-shaped light guide, the light-emitting portion of the plate-shaped light guide being exposed on the front side of the extension, the lamp unit being housed within a lamp housing having a translucent cover on its front side, the light-emitting portion of the plate-shaped light guide being disposed opposite the translucent cover, and light emitted from the light-emitting portion being transmitted through the translucent cover. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when the lamp is turned on, in addition to the light emitted from the end face of the light-emitting portion of the plate-shaped light guide, light is emitted from the side face of the plate-shaped light guide. As a result, the light emission pattern when the lamp is turned on is not limited to the light emission pattern at the end face of the plate-shaped light guide, and the area of ​​the light emission pattern is expanded, thereby improving the visibility of the lamp and enhancing the design effect of the lamp. Furthermore, there is no need to increase the plate thickness of the plate-shaped light guide, and the size and weight of the plate-shaped light guide are not increased, making it possible to reduce the weight and cost of the lamp. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automobile to which the present invention is applied to a rear lamp, and a front view of the right rear lamp. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a right rear lamp with a part broken away. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the lamp unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] Horizontal cross section of Figure 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of a light incident portion and a light control portion. [Figure 8] 1A is an enlarged view of a part of the light emitting portion of the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic view of the appearance when lit. [Figure 9] 10A is an enlarged view of a part of the light emitting portion of the modified example, and FIG. 10B is a schematic view of the appearance when lit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a modified example of the inner lens. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the rear of an automobile in which the vehicle lamp of the present invention is applied to the rear lamps RL. A left rear lamp L-RL and a right rear lamp R-RL are disposed on the left and right sides of the rear of the body of the automobile CAR. A center rear lamp C-RL is also disposed on the rear of the body of the automobile CAR in a line extending in the vehicle width direction so as to connect the left and right rear lamps L-RL and R-RL. When the left and right rear lamps L-RL and R-RL and the center rear lamp C-RL are simultaneously lit, the rear lamps L-RL, R-RL, and C-RL function as an integrated rear lamp RL. In this embodiment, the left and right rear lamps L-RL and R-RL can also function as tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, and backup lamps, as will be described later.

[0012] FIG. 1 also shows a front view of the right rear lamp R-RL. FIG. 2 is a perspective view with a portion of the right rear lamp R-RL cut away, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main portion. The right rear lamp R-RL has a lamp housing 100 composed of a container-shaped lamp body 101 with an opening on the front side of the lamp and a translucent cover 102 attached to the opening of the lamp body 101. Note that, hereinafter, the front-rear direction refers to the front-rear direction of the right rear lamp R-RL. The translucent cover 102, hereinafter referred to as the outer lens, is made of a colorless translucent material and, as can be seen in FIG. 3, has a curved shape imitating the shape of the right or left rear portion of the vehicle body CAR shown in FIG. 1. Note that, since the left rear lamp L-RL has a bilaterally symmetrical configuration, a description of the left rear lamp L-RL will be omitted here.

[0013] A lamp unit 1 is housed within the lamp housing 100. The lamp unit 1 is configured to include an extension 2 that also serves as a unit body, a plurality of light source modules 3 supported by the extension 2, and a plurality of inner lenses 4 that are arranged corresponding to the plurality of light source modules 3, guide the light of each light source module 3, and emit the light through an outer lens 102 from the front opening of the lamp housing 100. Note that one light source module 3 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0014] The extension 2 is supported inside the lamp body 101, and the front surface of the extension 2 is disposed over substantially the entire area of ​​the opening of the lamp body 101, and is disposed at a required distance rearward from the inner surface of the outer lens 102. The front surface of the extension 2 is subjected to a required surface treatment such as metal plating or metal painting, and is configured to achieve an aesthetically pleasing design effect. Furthermore, the extension 2 is formed with a plurality of vertical slits (upper and lower slits) 21 arranged in a required arrangement pattern over substantially the entire area of ​​the front surface.

