Vehicular light emitting device

Abstract

To perform bright and uniform light emission display of an outer peripheral translucent part.SOLUTION: A housing 30 of a vehicular light emitting device 20 includes a bottom wall part 31 and an annular peripheral wall part 32 more on a front side (vehicular exterior side) than the bottom wall part 31, and also includes an opening 33 at an end part on a front 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 90 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 by visible light emitted from the outer peripheral light source 90 and transmitted through the outer peripheral translucent part 42. The outer peripheral translucent part 42 includes an outer peripheral translucent body part 43 formed of a transparent resin material and an outer peripheral decorative layer 50 formed on a front surface of the outer peripheral translucent body part 43. The outer peripheral decorative layer 50 includes a light diffusion layer containing a light diffusion material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

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. As one form of such emblems, light-emitting devices for vehicles, such as light-emitting emblems that have a light-emitting function, are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] 7 shows a part of a conventional vehicle light emitting device 100. The vehicle light emitting device 100, which is attached to a vehicle exterior accessory 114, includes a housing 101, a lens 105, and a peripheral light source 113.

[0004] The housing 101 includes a bottom wall portion 102 and an annular peripheral wall portion 103 that has a portion located forward (toward the vehicle exterior) of the bottom wall portion 102 and is connected to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 102. The housing 101 has an opening 104 at the front end of the peripheral wall portion 103.

[0005] Lens 105 that closes opening 104 is made of a resin material and includes a main lens portion 106 that is transparent to visible light, and a light-shielding portion 112 that blocks the transmission of visible light. The main body lens portion 106 has an outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 on its outer periphery. The outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 has an outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 108 and an outer peripheral decorative layer 111 formed on the front surface thereof. The light-shielding portion 112 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 107.

[0006] A protrusion 109 provided at the rear end of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 is joined to the front end of the peripheral wall portion 103, thereby forming a space S between the housing 101 and the lens 105. The outer peripheral light source 113 is disposed in the space S on the vehicle interior side of the joint between the protrusion 109 and the peripheral wall portion 103.

[0007] In the vehicle light emitting device 100 configured in this manner, a portion of the visible light emitted from the peripheral light source 113 is transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting portion 107, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 7. In contrast, the light-shielding portion 112 blocks the transmission of visible light. The visible light that has transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 causes the peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 to emit light toward the front of the vehicle. When the vehicle light emitting device 100 is viewed from the front of the vehicle, the peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 appears to be shining.

[0008] Furthermore, in the vehicle light emitting device 100 described in Patent Document 1, the entire body lens portion 106, including the outer peripheral translucent body portion 108, is formed from a milky white resin made by dispersing a light diffusing material in a transparent resin material. Therefore, visible light can be diffused uniformly within the outer peripheral translucent body portion 108. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-4826 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, the outer peripheral light-transmitting body portion 108 is thicker in the direction along the visible light path than other portions of the lens 105. One reason for this is that a protrusion 109 is required for joining to the peripheral wall portion 103. In addition, if the outer peripheral light-transmitting body portion 108 protrudes forward beyond the light-shielding portion 112, this is also a factor in the thick outer peripheral light-transmitting body portion 108. A light diffusing material is dispersed in such a thick outer peripheral light-transmitting body portion 108. Therefore, the amount of visible light transmitted through the outer peripheral light-transmitting body portion 108 is less than that of other portions of the body lens portion 106. The outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 107 is displayed as a dark, uniformly luminous light. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] Various aspects of a vehicle light emitting device for solving the above problems will be described below. [Aspect 1] A housing, a lens, and a peripheral light source are provided, wherein the housing comprises a bottom wall portion and a ring-shaped peripheral wall portion having a portion located on the vehicle exterior side of the bottom wall portion and connected to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion, and an opening is provided at the end of the peripheral wall portion on the vehicle exterior side, and the lens that closes the opening comprises a peripheral translucent portion that is transmissive to visible light on the outer periphery of the lens, and the end of the peripheral translucent portion on the vehicle interior side and the end of the peripheral wall portion on the vehicle exterior side are joined to form a space between the housing and the lens. the peripheral light source is located within the space and on the inner side of the joint between the peripheral light-transmitting portion and the peripheral wall portion, and the light-emitting device for a vehicle performs light-emitting display toward the exterior of the vehicle using visible light that is emitted from the peripheral light source and passes through the peripheral light-transmitting portion, wherein the peripheral light-transmitting portion comprises: a peripheral light-transmitting main body portion formed from a transparent resin material; and a peripheral decorative layer formed on the exterior surface of the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion, and the peripheral decorative layer includes a light-diffusing layer that contains a light-diffusing material.

