Vehicular light emitting device

Abstract

To provide a vehicular light emitting device capable of easily guiding visible light emitted from a light source to an outer peripheral translucent part.SOLUTION: A vehicular light emitting device 11 includes: a bottomed box-shaped housing 12 having a bottom wall 16 and a peripheral wall 17, whose one end side is opened; a cover member 14 having an outer peripheral part joined to the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12 so as to close the opening; a light-emitting element 20 disposed in the housing 12; and a lens 15 disposed at a position between the bottom wall 16 of the housing 12 and the cover member 14 and, closer to the cover member 14 side than the light-emitting element 20, which faces the light-emitting element 20. The cover member 14 includes an outer peripheral translucent part 25, through which visible light from the light-emitting element 20 is transmitted, in the outer peripheral part. The lens 15 includes at least one of a first refraction boundary surface 28 that refracts visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides the visible light to the outer peripheral translucent part 25 and a first reflection boundary surface 29 that reflects visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides the visible light to the outer peripheral translucent part 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A conventional light-emitting device for a vehicle is known, for example, from the display device shown in Patent Document 1. This display device includes a housing having a recess inside a peripheral wall surrounding an opening, a light source disposed on the outer periphery of the recess, and a lid whose end is joined to the top surface of the peripheral wall so as to close the opening of the housing.

[0003] A light-transmitting decorative surface is formed on the surface of the lid facing the housing. A light guide plate that guides light from the light source toward the center of the housing is located inside the housing closer to the lid than the light source. The light from the light source is reflected by the light guide plate, passes through the lid, and is emitted to the outside, causing the lid to emit light. [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] However, in the display device described above, the end of the lid is joined to the top surface of the peripheral wall of the housing, so the light source cannot be located behind the end of the lid, which makes it difficult to guide light from the light source to the end of the lid when it is desired to make the end of the lid emit light. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Various aspects of the vehicle light emitting device for solving the above problems will be described below. [Embodiment 1] A vehicle light emitting device comprising: a bottomed box-shaped housing having a bottom wall and peripheral walls and an opening at one end; a cover member whose outer periphery is joined to the peripheral wall of the housing so as to cover the opening; a light source disposed within the housing; and a lens disposed between the bottom wall of the housing and the cover member, closer to the cover member than the light source, and facing the light source, wherein the cover member has an outer periphery light-transmitting portion on the outer periphery through which visible light from the light source passes, and the lens has at least one of a first refractive boundary surface that refracts the visible light emitted from the light source and directs it to the outer periphery light-transmitting portion and a first reflective boundary surface that reflects the visible light emitted from the light source and directs it to the outer periphery light-transmitting portion.

[0007] Typically, when the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion located on the outer periphery of the cover member is made to emit light, a light source needs to be disposed behind the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion. However, when the cover member is joined to the peripheral wall of the housing at the outer periphery, the back side of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion becomes the joint with the housing, making it impossible to dispose a light source behind the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion. In this regard, with the above configuration, visible light emitted from the light source can be guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion by the lens without disposing a light source behind the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion. In other words, even in a configuration in which the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion located on the outer periphery of the cover member is joined to the peripheral wall of the housing, visible light emitted from the light source within the housing can be easily guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion.

[0008] [Aspect 2] The vehicle light emitting device described in [Aspect 1] is characterized in that the lens has a focusing portion that focuses the visible light emitted from the light source onto at least one of the first refractive boundary surface and the first reflective boundary surface.

[0009] According to the above configuration, visible light emitted from the light source can be efficiently guided to at least one of the first refractive boundary surface and the first reflective boundary surface. [Aspect 3] The vehicle light emitting device according to [Aspect 1] or [Aspect 2], wherein the lens is formed in a ring shape along the peripheral wall.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the lens can be configured as a single component, which contributes to reducing the number of components. [Aspect 4] A light emitting device for a vehicle described in any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 3], characterized in that the cover member has an inner translucent portion through which the visible light passes, located more inward than the outer circumferential portion, and the lens has at least one of a second refractive boundary surface that refracts the visible light emitted from the light source and guides it to the inner translucent portion, and a second reflective boundary surface that reflects the visible light emitted from the light source and guides it to the inner translucent portion.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the visible light emitted from the light source can be guided by the lens not only to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion but also to the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion. [Aspect 5] The vehicle light-emitting device described in [Aspect 4] is characterized in that a light-shielding portion that blocks the visible light is provided between the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion of the cover member, and the light source is positioned in a position that is hidden by the light-shielding portion when viewed from the front side of the cover member.