[0015] The vertical slits 21 are opened so as to penetrate the extension 2 in the front-to-rear direction of the lamp. Each vertical slit 21 has a predetermined width, but the length extending in the up-down direction is not necessarily constant, and each is set to an appropriate length. Furthermore, the vertical slits 21 do not necessarily have to be arranged in a regular pattern, and may be arranged irregularly to achieve a desired design effect. Here, the number of vertical slits 21 adjacent to each other in the left-to-right direction is partially different, and adjacent vertical slits 21 are arranged so that their positions in the up-down direction are offset from each other.

[0016] An inner lens 4 is inserted into each vertical slit 21 from the rear of the extension 2 and is supported by the extension 2 together with the light source module 3. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one light source unit 3 and inner lens 4. The inner lens 4 is composed of a plate-like light guide formed of a colorless, light-transmitting member with a predetermined thickness and required width and length dimensions. The thickness and width dimensions correspond to the opening dimensions of the plurality of vertical slits 21, and each inner lens 4 can be inserted into the corresponding vertical slit 21.

[0017] Although details of the inner lens 4 will be described later, when inserted into the vertical slit 21, the inner lens 4 is inserted and supported with its length oriented in the longitudinal direction of the lamp, its width oriented in the vertical direction, and its thickness oriented in the left-right direction of the lamp. Therefore, hereinafter, the thickness direction of the inner lens 4 may be referred to as the left-right direction, and the width direction may be referred to as the up-down direction. The insertion direction of each inner lens 4, in other words, the opening direction of the vertical slit 21, is not particularly limited, but when the rear lamp RL is installed in an automobile CAR, each inner lens 4 may be inserted so that its length direction is tilted slightly inward with respect to the longitudinal direction (straight-ahead direction) of the automobile CAR. Furthermore, the insertion directions of multiple inner lenses 4 may be oriented in the same angular direction, or may be slightly different angular directions.

[0018] The light source modules 3 are provided in the same number as the multiple inner lenses 4. As shown in FIG. 4, each light source module 3 includes an LED (light-emitting diode) 31 as a light source, a light source board 32 on which the LED 31 is mounted, and a bracket 33 that supports the light source board 32 and supports the light source board 32 on the extension 2. Each light source module 3 is equipped with a red LED 31 that emits red light. In this embodiment, although not shown, some light source modules 3 are also equipped with a white LED that emits white light or a yellow LED that emits yellow (amber) light. Each light source board 32 has a required circuit pattern configured, and the red LEDs 31 emit light in a unified or selective manner under power supply control by a lamp lighting control device (not shown). The white LED and yellow LED (not shown) also emit light in a unified or selective manner.

[0019] 4, the rear end portion of the inner lens 4 in the lengthwise direction facing the front-to-rear direction of the lamp, i.e., the portion located on the rear side of the extension 2, is configured as a light entrance portion 41, and the central band portion further forward is configured as a light control portion 42. The front end portion of the inner lens 4 in the lengthwise direction, i.e., the portion protruding from the front surface of the extension 2, is configured as a light exit portion 43. The above-mentioned light source module 3 is disposed on the rear end side of each of the multiple inner lenses 4, and each inner lens 4 and light source module 3 are both supported on the rear surface of the extension 2.

[0020] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the state in which the inner lens 4 and the light source module 3 are supported by the extension 2, with Fig. 5 being an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line VV in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 being a horizontal cross-sectional view. The light entrance portion 41 and the light control portion 42 formed at respective portions of the rear end side and middle band portion of the inner lens 4 have a plate thickness dimension that is somewhat larger than that of the light exit portion 43 formed at the front end side.

[0021] The inner lens 4 is integrally formed with a pair of support pieces 44 protruding in the plate width direction, i.e., in the up-down direction, at a rear end portion thereof, and the inner lens 4 is supported on the rear surface 22 of the extension 2 by the support pieces 44 with screws (machine screws) 24. Furthermore, the light source module 3 has the above-mentioned bracket 33 supported on the rear surface 23 of the extension 2 by screws 25 at its upper and lower ends. The inner lens 4 and the bracket 33 of the light source module 3 may be integrally supported on the extension 2 by a common screw or the like. When the light source module 3 and the inner lens 4 are supported on the extension 2 in this manner, the light emitting surface of the LED 31 of each light source module 3 is disposed opposite the light incident portion 41 of the corresponding inner lens 4, and light emitted from each LED 31 enters the interior of the inner lens 4 from this light incident portion 41.