[0012] The term "transparent" means transparent to visible light. According to the above configuration, a portion of the visible light emitted from the peripheral light source is irradiated onto the peripheral light-transmitting portion. The irradiated visible light is transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion and the peripheral decorative layer in that order. The light transmittance of the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion formed from a transparent resin material is higher than the light transmittance of the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion when a light diffusing material is dispersed therein. Therefore, more visible light is transmitted through the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion. Furthermore, the light diffusing layer in the peripheral decorative layer diffuses the visible light as it passes through the light diffusing layer. Therefore, the peripheral light-transmitting portion is displayed brightly and uniformly.

[0013] [Aspect 2] The vehicle light emitting device described in [Aspect 1], wherein the lens has a light-shielding portion on the inner side of the outer peripheral transparent portion that blocks the visible light from the outer peripheral light source from passing through. According to the above configuration, the light-shielding portion blocks light transmission and therefore does not emit light, whereas a portion of the lens including the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion emits light.

[0014] [Aspect 3] The lens is curved so as to bulge toward the exterior of the vehicle, and the lens has an intermediate translucent portion that is transparent to visible light and located more inward than the outer translucent portion, and the intermediate translucent portion has an intermediate translucent main body portion formed from a transparent resin material and an intermediate decorative layer formed on the exterior surface of the intermediate translucent main body portion, and the intermediate decorative layer has the light diffusion layer that contains the light diffusion material, and an intermediate light source is located within the space and on the interior side of the intermediate translucent portion.

[0015] According to the above configuration, part of the visible light emitted from the intermediate light source is irradiated onto the intermediate light-transmitting portion, and the irradiated visible light is transmitted through the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion and the intermediate decorative layer in this order. The lens is curved so as to bulge outward from the vehicle. Therefore, if the peripheral light source and the intermediate light source are located at the same position in the vehicle interior / exterior direction, the distance between the intermediate light source and the intermediate light-transmitting portion will be greater than the distance between the peripheral light source and the peripheral light-transmitting portion. Therefore, the amount of visible light emitted from the intermediate light source that passes through the intermediate light-transmitting main body will be reduced.

[0016] However, the light transmittance of the intermediate light-transmitting body portion formed of a transparent resin material is higher than that of the intermediate light-transmitting body portion when a light diffusing material is dispersed therein. Therefore, more visible light passes through the intermediate light-transmitting body portion. Furthermore, an intermediate decorative layer including a light diffusing layer is formed on the exterior surface of the intermediate light-transmitting body portion. This light diffusing layer diffuses visible light as it passes through the light diffusing layer. Therefore, the intermediate light-transmitting body portion emits bright and uniform light.

[0017] [Aspect 4] The light emitting device for a vehicle according to any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 3], wherein the visible light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer is 5% or more and 20% or less. By setting the light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer to 20% or less, the phenomenon in which the interior of the vehicle light emitting device is visible from the outside of the vehicle through the peripheral decorative layer and the transparent peripheral light-transmitting main body is suitably suppressed. Also, by setting the light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer to 5% or more, the transmission of visible light through the peripheral decorative layer is ensured. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion can be made to emit light brightly and uniformly. [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 a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part B in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating how visible light emitted from the peripheral light source passes through the peripheral light-transmitting portion in the light emitting device for a vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating how visible light emitted from a peripheral light source passes through a peripheral light-transmitting portion in 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] 1 and 2, the front end of a vehicle 10 is made up of vehicle exterior accessories 11 such as a front grille and a front bumper. A window 12 is opened in the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle exterior accessory 11. This vehicle exterior accessory 11 is intended to be a target for mounting a vehicle light emitting device 20.

