Optical unit for vehicle and component for vehicle

Abstract

To make it possible to evenly illuminate a light guide rod without applying a blast treatment to a surface.SOLUTION: An optical unit 10 for vehicle emitting visible light L forward includes: a light guide rod 4 guiding the visible light L inside in a longitudinal direction; and a light diffusion reflector 5 located at the back of the light guide rod 4 and diffusing and reflecting the visible light L made incident from the front. A plurality of groove parts 4c which reflect a part of the light guide rod 4 guided inside backward are provided for a front surface 4a. The groove parts 4c extend in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and a front-to-back direction respectively and are disposed so that they are parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical unit for a vehicle and a vehicle component. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle lamp having a light guide portion. The vehicle lamp disclosed in Patent Document 1 also includes a lamp unit that emits light. The light guide portion guides the light and also emits it to the outside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-155362 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A light guide rod, such as the light guide disclosed in Patent Document 1, has grooves that reflect a portion of the light incident from its end and emit it to the outside. When the light guide rod emits light in the forward direction, multiple grooves are formed on the rear surface of the light guide rod. Each groove is linearly formed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light guide rod. Furthermore, the grooves are arranged parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the light guide rod. Light incident on the end of such a light guide rod is guided along the longitudinal direction of the light guide rod, enters a groove at a midpoint of the light guide rod, and is reflected forward. However, in such a light guide rod, the grooves that reflect the light appear as bright lines from the outside. This results in the light guide rod appearing as an array of locally bright areas, resulting in striped unevenness. While blasting the surface of the light guide rod could be considered to reduce this unevenness, this would significantly reduce the intensity of the light emitted from the light guide rod, making it unsuitable for use in vehicles.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle optical unit and vehicle parts that can make a light guide rod shine uniformly without applying a blasting treatment to the surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention employs the following configuration as a means for solving the above problems.

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is an optical unit for a vehicle that emits visible light forward, comprising a light guiding rod that guides the visible light longitudinally inside, and a light diffusing reflector located behind the light guiding rod that diffuses and reflects the visible light incident from the front, wherein the light guiding rod has a plurality of grooves on its front surface that reflect a portion of the visible light guided inside toward the rear, and the grooves each extend in an orthogonal direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the fore-and-aft direction, and are arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be parallel to each other.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention adopts a configuration in which, in the first aspect, the light guide rod and the light diffusion reflector are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front, and the dimension of the light diffusion reflector in the perpendicular direction is larger than the dimension of the light guide rod in the perpendicular direction.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention adopts a configuration in which, in the first aspect, the light guide rod and the light diffusion reflector are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front, and the dimension of the light diffusion reflector in the perpendicular direction is smaller than the dimension of the light guide rod in the perpendicular direction.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a vehicle part comprising a vehicle optical unit according to any one of the first to third aspects, and a light source device that directs visible light into one end of the light guide rod. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, visible light guided inside the light guide rod is reflected backward by grooves formed on the front surface of the light guide rod. The visible light reflected backward by the grooves is diffused and reflected by a light diffusing reflector located behind the light guide rod. The light diffused and reflected by the light diffusing reflector travels forward and is emitted forward, for example, via the light guide rod. In this way, according to the present invention, the light diffused and reflected by the light diffusing reflector is emitted forward via the light guide rod. Therefore, compared to when visible light reflected by the grooves of the light guide rod is emitted directly forward, the grooves are prevented from appearing bright. As a result, according to the present invention, the light guide rod can be viewed with more uniform brightness without having to perform a blasting treatment on the surface of the light guide rod. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with a cover lens omitted. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams including an LED unit, a light guide rod, and a light diffusing and reflecting plate, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of (a). [Figure 4] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams of a vehicle optical unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view seen from the front, and (b) is a BB cross-sectional view of (a). [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of a vehicle optical unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view seen from the front, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in (a). [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vehicle optical unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of a vehicle optical unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view seen from the front, and (b) is a DD cross-sectional view of (a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a vehicle optical unit and a vehicle component according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp unit 1 (vehicle component) of this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment with the cover lens omitted.