[0022] As shown enlarged in FIG. 7 , the light incident portion 41 of the inner lens 4 is formed on the rear end surface of the inner lens 4. When viewed in the thickness direction (left-right direction) of the inner lens 4, the light incident portion 41 has a recessed shape that is recessed in a horizontal trapezoidal shape toward the front end. This recessed light incident portion 41 has a central light-transmitting surface portion 41c located in the center in the up-down direction, and upper light-transmitting surface portions 41u and lower light-transmitting surface portions 41d located above and below the central light-transmitting surface portion 41c. The central light-transmitting surface portion 41c faces toward the rear of the inner lens 4, the upper light-transmitting surface portion 41u faces diagonally downward and rearward of the inner lens 4, and the lower light-transmitting surface portion 41d faces diagonally upward and rearward of the inner lens 4. In other words, each light-transmitting surface portion faces the light-emitting surface of the LED 31.

[0023] Condensing steps are formed on each of these light-transmitting surface portions 41c, 41u, and 41d. These condensing steps are configured as convex cylindrical steps having a required curvature along the thickness direction of the inner lens 4. When the inner lens 4 is viewed from above, these cylindrical steps are configured as arc-shaped steps with a focus at the center of the light-emitting surface of the LED 31. Therefore, the light emitted in a divergent state from the LED 31 and incident on the light incident portion 41 is incident on the inner lens through the condensing steps of each of the light-transmitting surface portions 41c, 41u, and 41d, and the incident light is converged by the cylindrical steps into a parallel beam or a beam close to this.

[0024] 4 to 6, the light control section 42 is formed from the middle band section between the light entrance section 41 and the light exit section 43, i.e., the section where the thickness of the inner lens 4 is thick, to the tapered section where the thickness changes, or to an area a required dimension further forward than this tapered section. The light control section 42 is configured to include a pair of opposing first light reflecting surface sections 421 that sandwich the light entrance section 41 in the vertical direction, a second light reflecting surface section 422 that is configured from both side surfaces facing the left and right directions of the tapered section, and a third light reflecting surface section 433 that is configured from both left and right side surfaces of a section forward of the second light reflecting surface section 422.

[0025] When the inner lens 4 is viewed from the thickness direction, the pair of first light reflecting surface portions 421 are configured as cylindrical surfaces that are curved and concave toward the top and bottom of the inner lens 4. The curved shape of these cylindrical surfaces is designed so that light incident from the light incident portion 41 is totally reflected on the inner surface of the first light reflecting surface portions 421, that is, so that the light is incident at an angle equal to or greater than the critical angle. The curved shape of the first light reflecting surface portions 421 may be any other shape, such as a free-form surface, as long as it satisfies these light reflection conditions.

[0026] The second light reflecting surface 422, which is formed on both sides of the tapered portion, is configured as a reflecting surface that reflects light guided from the light incident portion 41 in the plate thickness direction, narrowing the light beam in the plate thickness direction. The third light reflecting surface 423, which is located in front of the second light reflecting surface 422, has an array of numerous minute concave steps 42s on its surface. The numerous concave steps 42s are configured as light diverging elements that diverge the guided light beam when reflected. In other words, the third light reflecting surface 423 totally reflects the guided light and homogenizes the light distribution in the plate thickness direction and the vertical direction. The light diverging elements 42s may be an array of numerous minute convex steps or may be lattice-like irregularities such as minute concave grooves or convex grooves, as long as they function to homogenize the light distribution. In order to increase the efficiency of total reflection at first light reflecting surface portion 421, second light reflecting surface portion 422, and third light reflecting surface portion 423, a light reflecting film may be formed on the surface of each of light reflecting surfaces 421, 422, and 423.

[0027] 4 to 6, the light exit portion 43 of the inner lens 4 is configured by the front end portion that is inserted through the vertical slit 21 of the extension 2. The front end surface 431 of the light exit portion 43 is inclined upward in accordance with the vertical cross-sectional shape of the outer lens 102, and although the surface is generally smooth, a light diffusion element 43s is formed at a predetermined position.

