Vehicular light emitting device

Abstract

To perform bright light emission display of an outer peripheral translucent part.SOLUTION: A housing 30 includes a bottom wall part 31 and an annular peripheral wall part 32, and includes an opening 33 at an end part on a front side (vehicle exterior side) of the peripheral wall part 32. A lens 40 that closes the opening 33 is provided with an outer peripheral translucent part 42 having transmissivity of visible light in an outer peripheral part. A space S is formed between the housing 30 and the lens 40 by joining the rear end part of the outer peripheral translucent part 42 and the front end part of the peripheral wall part 32. An outer peripheral light source 60 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the joint part between the outer peripheral translucent part 42 and the peripheral wall part 32 in the space S. Light emission display is performed toward the front of a vehicle 10 by visible light emitted from the outer peripheral light source 60 and transmitted through the outer peripheral translucent part 42. An annular reflector 65 that guides the visible light emitted from the outer peripheral light source 60 to the outer peripheral translucent part 42 while reflecting the visible light together with the peripheral wall part 32 is disposed between the bottom wall part 31 and the outer peripheral translucent part 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light emitting device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Emblems that display marks, vehicle names, grades, etc. are generally attached to the front of vehicles such as automobiles. One form of such emblems is a known vehicle light-emitting device, such as a light-emitting emblem with a light-emitting function (see, for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 4 shows a portion of a conventional vehicle light-emitting device 80. The vehicle light-emitting device 80 includes a housing 81, a lens 86, and a peripheral light source 87. The housing 81 includes a bottom wall 82 and an annular peripheral wall 83 that has a portion located forward of the bottom wall 82 and is connected to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 82. The housing 81 includes an opening 84 at the front end of the peripheral wall 83. The lens 86 that closes the opening 84 includes a peripheral translucent portion 85 that is transmissive to visible light and is located on the outer periphery of the lens 86. The rear end of the peripheral translucent portion 85 is joined to the front end of the peripheral wall 83, forming a space S between the housing 81 and the lens 86. The peripheral light source 87 is disposed within the space S.

[0003] In the vehicle light emitting device 80 configured as described above, a portion of the visible light emitted from the peripheral light source 87 is transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting portion 85. This visible light provides a light-emitting display toward the front of the vehicle. When the vehicle light emitting device 80 is viewed from the front of the vehicle, the peripheral light-transmitting portion 85 appears to be glowing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-224414 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in the vehicle light emitting device 80 in which the rear end of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 85 and the front end of the peripheral wall portion 83 are joined, it is not possible to arrange the outer peripheral light source 87 behind the joint. Therefore, the outer peripheral light source 87 is arranged inside the space S relative to the joint. However, less visible light passes through the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 85 than when the outer peripheral light source 87 is arranged behind the joint, and therefore the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 85 becomes dark.

[0006] This problem is not limited to the above-mentioned light-emitting emblem, but can occur in any light-emitting device for a vehicle having a similar structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Various aspects of a vehicle light emitting device for solving the above problems will be described below. a lens that is disposed in the space between the housing and the lens, the lens having a peripheral light source disposed in a direction inward from the outer periphery of the lens and a bottom wall portion that is positioned on the outer side of the vehicle; a lens that is disposed in the space between the housing and the lens and a peripheral light source disposed in the space between the lens and the peripheral light source; and a light emitting element disposed in the space between the lens and the peripheral light source, the lens having a peripheral light source disposed in the space between the lens and the peripheral light source; and a light emitting element disposed in the space between the lens and the peripheral light source, the light emitting element being disposed in the space between the lens and the peripheral light source; and the light emitting element being ...

[0008] According to the above configuration, when visible light is emitted from the peripheral light source, much of the visible light is reflected by the reflector and the peripheral wall and guided to the peripheral light-transmitting portion. That is, much of the visible light emitted from the peripheral light source is collected by the reflector and the peripheral wall and then irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting portion. Therefore, more visible light passes through the peripheral light-transmitting portion than when a reflector is not provided. Although the peripheral light source is disposed in the space between the housing and the lens, closer to the inner periphery than the joint between the peripheral light-transmitting portion and the peripheral wall, much visible light passes through the peripheral light-transmitting portion. Therefore, the peripheral light-transmitting portion is displayed brighter than when a reflector is not provided.