[0015] The vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment is an electrical unit mounted on a vehicle, and is installed, for example, at the front of the vehicle. The vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment is configured to be able to emit visible light L (see FIG. 3) to the outside. In the following description, the direction in which the vehicle lamp unit 1 emits visible light L will be referred to as the front of the vehicle lamp unit 1, and the direction opposite to the front will be referred to as the rear. However, the installation orientation of the vehicle lamp unit 1 is not limited. In other words, it is also possible to install the vehicle lamp unit 1 so that the front of the vehicle lamp unit 1 faces the rear of the vehicle, or so that the front of the vehicle lamp unit 1 faces the side of the vehicle.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment includes a base 2, an LED unit 3 (light source device), a light guide rod 4, and a light diffusion reflector 5. The vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment also includes a cover lens 6 provided with a transparent window 6a, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0017] The base part 2 is located at the rearmost part of the vehicle lamp unit 1 and is a member that supports the LED unit 3, the light guide rod 4, the light diffusion reflector 5, and the cover lens 6. The base part 2 is formed in a plate shape overall, with its front and back surfaces facing in the front-to-rear direction.

[0018] The base portion 2 has a plate-shaped main body portion 2a that supports the LED unit 3, the light guide rod 4, the light diffusion reflector 5, and the cover lens 6, and an attachment portion 2b that protrudes from the main body portion 2a. The attachment portion 2b is a portion that is fastened to an external structure such as a vehicle body using a fastener such as a bolt. By fastening the attachment portion 2b of the base portion 2 to the vehicle body, the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment is fixed to the vehicle body.

[0019] The base 2 is made of, for example, resin. The main body 2a of the base 2 is provided with protrusions for fixing the LED unit 3, the light guide rod 4, the light diffusion reflector 5, and the cover lens 6. However, for example, in FIG. 2, such protrusions are omitted.

[0020] The LED unit 3 emits light that is incident on the light guide rod 4. The vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a plurality of light guide rods 4. In this embodiment, one LED unit 3 is provided for each of the plurality of light guide rods 4, and specifically, three LED units 3 are provided as shown in FIG. 2 . However, the number of LED units 3 is not limited. For example, one LED unit 3 may be provided for each light guide rod 4.

[0021] Each LED unit 3 includes a light-emitting element that emits light, a substrate on which the light-emitting element is mounted, and the like. For example, a plurality of light-emitting elements are provided. The LED units 3 are connected to the ends of the light guide rods 4, and visible light is incident on the inside of the connected light guide rods 4. Each LED unit 3 is connected to wiring (not shown) that is drawn out to the outside of the base part 2 through a through-hole (not shown) provided in the base part 2. The through-hole through which the wiring passes is sealed as necessary. The LED units 3 are supplied with power and controlled via wiring (not shown).

[0022] The light guiding rod 4 is an optical element that guides visible light inside and guides the visible light in the longitudinal direction of the light guiding rod 4. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a plurality of light guiding rods 4 are provided for the vehicle lamp unit 1, and each is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. The number of light guiding rods 4 can be changed. For example, there may be only one light guiding rod 4.

[0023] Each of these light guiding rods 4 is formed, for example, from acrylic resin into a rod shape with a circular cross section. The light guiding rods 4 of this embodiment are formed in a straight line as shown in FIG. 2 . However, each of the light guiding rods 4 may be bent or curved at an intermediate portion. Furthermore, the shape of one light guiding rod 4 may be different from the other light guiding rods 4. In this embodiment, one end of each of these light guiding rods 4 is connected to the LED unit 3, and the other end is fixed to the base portion 2.