[0028] 8(a), the light emitting portion 43 is provided with light diffusion elements 43s on a front end surface 431 of the inner lens 4, which is inclined upward, and on an upper end surface 432 and a lower end surface 433 of the inner lens 4, which extend upward and downward from the front end surface 431, respectively. Furthermore, light diffusion elements 43s having a desired pattern are also formed on an inner surface 434, which is one of both side surfaces in the thickness direction of the inner lens and faces inward (toward the center) in the width direction of the automobile CAR. Here, the light diffusion elements 43s are arranged so as to form a pattern of three parallel lines that are bent and extended along the region from the upper edge of the inner lens 4 to the front edge or lower edge.

[0029] This light diffusion element 43s has the function of diffusing and transmitting light, and is configured, for example, by fine uneven steps formed by texturing the surface of the inner lens 4. Alternatively, it may be configured by other surface treatments, such as etching using a chemical solution, or by molding when molding the inner lens with resin. Furthermore, the individual sizes of the fine uneven steps that make up the light diffusion element 43s may be uniform or may vary. In this embodiment, each fine uneven step is configured to be of uniform size.

[0030] In the rear lamps RL (L-RL, R-RL) configured as described above, when the lamps are turned on, power is supplied to the light source modules 3, causing the LEDs 31 to emit light. When each rear lamp RL is turned on as a tail lamp and a stop lamp, the red LEDs 31 of the light source modules 3 corresponding to all or certain inner lenses 4 emit light. Light emitted from the light-emitting surfaces of the emitted red LEDs 31 is incident on the light incident portions 41 of the corresponding inner lenses 4.

[0031] 5 and 6 show schematic diagrams of the optical paths of some of the light. The light incident on the light incident portion 41 is converged in the thickness direction of the inner lens 4 by the focusing steps of the central light-transmitting surface portion 41c, the upper light-transmitting surface portion 41u, and the lower light-transmitting surface portion 41d to form a parallel or nearly parallel beam, which is then guided forward within the inner lens 4. That is, the light is guided to the light control portion 42 with a substantially uniform light distribution in the thickness direction of the inner lens 4. Meanwhile, in the vertical direction of the inner lens 4, the light incident on the light incident portion 41 remains divergent as it enters the inner lens 4 and is guided to the light control portion 42.

[0032] Of the light incident on the light incident portion 41, the light directed in the vertical direction of the inner lens 4 is internally reflected by the concave curved surface shapes of the first light reflecting surface portions 421 of the light control portion 42, and is then guided in a divergent state through the inner lens 4. This results in the light being distributed approximately uniformly across the entire area of ​​the inner lens 4 in the vertical direction, i.e., the plate width direction.

[0033] Furthermore, the light guided to the second light reflecting surface 422 of the light control section 42 is reflected toward the center in the thickness direction of the inner lens 4 by the tapered shape of the second light reflecting surface 422, thereby narrowing the light beam width in the thickness direction. At the same time, the reflected light is directed toward the third light reflecting surface 423, which has a thinner thickness. In the third light reflecting surface 423, the guided light is internally reflected by the light diverging element 42s and diverged in the thickness direction and in the vertical direction of the inner lens 4. As a result, the light guided through the light control section 42 is guided to the light emitting section 43 in a state where it is uniformly distributed throughout the entire area of ​​the inner lens 4 in the thickness direction and in the vertical direction.

[0034] Of the light guided to the light exit portion 43, the light guided to the front end surface 431, upper end surface 432, and lower end surface 433 of the inner lens 4 is diffused by the light diffusion elements 43s provided on each end surface and emitted from each end surface. Furthermore, the light guided to the vicinity of each end surface 431, 432, and 433 is diffused by the light diffusion elements 43s with a line pattern provided on the inner surface 434 of the inner lens 4 and emitted from the inner lens 4. At this time, the light diffused by the light diffusion elements 43s is directly emitted from the inner surface 434 on the side where the light diffusion elements 43a are formed. Furthermore, a portion of this diffused light passes through the inner lens 4 in the plate thickness direction and is also emitted from the outer surface 435 on the opposite side. In this way, the light diffused by each light diffusion element 43s of the inner lens 4 is emitted from both the inner surface 434 and the outer surface 435 of the inner lens.