[0009] [Aspect 2] The housing has a central axis that extends inward and outward from the vehicle and passes through the center of the bottom wall portion, and the peripheral wall portion and the reflector each have inclined portions that are inclined with respect to the central axis so that they move farther away from the central axis toward the outside of the vehicle, and the inclined portions of the peripheral wall portion and the inclined portions of the reflector face each other.This is a vehicle lighting device described in [Aspect 1].

[0010] According to the above configuration, visible light emitted from the peripheral light source, which is located in the space between the housing and the lens and is located on the inner side of the joint between the peripheral light-transmitting portion and the peripheral wall portion, is reflected by the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion and the inclined portion of the reflector. As this reflection is repeated, the visible light travels in the direction of the inclination of both inclined portions, i.e., in a direction away from the center axis as it moves toward the exterior of the vehicle, and is thereby guided to the peripheral light-transmitting portion.

[0011] [Aspect 3] A vehicle lighting device as described in [Aspect 2], wherein the angle at which the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion is inclined relative to the central axis is set to be the same as the angle at which the inclined portion of the reflector is inclined relative to the central axis.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion and the inclined portion of the reflector are parallel, and the distance between them is uniform. The distance between the inclined portions does not become narrower or wider as it approaches the exterior of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible for visible light emitted from the peripheral light source to be irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting portion without excess or deficiency after leaving the area sandwiched between the inclined portions. In other words, it is unlikely that visible light will be irradiated onto only a portion of the peripheral light-transmitting portion. In addition, it is possible to prevent visible light from being irradiated onto an area wider than the peripheral light-transmitting portion, i.e., to irradiate areas where irradiation is not required.

[0013] [Aspect 4] The vehicle light emitting device according to [Aspect 2] or [Aspect 3], wherein at least one of the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion and the inclined portion of the reflector is colored white. According to the above configuration, white absorbs visible light less easily than other colors and has a high reflection efficiency for visible light. Therefore, when visible light emitted from the peripheral light source is irradiated onto one of the two inclined portions that is colored white, it is reflected more efficiently than when it is colored another color. A larger portion of the visible light emitted from the peripheral light source is reflected by both inclined portions and guided in a concentrated state to the peripheral light-transmitting portion.

[0014] [Aspect 5] A vehicle light-emitting device as described in [Aspect 2] or [Aspect 3], wherein a lustrous layer having a metallic luster and reflecting the visible light is formed on at least one of the inner surface of the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion and the outer surface of the inclined portion of the reflector.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the shiny layer with metallic luster is less likely to absorb visible light and has a high reflection efficiency of visible light. Therefore, when visible light emitted from the peripheral light source is irradiated onto the shiny layer, it is reflected with high efficiency. Most of the visible light emitted from the peripheral light source is reflected by both inclined portions and guided in a concentrated state to the peripheral light-transmitting portion.

[0016] [Aspect 6] A vehicle light emitting device according to any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 5], wherein the end of the outer peripheral translucent portion on the vehicle interior side and the end of the peripheral wall portion on the vehicle exterior side are joined around the entire circumference of each of the outer peripheral translucent portion and the peripheral wall portion.

[0017] According to the above configuration, there is no gap between the inner end of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion and the outer end of the peripheral wall portion along the entire periphery, and therefore visible light is less likely to leak out of the space between the two ends while being reflected between the peripheral wall portion and the reflector and being guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion can be made to emit bright light for display. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a vehicle light emitting device and a vehicle exterior accessory in one embodiment, as viewed from the front of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional light emitting device for a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a light emitting device for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle 10 is referred to as the front, and the backward direction is referred to as the rear. Furthermore, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction of the vehicle 10, and the left-right direction refers to the width direction of the vehicle and coincides with the left-right direction when the vehicle 10 is moving forward.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the front end of a vehicle 10 is composed of vehicle exterior parts 11, such as a front grille and a front bumper. A window part 12 is opened in the center of the vehicle exterior part 11 in the left-right direction. A retainer 13 is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle exterior part 11. The retainer 13 includes a bottom wall part 14, an annular peripheral wall part 15, and an annular flange part 16. The bottom wall part 14 is arranged at a certain distance rearward from the window part 12. The peripheral wall part 15 is arranged forward of the bottom wall part 14, and its rear end part is connected to the peripheral edge part of the bottom wall part 14. The flange part 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the front end part of the peripheral wall part 15, and is arranged on the outer periphery of the rear side of the window part 12. The retainer 13 is fixed to the vehicle exterior part 11 at the flange part 16 or the like by a fixing method such as screw fastening or claw fitting.