[0012] According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent visible light emitted from the light source from being directly and straightly irradiated onto the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion, thereby preventing appearance defects caused by only a portion of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion emitting strong light due to visible light emitted from the light source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The present invention has an advantage that visible light emitted from a light source can be easily guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle light emitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged simplified view of a main part of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An embodiment of a vehicle light emitting device will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be referred to as the front, and the backward direction will be referred to as the rear. <Light emitting device for vehicle 11> 1, the vehicle light emitting device 11 is configured, for example, as an illuminating emblem that is attached to a front grille disposed at the front end of a vehicle. The vehicle light emitting device 11 is, for example, disk-shaped. The vehicle light emitting device 11 includes a housing 12, a substrate 13, a cover member 14, and a lens 15.

[0016] <Housing 12> As shown in Figure 1, the housing 12 has a bottom wall 16 and a peripheral wall 17 and is shaped like a circular box with a bottom that is open at one end, i.e., the front end. The housing 12 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin. The peripheral wall 17 has an annular flange 18 that protrudes outward at the front end of its outer surface. A step surface 19 is formed between a front end surface 17a of the peripheral wall 17 and a front end surface 18a of the flange 18.

[0017] <Board 13> 1, the substrate 13 is an insulating glass epoxy substrate or the like on which a required circuit pattern is formed. The substrate 13 is circular and is disposed within the housing 12. The substrate 13 is fixed within the housing 12 with its rear surface facing the bottom wall 16 of the housing 12 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0018] A plurality of light-emitting elements 20 as an example of light sources and circuits (not shown) required for controlling each of the light-emitting elements 20 are mounted on the front surface 13a of the substrate 13. The light-emitting elements 20 are configured, for example, by LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that emit visible light. The plurality of light-emitting elements 20 are arranged at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction on the peripheral portion of the front surface 13a of the substrate 13.

[0019] <Cover member 14> As shown in Fig. 1, the cover member 14 is disk-shaped. The cover member 14 is made of, for example, a milky white synthetic resin that transmits visible light. The cover member 14 has an annular outer peripheral forward protrusion 21 that protrudes forward from the outer periphery of the front surface. The cover member 14 has an annular inner peripheral forward protrusion 22 that protrudes forward from a position on the front surface that is more inward than the outer peripheral forward protrusion 21.

[0020] A light-shielding cover 23 having light-shielding properties is attached to the front surface of the cover member 14 in the region between the outer peripheral forward protrusion 21 and the inner peripheral forward protrusion 22, and in the region inside the inner peripheral forward protrusion 22. The portion of the cover member 14 to which the light-shielding cover 23 is attached serves as a light-shielding portion 24 that blocks visible light.

[0021] The portion of the cover member 14 where the outer peripheral forward protruding portion 21 is located is an outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 that transmits visible light. The portion of the cover member 14 where the inner peripheral forward protruding portion 22 is located is an inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 that transmits visible light. The cover member 14 performs light-emitting display by transmitting visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 through the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26.

[0022] The cover member 14 has an annular outer peripheral rearward protruding portion 27 that protrudes rearward from the outer periphery of the rear surface, which is the back surface. A rear end surface 27a of the outer peripheral rearward protruding portion 27 of the cover member 14 is joined to the front end surface 18a of the flange portion 18 of the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12 by welding or the like. In this case, a part of the inner periphery of the outer peripheral rearward protruding portion 27 contacts the stepped surface 19 of the peripheral wall 17. Therefore, the cover member 14 is joined at its outer periphery to the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12 so as to close the opening of the housing 12. Note that the outer peripheral rearward protruding portion 27 of the cover member 14 that is joined to the housing 12 is located rearward of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25.

[0023] <Lens 15> 1 and 2, the lens 15 is fixed to the housing 12 or the cover member 14 in a state where it is located between the bottom wall 16 of the housing 12 and the cover member 14 and closer to the cover member 14 than the light emitting elements 20. The lens 15 is annular along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12 so as to face the plurality of light emitting elements 20 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0024] When viewed from the front side, which is the obverse side of the cover member 14, the lens 15 and the plurality of light-emitting elements 20 are arranged in a position where they are hidden by the light-shielding portion 24 in the region between the outer circumferential forward protrusion 21 and the inner circumferential forward protrusion 22. The lens 15 is made of, for example, a colorless and transparent synthetic resin. The lens 15 has a first refractive boundary surface 28, a first reflective boundary surface 29, a second refractive boundary surface 30, a second reflective boundary surface 31, and a light-collecting portion 32.

[0025] 2, the first refractive boundary surface 28 refracts the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 of the cover member 14. The first reflective boundary surface 29 reflects the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 of the cover member 14, as shown by the solid arrow in FIG.