[0022] A retainer 13 is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle exterior part 11. The retainer 13 includes a bottom wall portion 14, an annular peripheral wall portion 15, and an annular flange portion 16. The bottom wall portion 14 is disposed at a fixed distance rearward from the window portion 12. The peripheral wall portion 15 is disposed forward of the bottom wall portion 14, and is connected at its rear end portion to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 14. The flange portion 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the front end portion of the peripheral wall portion 15, and is disposed on the outer periphery of the rear side of the window portion 12. The retainer 13 is fixed to the vehicle exterior part 11 at the flange portion 16 or the like by a fixing method such as screw fastening or claw fitting.

[0023] 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. In this way, the vehicle light emitting device 20 is attached to the vehicle exterior accessory 11 via the retainer 13.

[0024] 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."

[0025] 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."

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] The light emitting device for a vehicle 20 includes a housing 30, a lens 40, a peripheral light source 90, and an intermediate light source 91. Next, each of the components of the light emitting device for a vehicle 20 will be described. <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 rear end of the peripheral wall 32 is connected to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 31.

[0030] 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 housing 30 is colored white, which is a color that has high light reflection efficiency. In this embodiment, the housing 30 is resin-molded using a resin material (material-coated resin 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.

[0031] <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 85 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 that it bulges gently forward. Due to this curvature, the portion of lens 40 that is closer to central axis CL is positioned more forward.

[0032] 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."

[0033] The main body lens portion 41 is transparent to visible light (light transmissive), whereas the light blocking portion 85 blocks the transmission of visible 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 61 that is located more inward than the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42, and a connecting portion 81 that connects the rear end of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 to the rear end of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61. A portion of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 is connected to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42. In this embodiment, the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 is connected to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 at three locations.

[0034] The main body lens portion 41 is resin-molded from a transparent resin material. Note that "transparent" means being transparent to visible light. "Transparent" includes colorless transparency as well as colored transparency (colored transparency). The light transmittance of the main body lens portion 41 of this embodiment is higher than the light transmittance of the main body lens portion 106 of a conventional vehicle light-emitting device, which is colored milky white by dispersing particles of a light diffusing material.

[0035] The intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 and the connecting portion 81 have a substantially constant thickness regardless of the location. As shown in FIG. 3 , the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 includes an outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 and an outer peripheral decorative layer 50. 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. A large portion of the thick portion 44 protrudes forward beyond the connecting portion 81. The radial and longitudinal dimensions of the thick portion 44 are set larger than the thicknesses of the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 and the connecting portion 81, respectively. 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 of the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43. The longitudinal dimension of the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 is larger by the amount of the outer peripheral protrusion 45 than when the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 is formed only by the thick portion 44.

[0036] The outer peripheral decorative layer 50 is a layer for decorating the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43. The outer peripheral decorative layer 50 is formed on many surfaces of the portion of the outer peripheral translucent main body portion 43 that protrudes forward from the connecting portion 81. These many surfaces include the front surface and inner peripheral surface of the thick portion 44.

[0037] 3 and 4, the peripheral decorative layer 50 is made of, for example, a film laminate 51. The film laminate 51 is made of a laminate film in which multiple films are laminated together with adhesive. The film laminate 51 includes, from the front side to the rear side, a transparent film substrate 52, an adhesive layer 53, a bright film 54, an adhesive layer 53, a light-diffusing film 57, and another adhesive layer 53.

[0038] The transparent film substrate 52 is made of a transparent resin material. The transparent film substrate 52 is intended for the glossy film 54 and the light diffusion film 57, and has the functions of preventing scratches on these films and improving their light resistance and weather resistance. The transparent film substrate 52 also has the function of increasing the rigidity of the film laminate 51 while thinning the glossy film 54 and the light diffusion film 57, including the glossy layer 56.

[0039] The bright film 54 includes a first film substrate 55 made of a transparent resin material and a bright layer 56 formed on the rear surface of the first film substrate 55. The bright layer 56 is formed by, for example, sputtering, vapor deposition, plating, or the like.