[0022] The vehicle light emitting device 20 is attached to the vehicle exterior accessory 11 and the retainer 13 in an upright position facing forward. More specifically, most of the vehicle light emitting device 20, excluding its front end, is inserted from the front of the vehicle exterior accessory 11 through the window 12 into the space surrounded by the retainer 13. The vehicle light emitting device 20 is fixed to the retainer 13 with its front end protruding forward from the window 12.

[0023] The vehicle light emitting device 20 is intended to decorate the vehicle 10, particularly the vehicle exterior accessory 11 and its surrounding areas. The decoration also includes decoration using visible light. That is, the vehicle light emitting device 20 emits light toward the front of the vehicle 10 through the window 12. This light emitting display also serves to decorate the vehicle 10. The vehicle light emitting device 20 of this embodiment corresponds to what is called a light emitting emblem. In the following description, "visible light" may be simply referred to as "light."

[0024] In addition, in order to explain the positional relationship of each part of the vehicle light emitting device, the present invention uses the terms "outside of the vehicle," "inside of the vehicle," and "interior and exterior directions." In the vehicle light emitting device 20 of this embodiment, the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" each correspond to the "interior and exterior directions." Furthermore, for each of the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction," the side approaching the center of the vehicle 10 in that direction corresponds to the "interior side of the vehicle," and the side moving away from the center corresponds to the "outside side of the vehicle."

[0025] Since the vehicle light emitting device 20 is disposed at the front end of the vehicle 10 in a position facing forward, the terms "outside of the vehicle" and "inside of the vehicle" in this embodiment refer to the "outside of the vehicle" and "inside of the vehicle" in the front-to-rear direction. In particular, in this embodiment in which the vehicle light emitting device 20 emits light to display forward, the "front side" corresponds to the "outside of the vehicle" in the front-to-rear direction. The "rear side" corresponds to the "inside of the vehicle" in the front-to-rear direction.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the design surface 21 of the vehicle light emitting device 20 is provided with a display area 22 that displays a mark facing forward, and a background area 23 that is the area other than the display area 22. The "mark" includes characters (logotypes) designed to indicate the manufacturer name, vehicle name, grade name, etc. of the vehicle 10, and figures (symbol marks) that symbolize the manufacturer of the vehicle 10. The "mark" also includes logo marks that are a combination of the above characters and figures. In this embodiment, the display area 22 is composed of the letter "A" and a ring-shaped portion surrounding it.

[0027] 1 and 2, the light emitting device for a vehicle 20 includes a housing 30, a lens 40, a peripheral light source 60, and an intermediate light source 61. Next, each component of the light emitting device for a vehicle 20 will be described.

[0028] <Housing 30> 2 and 3, the housing 30 includes a bottom wall 31 and a peripheral wall 32. The housing 30 extends in the front-to-rear direction and has a central axis CL that passes through the center of the bottom wall 31. The bottom wall 31 constitutes the rearmost portion of the housing 30. The bottom wall 31 is flat and perpendicular to the central axis CL. The bottom wall 31 is adjacent to the front of the bottom wall 14 of the retainer 13.

[0029] The peripheral wall 32 has a portion located forward of the bottom wall 31. In this embodiment, substantially the entire peripheral wall 32 is located forward of the bottom wall 31. The housing 30 has an opening 33 at the front end of the peripheral wall 32. The peripheral wall 32 has a cylindrical portion 34 at its front end that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is parallel to the central axis CL.

[0030] The peripheral wall 32 has an inclined portion 35 on the rear side of the cylindrical portion 34. The inclined portion 35 is inclined with respect to the central axis CL so that it becomes farther from the central axis CL toward the front. The rear end of the inclined portion 35 forms the rear end of the peripheral wall 32 and is connected to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 31.