[0035] Therefore, when the rear lamp RL is turned on as a tail lamp or stop lamp, the right rear lamp R-RL exhibits a light pattern as shown in FIG. 8(b) when viewed from the front or side of the lamp. That is, a thick red line-shaped light emission pattern formed by light diffusion at the front end surface 431, upper end surface 432, and lower end surface 433 of the multiple inner lenses 4 is observed, and a red light pattern consisting of three thin red lines is observed on both side surfaces 434, 435. Here, a light emission pattern consisting of a discrete arrangement of multiple thick and thin line-shaped light emission patterns formed by the multiple inner lenses 4 is observed through the outer lens 102, which is the lamp light-emitting surface of the rear lamp RL. Note that FIG. 8(a) is a schematic diagram as viewed from the right front of the automobile CAR; it goes without saying that the shapes of the light emission patterns will be different when viewed from the front or left front of the automobile CAR.

[0036] Thus, in the rear lamp of the embodiment, when the rear lamp RL is turned on, in addition to the light emission pattern produced by the light emitted from the end faces 431-433 of the inner lens 4, light is emitted in a light emission pattern produced by the light emitted from the side faces 434, 435 of the inner lens 4, and these light emission patterns can be observed from the front or side of the rear lamp RL. As a result, the light emission pattern when the lamp is turned on is not limited to the light emission pattern produced by the end faces of the inner lens as in Patent Document 1, and the area of ​​the light emission pattern is expanded, improving the visibility of the lamp and enhancing the design effect of the lamp. Furthermore, since there is no need to increase the thickness of the inner lens 4 to expand the area of ​​the light emission pattern, the size and weight of the inner lens are not increased, and the lamp can be made lighter and less expensive.

[0037] In this embodiment, among the plurality of light source modules 3, power is supplied to a light source module equipped with a white LED, and the white LED is made to emit light, thereby enabling the corresponding inner lens to emit light in a white light emission pattern, and the module can function as a backup lamp. Also, power is supplied to a light source module equipped with a yellow LED, and the yellow LED is made to emit light in a flashing state, enabling the corresponding inner lens to emit light in a flashing yellow light emission pattern, and the module can function as a turn signal lamp.

[0038] In the present invention, by varying the region and pattern shape of the light diffusion elements 43s in the light output portion 43, it is possible to appropriately set the light emission pattern when the lamp is turned on, thereby further enhancing the design effect. For example, in the modified example shown in FIG. 9( a), the light diffusion elements 43s similar to those in the above-described embodiment are formed on the front end surface 431 and the top end surface 432 of the light output portion 43 of the inner lens 4. On the other hand, the light diffusion elements 43s formed on the inner side surface 434 are patterned so that the arrangement surface density (area of ​​light diffusion elements per unit area) of the light diffusion elements 43s gradually decreases from the portion close to the front end surface 431 toward the rear. By doing so, when the rear lamp RL is turned on, as shown in FIG. 9( b), in each inner lens 4, in addition to the thick linear light emission pattern formed by the front end surface 431 and the top end surface 432, the lamp is turned on in a light emission pattern in which the brightness gradually decreases from the front end of the side surface 434 toward the rear, thereby achieving a design effect with a sense of depth.

[0039] In the present invention, by appropriately changing the arrangement of the multiple inner lenses 4 when the rear lamp RL is viewed from the front, the light emission pattern observed when the lamp is turned on can be changed, thereby achieving different design effects. Also, different design effects can be achieved by varying the thickness and width dimensions of each of the multiple inner lenses. Alternatively, the multiple inner lenses may be arranged so that the width direction is oriented horizontally.

[0040] In the present invention, an inner lens 4A may be configured in which a plurality of light entrance portions 41 are integrally connected, as shown in the schematic configuration in Fig. 10. For example, two inner lenses arranged vertically may have a common light entrance portion 41, which is branched from a light control portion 42 toward a light exit portion 43. In this case, one common light source module 3 is disposed for the common light entrance portion 41, and light from the light source module 3 is guided toward two light control portions 42 and light exit portions 43 branched from the light entrance portion 41.