[0026] 2, the second refractive boundary surface 30 refracts the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 of the cover member 14. The second reflective boundary surface 31 reflects the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 of the cover member 14, as shown by the two-dot chain arrow in FIG.

[0027] The light-collecting section 32 faces the light-emitting element 20 and is configured with a curved surface that curves so as to bulge toward the light-emitting element 20 in a cross-sectional view. The light-collecting section 32 collects visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 onto the first refractive boundary surface 28, the first reflective boundary surface 29, the second refractive boundary surface 30, and the second reflective boundary surface 31. Note that, for ease of understanding, hatching representing a cross section and part of the lens 15 are omitted in FIG. 2 .

[0028] <Operation of the embodiment> 1 and 2, when the vehicle light emitting device 11 is caused to emit light, first, visible light is emitted from each light emitting element 20 mounted on the substrate 13 inside the housing 12. Then, a portion of the visible light emitted from each light emitting element 20 hits the light condensing portion 32 of the lens 15. The visible light that hits the light condensing portion 32 of the lens 15 is refracted by the light condensing portion 32 and is condensed onto the first refractive boundary surface 28, the first reflective boundary surface 29, the second refractive boundary surface 30, and the second reflective boundary surface 31 of the lens 15.

[0029] At this time, the visible light that strikes the first refractive boundary surface 28 and the first reflective boundary surface 29 of the lens 15 is refracted and reflected, respectively, and is guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 of the cover member 14. The visible light that has been guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 of the cover member 14 passes through the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25, causing the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 to emit light.

[0030] On the other hand, visible light that strikes the second refractive boundary surface 30 and the second reflective boundary surface 31 of the lens 15 is refracted and reflected, respectively, and is guided to the inner circumferential light-transmitting portion 26 of the cover member 14. The visible light that has been guided to the inner circumferential light-transmitting portion 26 of the cover member 14 passes through the inner circumferential light-transmitting portion 26, causing the inner circumferential light-transmitting portion 26 to emit light.

[0031] In this way, even if the light-emitting element 20 is placed in a position facing the light-shielding portion 24 in the front-to-back direction without being placed in a position facing the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 in the front-to-back direction, the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 is guided by the lens 15 to each of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26.

[0032] In this case, the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 does not directly hit the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26, but indirectly illuminates them via the lens 15. This prevents appearance defects caused by only a portion of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 being strongly luminous due to the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20.

[0033] <Effects of the embodiment> According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved. (1) In the vehicle light-emitting device 11, the lens 15 has a first refractive boundary surface 28 that refracts visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the outer peripheral translucent portion 25, and a first reflective boundary surface 29 that reflects visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the outer peripheral translucent portion 25.

[0034] Normally, when the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 located on the outer periphery of the cover member 14 is made to emit light, it is necessary to arrange the light-emitting element 20 behind (on the back side of) the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25. However, when the cover member 14 is joined to the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12 at the outer periphery, the rear side of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 becomes the joint with the housing 12, and therefore the light-emitting element 20 cannot be arranged behind the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25. In this regard, with the above-described configuration, visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 can be guided to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 by the lens 15 even if the light-emitting element 20 is not arranged behind the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25. In other words, even in a configuration in which the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 located on the outer periphery of the cover member 14 is joined to the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12, it is possible to easily guide visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 in the housing 12 to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25.

[0035] (2) In the vehicle light emitting device 11, the lens 15 has a focusing portion 32 that focuses visible light emitted from the light emitting element 20 onto the first refractive boundary surface 28, the first reflective boundary surface 29, the second refractive boundary surface 30, and the second reflective boundary surface 31.

[0036] According to the above configuration, visible light emitted from the light emitting element 20 can be efficiently guided to the first refractive boundary surface 28, the first reflective boundary surface 29, the second refractive boundary surface 30, and the second reflective boundary surface 31.

[0037] (3) In the vehicle light emitting device 11 , the lens 15 is formed in an annular shape along the peripheral wall 17 of the housing 12 . According to the above configuration, the lens 15 can be configured as a single component, which contributes to reducing the number of components.

[0038] (4) In the vehicle light-emitting device 11, the lens 15 has a second refractive boundary surface 30 that refracts visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the inner peripheral translucent portion 26, and a second reflective boundary surface 31 that reflects visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 and guides it to the inner peripheral translucent portion 26.

[0039] According to the above configuration, the lens 15 can guide visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 not only to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 but also to the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26. This eliminates the need for a dedicated light-emitting element 20 solely for illuminating the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26, thereby reducing the number of light-emitting elements 20 used in the vehicle light-emitting device 11.