[0031] In the housing 30, the bottom wall portion 31 and the peripheral wall portion 32 are integrally formed, but they may also be formed from separate members. The entire housing 30, including the inclined portion 35, is colored white, which is a color that has high light reflection efficiency. In this embodiment, the housing 30 is molded from a resin material (a resin-coated material) that is colored white by dispersing a white light diffusing material therein. As the light diffusing material, for example, a metal oxide such as titanium oxide or zinc oxide can be used.

[0032] <Lens 40> 1 and 2, lens 40 includes a main lens portion 41 that forms the framework of lens 40, and a light-shielding portion 55 that is made of a separate member from main lens portion 41 and is attached to main lens portion 41. Lens 40 has an oval shape that is close to an ellipse, and is curved so as to bulge forward.

[0033] In order to explain the positional relationship of each part of the vehicle light emitting device 20, the radial direction centered on the central axis CL may be referred to as the "radial direction," and the direction along the outer peripheral edge of the lens 40 centered on the central axis CL may be referred to as the "circumferential direction." Furthermore, in the radial direction, the side approaching the central axis CL may be referred to as the "inner peripheral side," and the side away from the central axis CL may be referred to as the "outer peripheral side."

[0034] The main body lens portion 41 is transparent to visible light (light transmissive), whereas the light blocking portion 55 blocks the transmission of light. The main body lens portion 41 includes an outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 that forms the outer peripheral portion of the main body lens portion 41, an intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 that is located more inward than the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42, and a connecting portion 53 that connects the rear end of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 to the rear end of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48. A portion of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 is connected to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. In this embodiment, the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 is connected to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 at three locations. The main body lens portion 41 is resin-molded using a resin material (adhesive resin material) that is colored milky white by dispersing particles of a light diffusing material therein.

[0035] The intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 and the connecting portion 53 have a substantially constant thickness regardless of the location. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 includes an outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 and an outer peripheral decorative layer 47. The outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 includes an annular thick portion 44 and an outer peripheral protrusion 45. The thick portion 44 forms the framework of the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43. Most of the thick portion 44 protrudes forward beyond the connecting portion 53. Both the radial dimension and the front-to-rear dimension of the thick portion 44 are set larger than the thicknesses of the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 51 and the connecting portion 53 of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48. The outer peripheral protrusion 45 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the outer periphery of the thick portion 44 and forms the rear end portion of the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43.

[0036] The outer peripheral decorative layer 47 is a layer for decorating the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43. The outer peripheral decorative layer 47 is formed on many surfaces of the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43 that protrude forward from the connecting portion 53. These many surfaces include the front surface and inner peripheral surface of the thick portion 44. The outer peripheral decorative layer 47 is composed of, for example, a shiny decorative layer that has a metallic luster (shiny appearance). The shiny decorative layer is formed by, for example, sputtering, vapor deposition, plating, etc.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate translucent portion 48 includes an intermediate translucent main body portion 51 and an intermediate decorative layer 52. Most of the intermediate translucent main body portion 51 protrudes forward beyond the connecting portion 53. The intermediate decorative layer 52 is a layer for decorating the intermediate translucent main body portion 51. The intermediate decorative layer 52 is formed on the portion of the surface of the intermediate translucent main body portion 51 that protrudes forward beyond the connecting portion 53. Similar to the peripheral decorative layer 47, the intermediate decorative layer 52 is composed of a shiny decorative layer having a metallic luster (shiny appearance).

[0038] The light-shielding portion 55 is attached to the connecting portion 53 from the front side with double-sided tape 56. The light-shielding portion 55 is made of an adhesive resin material and is formed by resin molding. As the adhesive resin material, for example, a resin material mixed with a pigment of the same color as or a similar color to the surrounding components of the vehicle light-emitting device 20 in the vehicle 10 can be used.

[0039] 1, the light-shielding portion 55 corresponds to the background region 23 of the design surface 21 of the vehicle light emitting device 20. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 (peripheral decorative layer 47) and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 (intermediate decorative layer 52) correspond to the display region 22 of the design surface 21. The intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 corresponds to the character portion, and the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 corresponds to the annular portion around the character portion.