[0040] The light diffusion film 57 includes a second film substrate 58 made of a transparent resin material and a light diffusion layer 59 formed on the rear surface of the second film substrate 58. The light diffusion layer 59 has a well-known configuration including a matrix resin and a light diffusion material that diffuses visible light. The light diffusion layer 59 is formed on the rear surface of the second film substrate 58 by, for example, printing. The light diffusion film 57 is bonded to the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 via an adhesive layer 53.

[0041] The light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer 50 configured as described above is set to be equal to or greater than 5% and equal to or less than 20%. 3 and 5, the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 includes an intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 and an intermediate decorative layer 70. Most of the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 protrudes forward beyond the connecting portion 81. The intermediate decorative layer 70 is a layer for decorating the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62. The intermediate decorative layer 70 is formed on a portion of the surface of the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 that protrudes forward beyond the connecting portion 81.

[0042] The intermediate decorative layer 70 has the same layer structure as the peripheral decorative layer 50. That is, the intermediate decorative layer 70 is made of a film laminate 71. The film laminate 71 is made of a laminate film in which multiple films are laminated together with adhesive. The film laminate 71 is connected to the film laminate 51. The film laminate 71 includes, from the front side to the rear side, a transparent film substrate 72, an adhesive layer 73, a bright film 74, an adhesive layer 73, a light-diffusing film 77, and an adhesive layer 73, in that order.

[0043] The transparent film substrate 72 and the adhesive layer 73 have the same configuration as the transparent film substrate 52 and the adhesive layer 53. The bright film 74 has the same configuration as the bright film 54. That is, the bright film 74 includes a first film substrate 75 and a bright layer 76. The light diffusion film 77 has the same configuration as the light diffusion film 57. That is, the light diffusion film 77 includes a second film substrate 78 and a light diffusion layer 79. The light diffusion film 77 is bonded to the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 via the adhesive layer 73.

[0044] The light transmittance of the intermediate decorative layer 70 configured as above is set to be 5% or more and 20% or less, similar to the light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer 50. The main body lens portion 41 having the peripheral decorative layer 50 and the intermediate decorative layer 70 is formed, for example, by insert molding. That is, the film laminates 51, 71 are used as inserts. The film laminates 51, 71 are placed in a molding die (not shown), and molten resin is injected into a cavity (not shown) of the molding die. The peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43, the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62, and the connecting portion 81 are resin-molded. At this time, the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 is integrally formed in a state where it is joined to the film laminate 51. Furthermore, the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 is integrally formed in a state where it is joined to the film laminate 71. Therefore, the main body lens portion 41 is manufactured more easily than by a method in which multiple films are sequentially attached to each of the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 and the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62. Furthermore, as described above, during insert molding, the transparent film substrates 52, 72 also have the function of increasing the rigidity of the film laminates 51, 71, thereby preventing the film laminates 51, 71 from deforming due to the flow pressure of the molten resin.

[0045] 2 and 3, the light-shielding portion 85 is attached to the connecting portion 81 from the front side with double-sided tape 86. The light-shielding portion 85 is formed by using an adhesive resin material and resin molding the material. 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. Neither the peripheral decorative layer 50 nor the intermediate decorative layer 70 described above is formed on the front surface of the light-shielding portion 85.

[0046] 1 , the light-shielding portion 85 corresponds to the background region 23 of the design surface 21 of the vehicle light emitting device 20. The outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 (outer peripheral decorative layer 50) and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 (intermediate decorative layer 70) correspond to the display region 22 of the design surface 21. The intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 corresponds to the character portion, and the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 corresponds to the annular portion around the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61.

[0047] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, when the light-shielding portion 85 is attached to the connecting portion 81, the front surfaces of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 are located forward of the front surface of the light-shielding portion 85.

[0048] The outer peripheral protrusion 45 is joined to the front end of the peripheral wall portion 32 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. Furthermore, a welding rib that protrudes forward is formed around the entire circumference of the front end of the peripheral wall portion 32. The outer peripheral protrusion 45 and the peripheral wall portion 32 are welded to each other 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 front end of the peripheral wall portion 32 at the outer peripheral protrusion 45. Furthermore, a space S is formed between the housing 30 and the lens 40.