[0041] In this way, by using a common configuration for the inner lens and the light source module, the number of inner lenses and light source modules can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the weight and cost of the lamp. In addition, by reducing the number of inner lenses and light source modules, the lamp assembly work can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[0042] Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, a configuration may be adopted in which one or fewer light source modules than the number of inner lenses are shared by multiple separate inner lenses. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which one light source module and multiple inner lenses are connected to each other by optical fibers, and light from the light source module is branched and incident on the multiple inner lenses.

[0043] In the embodiment, the outer lens is made of a colorless, transparent, translucent cover, but if the lamp according to the present invention is specified as a tail lamp or stop lamp, the outer lens may be made of a red translucent cover, and in that case, the light source may be made of an LED that emits white light.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to application to the rear lamps described in the embodiments, but can be applied to any lamp using a plate-shaped light guide plate. For example, it may be applied to clearance lamps, DRLs (daytime running lamps), etc. It may also be configured as a welcome lamp that turns on when a person approaches the vehicle. In any case, it can be configured as a lamp with a unique design effect that can be easily distinguished from others. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Lamp unit 2 Extensions 3 Light source module (light source) 4,4A Inner lens (plate-shaped light guide) 21 Vertical slit 31 LED (light source) 32 Light source board 33 Bracket 41 Light incidence part 41c, 41u, 41d Translucent surface part 42 Optical control section 42s Light diverging element 421 First light reflecting surface section 422 Second light reflecting surface section 423 Third light reflecting surface section 43 Light output section 43s light diffusion element 431 Front end surface 432 Upper end surface 433 Lower end surface 434 Inner surface 434 External surface 100 Lamp Housing 101 Lamp body 102 Translucent cover RL (L-RL, R-RL) rear lamp CAR

Claims

1. a light source; and a plate-shaped light guide disposed along the front-to-rear direction of the lamp for guiding and emitting light from the light source, wherein the plate-shaped light guide comprises a light incident section into which light from the light source is incident, a light control section that controls the light distribution of the guided light by internally reflecting the incident light, and a light exit section provided at a portion facing the front of the lamp for emitting light controlled by the light control section toward the front or side of the lamp, wherein the light exit section comprises light diffusion elements disposed at each of the end faces of the plate-shaped light guide and the side faces of the plate-shaped light guide in the plate thickness direction, which transmit or reflect the guided light in a diffused state and emit the light.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light diffusion element is provided on at least a front end surface of the plate-shaped light guide and one of both side surfaces of the plate-shaped light guide in the plate thickness direction, and the guided light is emitted from at least the front end surface and both side surfaces.

3. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the light diffusing element provided on the side surface of the plate-shaped light guide is formed in a required pattern shape and forms a light pattern corresponding to the pattern shape.

4. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light diffusing element is composed of a number of uneven steps of uniform or different sizes that transmit and reflect light in a diffused state.

5. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light diffusing element is formed of a number of uneven steps whose surface density is uniform or whose surface density varies depending on the position.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the light incident portion includes a light-transmitting surface portion that converges incident light in a thickness direction of the plate-shaped light guide to form a parallel beam of light.

7. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light control unit includes a first light reflecting surface portion that internally reflects the guided light in a divergent state in the plate width direction of the plate-shaped light guide, a second light reflecting surface portion that converges the guided light in the plate thickness direction of the plate-shaped light guide, and a third light reflecting surface portion that diverges the guided light in the plate width direction and plate thickness direction of the plate-shaped light guide.

8. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein a lamp unit is formed by the light source, the plate-shaped light guide, and an extension having a vertical slit for inserting and supporting the plate-shaped light guide in the fore-and-aft direction of the lamp, the light source, and the extension supporting the plate-shaped light guide, and the light emitting portion of the plate-shaped light guide is exposed on the front side of the extension.

9. 9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 8, wherein the lamp unit is housed in a lamp housing having a translucent cover on a front surface thereof, the light emitting portion of the plate-shaped light guide is disposed opposite the translucent cover, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion passes through the translucent cover and is emitted.

10. 10. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, configured as one of a rear lamp including a tail lamp, a stop lamp, a backup lamp and a turn signal lamp of an automobile, or a front lamp including a clearance lamp and a daytime running lamp.

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