[0040] 2 and 3, the outer peripheral protrusion 45 is joined to the cylindrical portion 34 by welding. That is, although not shown, a welding rib that protrudes rearward is formed on the outer peripheral protrusion 45 around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. Also, a welding rib that protrudes forward is formed on the cylindrical portion 34 around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall portion 32. The outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the cylindrical portion 34 are joined together at both welding ribs, thereby joining the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32 around their entire circumferences. As described above, the opening 33 of the housing 30 is closed by the lens 40 joined to the cylindrical portion 34 at the outer peripheral protrusion 45. Also, a space S is formed between the housing 30 and the lens 40.

[0041] <Peripheral Light Source 60 and Intermediate Light Source 61> In the space S, a substrate 62 is disposed adjacent to the front side of the bottom wall portion 31, with its front surface 62a facing the lens 40. The front surface 62a is perpendicular to the central axis CL. The peripheral light sources 60 and intermediate light sources 61 are each mounted at multiple locations on the front surface 62a. Circuits (not shown) required for controlling each peripheral light source 60 and each intermediate light source 61 are mounted on the substrate 62. Each peripheral light source 60 and each intermediate light source 61 emits visible light forward.

[0042] The peripheral light sources 60 are arranged at a plurality of locations in the space S, spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction, on the inner side of the joint between the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32, that is, in this embodiment, behind the light-shielding portion 55. In contrast, the intermediate light sources 61 are arranged at locations behind the intermediate light-transmitting portions 48.

[0043] Each of the peripheral light sources 60 and each of the intermediate light sources 61 is configured by a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED). In the vehicle light emitting device 20, the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 and transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 causes the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 to emit light toward the front of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the light emitted from each intermediate light source 61 and transmitted through the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 causes the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 to emit light toward the front of the vehicle 10.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an annular reflector 65 is disposed between the bottom wall portion 31 and the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion . <Reflector 65> The reflector 65 is provided to guide the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 while reflecting the light together with the peripheral wall portion 32. A part of the reflector 65 (an inclined portion 67 described later) is disposed facing the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32.

[0045] The reflector 65 includes a base 66 and an inclined portion 67. The base 66 extends in a direction perpendicular to or nearly perpendicular to the central axis CL. The base 66 is located radially inward of the peripheral light source 60. In this embodiment, the reflector 65 is fastened at the base 66 together with the substrate 62 to the bottom wall 31 of the housing 30. Note that the substrate 62 may be attached to the housing 30 and the reflector 65 to the substrate 62 separately, at different locations.

[0046] The inclined portion 67 is inclined with respect to the central axis CL so as to become farther away from the central axis CL as it approaches the front. The front end of the inclined portion 67 is located rearward of the light-shielding portion 55 and close to the connecting portion 53 in the front-rear direction. The front end of the inclined portion 67 is located radially outward of the peripheral light source 60. The rear end of the inclined portion 67 is located rearward of the front end of the inclined portion 67 in the front-rear direction. The rear end of the inclined portion 67 is radially inward of the peripheral light source 60.

[0047] Here, the angle that the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 makes with respect to the central axis CL is defined as angle α1, and the angle that the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65 makes with respect to the central axis CL is defined as angle α2. In this embodiment, the angles α1 and α2 are set to be the same.

[0048] The reflector 65 configured as described above and including the inclined portion 67 is colored white, which is a color that has high light reflection efficiency. In this embodiment, similar to the housing 30, the reflector 65 is resin-molded using a resin material (material-coated resin material) that is colored white by dispersing a white light diffusing material therein.

[0049] In addition, in the circumferential direction of the inclined portion 67, a notch portion (not shown) is formed in the portion of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 that corresponds to the location where the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 is connected. The notch portion is provided so that a portion of the light emitted from the outer peripheral light source 60 can also reach the portion of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 that is connected to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42.

[0050] <Operation of this embodiment> When light is emitted from each peripheral light source 60, much of that light is reflected by the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 and the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3 . This repeated reflection causes the light to travel in the direction of the inclination of the inclined portions 35, 67, i.e., in a direction that moves further away from the central axis CL as it approaches the front, and is thereby guided to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. In other words, the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 is diffused by repeated reflection between the inclined portions 35, 67, and is efficiently guided to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. Because the front end of the inclined portion 67 is close to the connecting portion 53, the light is less likely to be guided toward the light-shielding portion 55.