[0049] <Peripheral light source 90 and intermediate light source 91> A circuit board 92 is disposed in a location of the housing 30 adjacent to the front side of the bottom wall portion 31, with its front surface 92a facing the lens 40. The front surface 92a is perpendicular to the central axis CL. The peripheral light sources 90 and intermediate light sources 91 are mounted at multiple locations on the front surface 92a. Circuits (not shown) required for controlling each peripheral light source 90 and each intermediate light source 91 are mounted on the circuit board 92. Each peripheral light source 90 and each intermediate light source 91 emits visible light forward.

[0050] The peripheral light sources 90 are disposed at a plurality of locations in the space S that are 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, in this embodiment, behind the light-shielding portion 85 and the connecting portion 81. In contrast, the intermediate light sources 91 are disposed at locations behind the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61.

[0051] Each of the peripheral light sources 90 and each of the intermediate light sources 91 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 90 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 mainly from each intermediate light source 91 and transmitted through the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 causes the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 to emit light toward the front of the vehicle 10.

[0052] <Operation of this embodiment> When light is emitted from each peripheral light source 90, a portion of the light is irradiated onto the peripheral translucent portion 42, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 6 . The irradiated light sequentially passes through the peripheral translucent main body portion 43 and the peripheral decorative layer 50. The light transmittance of the peripheral translucent main body portion 43, which is formed from a transparent resin material, is higher than that of a peripheral translucent main body portion 43 containing a light diffusing material. Therefore, more light passes through the peripheral translucent main body portion 43. The peripheral decorative layer 50 also decorates the peripheral translucent main body portion 43. The light diffusing layer 59 in the peripheral decorative layer 50 diffuses the light as it passes through the light diffusing layer 59. The diffused light then passes through the lustrous layer 56. Therefore, the peripheral translucent portion 42 is displayed brightly and uniformly illuminated. When the vehicular light-emitting device 20 is viewed from the front, the peripheral translucent portion 42, which corresponds to the annular portion of the display area 22, appears to emit bright, uniform light with a metallic luster.

[0053] 2 and 3 , when light is emitted from the intermediate light source 91 arranged behind the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61, part of the light is irradiated from behind onto the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62. Furthermore, part of the light emitted by the peripheral light source 90 is irradiated onto the portion of the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 that is connected to the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43. The irradiated light is transmitted in this manner through the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 and the intermediate decorative layer 70 in order, causing the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 to emit light.

[0054] Here, the lens 40 is curved so as to bulge forward. Each peripheral light source 90 and each intermediate light source 91 is located on a front surface 92a of the substrate 92, which is perpendicular to the central axis CL. In other words, each peripheral light source 90 and each intermediate light source 91 is located at the same location in the front-to-rear direction. As a result, the distance between the intermediate light source 91 and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 (the rear surface of the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62) is greater than the distance between the peripheral light source 90 and the peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 (the rear surface of the peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43). As the distance increases, the amount of light emitted from the intermediate light source 91 that passes through the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion 62 decreases.

[0055] However, the intermediate translucent body 62 is formed of a transparent resin material. The light transmittance of the intermediate translucent body 62 is higher than that of a body 62 containing a light diffusing material. Therefore, more light passes through the intermediate translucent body 62. Consequently, the amount of light passing through the intermediate translucent portion 61 increases accordingly. Furthermore, an intermediate decorative layer 70 including a light diffusing layer 79 is formed on the front surface of the intermediate translucent body 62. The light diffusing layer 79 in the intermediate decorative layer 70 diffuses light as it passes through the light diffusing layer 79. The diffused light then passes through the lustrous layer 76. Therefore, the intermediate translucent portion 61 emits bright and uniform light. When the vehicular light-emitting device 20 is viewed from the front, the intermediate translucent portion 61 corresponding to the character portion of the display area 22 appears to emit uniform light with a metallic luster.

[0056] Furthermore, since the light transmittance of each of the peripheral decorative layer 50 and the intermediate decorative layer 70 is 20% or less, the phenomenon in which the interior of the vehicle light emitting device 20 is visible from the front of the vehicle 10 through the peripheral decorative layer 50 and the transparent peripheral translucent main body portion 43 is suitably suppressed. Furthermore, the phenomenon in which the interior of the vehicle light emitting device 20 is visible from the front of the vehicle 10 through the intermediate decorative layer 70 and the transparent intermediate translucent main body portion 62 is suitably suppressed.