[0040] (5) In the light emitting device 11 for a vehicle, a light-shielding portion 24 that blocks visible light is provided between the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 of the cover member 14. The light emitting element 20 is disposed in a position that is hidden by the light-shielding portion 24 when viewed from the front side (front side) of the cover member 14.

[0041] According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20 from being directly and straightly irradiated onto the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of defects in appearance caused by only a portion of each of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 emitting strong light due to the visible light emitted from the light-emitting element 20. Incidentally, if an attempt is made to eliminate the occurrence of such defects in appearance without using the light-shielding portion 24, it would be necessary to increase the distance between the cover member 14 and the light-emitting element 20, which would result in a problem of the vehicle light-emitting device 11 becoming thicker and larger.

[0042] (6) In the vehicle light emitting device 11, the lens 15 guides visible light emitted from the light emitting element 20 to the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26. Therefore, even if the positions of the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion 25 and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion 26 are changed, this can be easily accommodated by simply adjusting the angles of the first refraction boundary surface 28, the first reflection boundary surface 29, the second refraction boundary surface 30, and the second reflection boundary surface 31. In other words, because the vehicle light emitting device 11 has the lens 15, the direction of visible light emitted from the light emitting element 20 can be freely controlled.

[0043] <Example of change> The above embodiment can be modified as follows: Furthermore, the above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0044] The light blocking portion 24 may be omitted. Instead of the light-shielding cover 23, the light-shielding portion 24 may be formed by using, for example, a coating or plating having light-shielding properties.

[0045] The light emitting element 20 does not necessarily have to be disposed in a position where it is hidden by the light blocking portion 24 when viewed from the front side (surface side) of the cover member 14. In the lens 15, at least one of the second refractive boundary surface 30 and the second reflective boundary surface 31 may be omitted.

[0046] In the lens 15, the light condensing portion 32 may be omitted. In the lens 15, either the first refractive boundary surface 28 or the first reflective boundary surface 29 may be omitted.

[0047] The light source is not limited to the light emitting element 20 such as an LED, but may be, for example, an incandescent lamp or a fluorescent lamp. The vehicle light emitting device 11 is not limited to a light emitting emblem provided at the front end of the vehicle, but may be a vehicle part provided at the top, side, or rear of the vehicle, for example.

[0048] The shape of the light emitting device 11 for a vehicle is not limited to a disk shape and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 11...Light emitting device for vehicle 12. Housing 13... Circuit board 13a...Front 14...Cover member 15...Lens 16...Bottom wall 17...Peripheral wall 17a...front end surface 18...Flange 18a...front end surface 19...Step surface 20...Light emitting element as an example of a light source 21…Outer periphery front protrusion 22...Inner periphery forward protrusion 23...Light-blocking cover 24...Light blocking section 25...Peripheral transparent part 26...Inner transparent section 27...Outer periphery rear protrusion 27a...Rear end surface 28...First refractive boundary surface 29…First reflective boundary surface 30...Second refractive boundary surface 31…Second reflective boundary surface 32...Light collecting part

Claims

1. a box-shaped housing having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall and an open end; a cover member having an outer periphery joined to the peripheral wall of the housing so as to close the opening; a light source disposed within the housing; a lens disposed between the bottom wall of the housing and the cover member, closer to the cover member than the light source, and facing the light source; Equipped with the cover member has an outer peripheral light-transmitting portion at the outer peripheral portion through which visible light from the light source passes, The lens has at least one of a first refractive boundary surface that refracts the visible light emitted from the light source and guides it to the outer peripheral translucent portion, and a first reflective boundary surface that reflects the visible light emitted from the light source and guides it to the outer peripheral translucent portion.

2. 2. The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the lens has a light collecting portion that collects the visible light emitted from the light source onto at least one of the first refractive boundary surface and the first reflective boundary surface.

3. 3. The light emitting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lens is formed in an annular shape along the peripheral wall.

4. the cover member has an inner peripheral light-transmitting portion through which the visible light passes, the inner peripheral portion being positioned more inward than the outer peripheral portion, 3. The vehicle light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the lens has at least one of a second refractive boundary surface that refracts the visible light emitted from the light source and guides it to the inner peripheral translucent portion, and a second reflective boundary surface that reflects the visible light emitted from the light source and guides it to the inner peripheral translucent portion.

5. a light-shielding portion that blocks the visible light is provided between the outer peripheral light-transmitting portion and the inner peripheral light-transmitting portion of the cover member, The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 4, wherein the light source is disposed at a position hidden by the light blocking portion when viewed from the front side of the cover member.

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