[0051] Therefore, most of the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 is collected by both inclined portions 35, 67 and irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43. Therefore, more light is irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 than in a case where the reflector 65 is not provided. Although each peripheral light source 60 is disposed in the space S on the inner side of the joint between the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32, much light is irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43.

[0052] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , both inclined portions 35, 67 are inclined at the same angles α1, α2 with respect to the central axis CL, so that both inclined portions 35, 67 are parallel and the distance between them is uniform. The distance between both inclined portions 35, 67 does not narrow or widen toward the front. Therefore, after light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 leaves the area sandwiched between both inclined portions 35, 67, it is irradiated to the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43 without excess or deficiency. In other words, the phenomenon of light being irradiated only to a portion of the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43 is unlikely to occur. Furthermore, the light is prevented from being irradiated to an area wider than the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43, i.e., the light is prevented from being irradiated to areas that do not need to be irradiated. This reduction in light irradiation allows more light to be irradiated to the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43.

[0053] Furthermore, white absorbs light less easily than other colors, resulting in a high light reflection efficiency. White reflects light more easily in a diffused state than other colors. Therefore, when light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 is irradiated onto the white-colored inclined portions 35, 67, it is reflected more efficiently than when the light is colored another color. A larger portion of the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 is reflected by the inclined portions 35, 67 and guided to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 in a concentrated state.

[0054] 3, there is no gap between the outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the cylindrical portion 34 along the entire circumference. Therefore, the light emitted from each outer peripheral light source 60 is less likely to leak out of the space S through the gap between the outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the cylindrical portion 34 while being reflected between the inclined portions 35, 67 and guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. As a result, more light is irradiated onto the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43.

[0055] As the light thus emitted passes through the outer peripheral translucent body portion 43, it is uniformly diffused by the light diffusing material contained in the outer peripheral translucent body portion 43. The diffused light that passes through the outer peripheral translucent body portion 43 passes through the outer peripheral decorative layer 47, which is a shiny decorative layer with a metallic luster. The outer peripheral translucent portion 42 emits light with high brightness and uniformity.

[0056] 2, when light is emitted from the intermediate light source 61, the light is directly irradiated onto the intermediate light-transmitting body portion 51 from behind without being reflected by the reflector 65 or the like. The irradiated light passes through the intermediate light-transmitting body portion 51. The intermediate light source 61 is located behind the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48. For this reason, the amount of light directly irradiated onto the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 from the intermediate light source 61 is greater than the amount of light directly irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting body portion 43 from the peripheral light source 60 when the reflector 65 is not provided.

[0057] Furthermore, a portion of the light emitted from the peripheral light source 60 is irradiated via the cutout portion onto the portion of the intermediate translucent body portion 51 that is connected to the peripheral translucent body portion 43. This increases the amount of light irradiated onto the intermediate translucent body portion 51. As the light passes through the intermediate translucent body portion 51, it is diffused by the light diffusing material contained in the intermediate translucent body portion 51. The diffused light that passes through the intermediate translucent body portion 51 passes through the intermediate decorative layer 52, which is a shiny decorative layer with a metallic luster. The intermediate translucent portion 48 emits light with high brightness and uniformity.

[0058] Therefore, when the vehicle light emitting device 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 appears to emit light with a metallic luster due to the light that has passed through the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. Furthermore, the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48 appears to emit light with a metallic luster due to the light that has passed through the intermediate light-transmitting portion 48.

[0059] In other words, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, light from each peripheral light source 60 passes through the peripheral translucent portion 42, and light from each peripheral light source 60 and each intermediate light source 61 passes through the intermediate translucent portion 48, causing the display area 22 to be illuminated and displayed toward the front of the vehicle 10.

[0060] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) As shown in Fig. 3, an annular reflector 65 is disposed between the bottom wall portion 31 and the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. The reflector 65 reflects light emitted from each outer peripheral light source 60 together with the outer peripheral wall portion 32 and guides the light to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. This allows the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 to emit light more brightly than if the reflector 65 were not provided.