[0057] Furthermore, since the light transmittance of each of the peripheral decorative layer 50 and the intermediate decorative layer 70 is set to 5% or more, light transmission through each of the peripheral decorative layer 50 and the intermediate decorative layer 70 is ensured.

[0058] In contrast, even if light emitted from the peripheral light source 90 and the intermediate light source 91 is irradiated onto the light-shielding portion 85, the light is blocked from passing through. Therefore, the light-shielding portion 85 does not emit light. When the vehicle light-emitting device 20 is viewed from the front, the light-shielding portion 85 does not appear to emit light.

[0059] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 of the lens 40 includes an outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43 made of a transparent resin material, and an outer peripheral decorative layer 50 formed on the front surface of the outer peripheral light-transmitting main body portion 43. The outer peripheral decorative layer 50 includes a light diffusion layer 59 containing a light diffusion material. Therefore, although the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 is thick, it can be made to emit light brightly and uniformly.

[0060] 1 and 3, the lens 40 has a light-blocking portion 85 that blocks light transmission at a location different from the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61. Therefore, unlike the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 of the lens 40, the light-blocking portion 85 does not emit light. In other words, of the design surface 21 of the vehicle light-emitting device 20, the background region 23 does not emit light, and only the display region 22 can be partially illuminated.

[0061] (3) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the lens 40 is curved so as to bulge forward. The optically transparent intermediate translucent portion 61 includes an intermediate translucent main body portion 62 made of a transparent resin material and an intermediate decorative layer 70 formed on the front surface thereof. The intermediate decorative layer 70 includes a light diffusion layer 79 containing a light diffusion material. The intermediate light source 91, which is arranged on the rear side of the intermediate translucent portion 61, is mounted together with the peripheral light source 90 on the front surface 92a of the substrate 92, which is perpendicular to the central axis CL. Each peripheral light source 90 and each intermediate light source 91 are located at the same position in the front-to-rear direction.

[0062] Therefore, although the distance between intermediate light source 91 and intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 is greater than the distance between peripheral light source 90 and peripheral light-transmitting portion 42, intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 can be displayed brightly and uniformly. (4) The light transmittance of each of the outer peripheral decorative layer 50 and the intermediate decorative layer 70 is set to be 5% or more and 20% or less. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the interior of the vehicle light emitting device 20 from being seen from the front of the vehicle 10 through the outer peripheral translucent portion 42 and through the intermediate translucent portion 61. Furthermore, it is possible to ensure light transmission through each of the outer peripheral decorative layer 50 and the intermediate decorative layer 70.

[0063] 2 and 3, the front surfaces of the outer peripheral light-transmitting body portion 43 and the intermediate light-transmitting body portion 62 are located forward of the front surface of the light-shielding portion 85. Therefore, from the front of the vehicle 10, the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the intermediate light-transmitting portion 61 appear to protrude forward of the light-shielding portion 85. This improves the appearance of the vehicle light emitting device 20.

[0064] <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.

[0065] (Matters related to Housing 30) The peripheral wall portion 32 and the outer peripheral protrusion 45 may be joined by a method other than welding, for example, by adhesive.

[0066] The joining of the peripheral wall portion 32 and the outer peripheral protrusion 45 may be performed intermittently in the circumferential direction of each of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 32. 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.

[0067] To color the housing 30 white, a white coating layer may be formed on the surface of the housing 30 facing the space S. The white coating layer may be formed, for example, by a coating in which white light-diffusing particles are dispersed. Also, a light-reflecting sheet may be attached to the surface of the housing 30 facing the space S.

[0068] A shiny layer that has a metallic luster and reflects visible light may be formed on the surface of the housing 30 facing the space S. For example, the shiny layer may be formed by vapor-depositing a material with high reflectivity, such as aluminum, on the surface of the housing 30 facing the space S.

[0069] The surface of the housing 30 facing the space S may be textured to improve the diffusion of reflected light. (Matters regarding Lens 40) The light-shielding portion 85 may have a light-shielding coating film formed on the front surface.