[0061] (2) As shown in Figure 2, the peripheral wall portion 32 and the reflector 65 each have inclined portions 35, 67 that are inclined with respect to the central axis CL so that the forward direction is farther from the central axis CL. The inclined portions 35, 67 face each other in the radial direction. Therefore, most of the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 located on the inner peripheral side of the joint portion can be reflected by the inclined portions 35, 67 and directed to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42.

[0062] (3) Since light can be collected by both inclined portions 35, 67 and irradiated onto the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42, in addition to the effect of (2) above, there is also an effect that the degree of freedom in the position of the outer peripheral light source 60 in the radial direction and the front-rear direction is increased.

[0063] (4) The angle α1 at which the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 is inclined relative to the central axis CL and the angle α2 at which the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65 is inclined relative to the central axis CL are set to be the same. Therefore, after the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 leaves the area sandwiched between the inclined portions 35 and 67, it can be irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 without excess or deficiency.

[0064] (5) The inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 and the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65 are both colored white. Therefore, more of the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 can be reflected and collected by the inclined portions 35 and 67 and directed to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42.

[0065] (6) As shown in FIG. 3 , the outer peripheral protrusion 45 of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the cylindrical portion 34 of the peripheral wall portion 32 are joined along the entire circumference of each of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32. This prevents light from each peripheral light source 60 from leaking out of the space S from between the outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the cylindrical portion 34 while being reflected between the inclined portions 35, 67 and being guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. This allows more light to be irradiated onto the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43.

[0066] <Example of change> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0067] (Matters related to the housing 30 and reflector 65) The peripheral wall portion 32 may have a portion located forward of the bottom wall portion 31. Therefore, the peripheral wall portion 32 may have a portion located rearward of the bottom wall portion 31 in addition to a portion located forward of the bottom wall portion 31.

[0068] The outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the cylindrical portion 34 may be joined by a method other than welding, for example, by adhesive bonding. The outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the cylindrical portion 34 may be joined intermittently in the circumferential direction of each of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32 .

[0069] The reflector 65 may be made of a metal material instead of a resin material. The reflector 65 may be configured with only the inclined portion 67 .

[0070] Only one of the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 and the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65 may be colored white. When the peripheral wall portion 32 is colored white, the portion to be colored is at least the inclined portion 35, and other portions may or may not be colored white.

[0071] Furthermore, when the reflector 65 is colored white, the portion to be colored is at least the inclined portion 67, and other portions may or may not be colored white. In order to color the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 white, a white coating layer may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the inclined portion 35. In addition, in order to color the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65 white, a white coating layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inclined portion 67.

[0072] The white coating layer may be formed, for example, by a coating in which particles of a white light diffusing material are dispersed. A reflective sheet that reflects light may be attached to at least one of the inner circumferential surface of the inclined portion 35 and the outer circumferential surface of the inclined portion 67 .

[0073] A shiny layer that has metallic luster and reflects visible light may be formed on either or both of the inner peripheral surface of at least the inclined portion 35 of the peripheral wall portion 32 and the outer peripheral surface of at least the inclined portion 67 of the reflector 65. For example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 3, a shiny layer 68 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inclined portion 67.

[0074] The bright layer may be formed by depositing a material with high light reflectivity, such as aluminum, onto at least one of the inner circumferential surface of the inclined portion 35 and the outer circumferential surface of the inclined portion 67, for example.

[0075] In this modification, the metallic luster of the luminous layer does not easily absorb visible light and has a high light reflection efficiency. Therefore, when light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 is irradiated onto the luminous layer, it is reflected with high efficiency. A larger amount of the light emitted from each peripheral light source 60 can be reflected and collected by both inclined portions 35, 67 and directed to the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42.

[0076] At least one of the inner circumferential surface of the inclined portion 35 and the outer circumferential surface of the inclined portion 67 may be textured to improve light diffusion. 2, the angle α1 of the inclined portion 35 and the angle α2 of the inclined portion 67 may be different, provided that the inclined portions 35 and 67 face each other and are inclined with respect to the central axis CL so as to become farther from the central axis CL toward the front. In other words, the inclined portions 35 and 67 do not have to be parallel to each other.

[0077] The angle α1 formed by the inclined portion 35 with respect to the central axis CL may be set to an angle different from that in the above embodiment. For example, the angle α1 may be a value close to 0. Even in this case, each peripheral light source 60 is disposed in the space S on the inner side of the joint between the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32. Therefore, by providing the reflector 65, the same action and effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0078] The notch in the reflector 65 may be omitted as appropriate. The shape of the reflector 65 may be changed as appropriate to match the shape of the peripheral wall portion 32. (Matters regarding Lens 40) At least one of the outer peripheral decorative layer 47 and the intermediate decorative layer 52 may be configured with a colored decorative layer instead of a shiny decorative layer.

[0079] The light-shielding portion 55 may have a light-shielding coating film formed on the front surface. (Matters related to board 62) The front surface 62a of the substrate 62 functions as part of the light reflecting surface. Therefore, the substrate 62 may be colored entirely white. Alternatively, the substrate 62 may have the front surface 62a painted white.

[0080] (Other matters) The vehicle light emitting device 20 may be attached to a vehicle exterior accessory 11 to which the retainer 13 is not attached.

[0081] In FIG. 1, the shape of the mark displayed by the display area 22 of the light emitting device 20 for a vehicle is not limited to that exemplified in the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate to suit the specifications of the vehicle 10.

[0082] The outer shape of the lens 40 is not limited to the oval shape exemplified in the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate to suit the specifications of the vehicle 10. The vehicle light emitting device 20 may be attached to a vehicle exterior accessory 11 at a location other than the front of the vehicle 10. The location may be, for example, a back door garnish at the rear of the vehicle 10, a side door garnish at the side of the vehicle 10, a pillar garnish, or other vehicle exterior accessory. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10...Vehicle 20...Light emitting device for vehicle 30…Housing 31...Bottom wall 32...Peripheral wall part 33...Opening 35,67…slope part 40...lens 42…Outer transparent area 60...Peripheral light source 65...Reflector 68…Luminous layer CL…Center axis line S…Space α1,α2…Angle

Claims

1. a housing, a lens, and a peripheral light source; the housing includes a bottom wall portion and an annular peripheral wall portion having a portion located on the vehicle exterior side relative to the bottom wall portion and connected to a peripheral edge portion of the bottom wall portion, and the peripheral wall portion has an opening at an end portion on the vehicle exterior side, the lens that closes the opening includes a peripheral light-transmitting portion that is transparent to visible light at the outer periphery of the lens, a space is formed between the housing and the lens by joining an end portion of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion on the vehicle interior side and an end portion of the peripheral wall portion on the vehicle exterior side, the peripheral light source is disposed in the space on an inner peripheral side of a joint portion between the peripheral light transmitting portion and the peripheral wall portion, a light-emitting device for a vehicle that performs light-emitting display toward an exterior side of the vehicle by using visible light that is emitted from the peripheral light source and transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting portion, A light emitting device for a vehicle has an annular reflector disposed between the bottom wall portion and the outer peripheral translucent portion, which reflects the visible light emitted from the outer peripheral light source together with the outer wall portion and guides it to the outer peripheral translucent portion.

2. the housing has a central axis that extends in an inward / outward direction of the vehicle and passes through a center of the bottom wall portion, the peripheral wall portion and the reflector each have an inclined portion inclined with respect to the central axis so as to become farther from the central axis toward the vehicle exterior, The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the inclined portion of the peripheral wall and the inclined portion of the reflector face each other.

3. 3. The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein an angle at which the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion is inclined relative to the central axis is set to be the same as an angle at which the inclined portion of the reflector is inclined relative to the central axis.

4. The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion and the inclined portion of the reflector is colored white.

5. 3. The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein a lustrous layer having a metallic luster and reflecting the visible light is formed on at least one of an inner peripheral surface of the inclined portion of the peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral surface of the inclined portion of the reflector.

6. The vehicle light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the end of the outer peripheral translucent portion on the vehicle interior side and the end of the peripheral wall portion on the vehicle exterior side are joined around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral translucent portion and the peripheral wall portion, respectively.

Images