[0070] The light blocking portion 85 can be omitted as appropriate. In the film laminates 51, 71 shown in Figures 4 and 5, a colored decorative layer (not shown) may be provided on a portion of the front surface of the transparent film substrate 52, 72. The colored decorative layer constitutes the design of each of the outer peripheral translucent portion 42 and the intermediate translucent portion 61. The colored decorative layer is formed by, for example, screen printing. A transparent protective layer may be provided on the front surface of the colored decorative layer by printing or the like.

[0071] In this modified example, for example, light emitted from the peripheral light source 90 and the intermediate light source 91 passes through the portions of the transparent film substrates 52, 72 where no colored decorative layer is provided. Meanwhile, some or all of the light incident on the colored decorative layer is absorbed by the colored decorative layer. Therefore, in the designs of the peripheral translucent portion 42 and the intermediate translucent portion 61, the portions where no colored decorative layer is provided appear bright. Meanwhile, the portions where the colored decorative layer is provided appear darker than the portions where no colored decorative layer is provided. In this way, the manner of light emission display at the peripheral translucent portion 42 and the intermediate translucent portion 61 can be varied depending on the positions of the peripheral translucent portion 42 and the intermediate translucent portion 61, further improving the design of the vehicle light emitting device 20.

[0072] As described above, the light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer 50 is preferably 5% or more and 20% or less. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The light transmittance of the peripheral decorative layer 50 may be less than 5% or greater than 20%. The same applies to the light transmittance of the intermediate decorative layer 70, which may be less than 5% or greater than 20%.

[0073] The lens 40 does not necessarily have to be curved so as to bulge forward. The layer structure of the peripheral decorative layer 50 may be changed to a layer structure different from that of the above embodiment, provided that it includes a light diffusion layer 59 containing a light diffusion material.

[0074] The layer structure of the intermediate decorative layer 70 may be changed to a layer structure different from that of the above embodiment. (Matters related to PCB 92) The front surface 92a of the substrate 92 functions as part of the light reflecting surface. Therefore, the substrate 92 may be entirely colored white. Alternatively, the substrate 92 may have its front surface 92a painted white.

[0075] (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.

[0076] 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.

[0077] 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 location other than the vehicle exterior accessory 11 at the front of the vehicle 10. The location may be, for example, a vehicle exterior accessory such as a back door garnish at the rear of the vehicle 10, or a vehicle exterior accessory such as a side door garnish or pillar garnish at the side of the vehicle 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 20...Light emitting device for vehicle 30…Housing 31...Bottom wall 32...Peripheral wall part 33...Opening 40...lens 42...Peripheral transparent part 43...Outer transparent body part 50…Outer peripheral decorative layer 59...Light diffusion layer 61…Middle transparent part 62…Intermediate transparent main body part 70...Intermediate decorative layer 85...Light blocking part 90...Peripheral light source 91...Medium light source S…Space

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 within the space and on the 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, the outer circumferential light-transmitting portion includes an outer circumferential light-transmitting main body portion formed of a transparent resin material, and an outer circumferential decorative layer formed on the vehicle exterior surface of the outer circumferential light-transmitting main body portion, The outer peripheral decorative layer includes a light diffusing layer containing a light diffusing material.

2. The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the lens includes a light blocking portion that blocks the visible light from the peripheral light source from passing through the lens, the light blocking portion being disposed on an inner circumferential side of the peripheral light transmitting portion.

3. The lens is curved so as to bulge toward the outside of the vehicle, the lens includes an intermediate light-transmitting portion having the visible light transmittance, the intermediate light-transmitting portion being located on an inner circumferential side of the outer circumferential light-transmitting portion, the intermediate light-transmitting portion includes an intermediate light-transmitting main body portion formed of a transparent resin material, and an intermediate decorative layer formed on the vehicle exterior surface of the intermediate light-transmitting main body portion, the intermediate decorative layer includes the light diffusion layer containing the light diffusion material, The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein an intermediate light source is disposed within the space and on the vehicle interior side of the intermediate light transmitting portion.

4. The vehicle light emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the visible light transmittance of the outer peripheral decorative layer is 5% or more and 20% or less.

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