[0024] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams including an LED unit 3, a light guide rod 4, and a light diffusing reflector 5, with (a) being a plan view and (b) being a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a). The light guide rod 4 is formed so as to extend linearly in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. The direction in which the light guide rod 4 extends is referred to as the longitudinal direction.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the light guiding rod 4 has a surface facing forward (front surface 4a) and a surface facing backward (rear surface 4b). In this embodiment, the light guiding rod 4 has a circular cross section. Therefore, the front surface 4a and the rear surface 4b of the light guiding rod 4 are curved so as to form curved surfaces along a circle.

[0026] A plurality of grooves 4c are formed on the front surface 4a of the light guide rod 4. Each groove 4c is formed to extend linearly in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the longitudinal direction (the orthogonal direction). In other words, each groove 4c is formed linearly parallel to the orthogonal direction. Furthermore, these grooves 4c are arranged with a density that gradually changes in the longitudinal direction. For example, the grooves 4c are arranged in the longitudinal direction within a pitch range of several mm, with the density increasing from a position closer to the LED unit 3 to a position farther away.

[0027] Each groove 4c is formed to form an inclined surface 4c1 along which visible light L incident from one longitudinal end of the light guiding rod 4 is reflected backward. Visible light L incident from one end of the light guiding rod 4 into the interior of the light guiding rod 4 travels along the longitudinal direction while repeatedly undergoing total reflection on the circumferential surface of the light guiding rod 4. Components of this visible light L incident on the inclined surface 4c1 of each groove 4c are reflected backward. Therefore, visible light L traveling longitudinally inside the light guiding rod 4 travels toward the other end of the light guiding rod 4 with some components gradually reflected backward by each groove 4c. Furthermore, some components of visible light L are reflected backward by each groove 4c. In this way, the light guiding rod 4 has multiple grooves 4c on the front surface 4a that reflect some of the visible light L guided inside backward.

[0028] The light diffusing reflector 5 is a member that diffuses and reflects visible light L incident from the front, and is located behind the light guiding rod 4. In other words, the light diffusing reflector 5 diffuses and reflects the visible light L emitted backward from the light guiding rod 4, directing it forward. The light diffusing reflector 5 is fixed to the base portion 2.

[0029] In this embodiment, the light diffusing reflectors 5 are formed on a flat plate and are provided for each light guide rod 4. That is, in this embodiment, the same number of light diffusing reflectors 5 as the number of light guiding rods 4 are provided. When viewed from the front, each light diffusing reflector 5 is formed to have a length dimension that is approximately the same as the longitudinal dimension of the light guiding rod 4.

[0030] The light guide rod 4 and the light diffusing reflector 5 are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the light guide rod 4 and the light diffusing reflector 5 are formed so that the dimensions of the light guide rod 4 and the light diffusing reflector 5 are the same in the orthogonal direction (the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the longitudinal direction) described above.

[0031] The light diffusing reflector 5 is formed, for example, from a foam material. The term "foam material" refers to a material that has been hardened with air bubbles dispersed within. In other words, the term "foam material" includes materials made of synthetic resin and ceramic. However, it is more preferable to use a synthetic resin foam material, which is easy to process and manufacture. For example, synthetic resin foam materials include polyester foaming agents, polyethylene foaming agents, polystyrene foaming agents, polypropylene foaming agents, polyurethane foaming agents, and polycarbonate foaming agents. The light diffusing reflector 5 thus formed has a surface that is, for example, a white scattering surface. Therefore, the inner wall surface of the light diffusing reflector 5 can be used as a surface for diffusing and reflecting visible light.

[0032] The above-described light guiding rod 4 and light diffusing and reflecting plate 5 constitute a vehicle optical unit 10 that emits visible light L forward. That is, the vehicle optical unit 10 guides visible light L incident from the outside (LED unit 3) and emits it forward.

[0033] The cover lens 6 is fixed to the base part 2 so as to cover the LED unit 3, the light guide rod 4, and the light diffusion reflector 5 from the front. The cover lens 6 is formed so that its edges are fixed to the base part 2 and its center part forms a space between it and the base part 2. The LED unit 3, the light guide rod 4, and the light diffusion reflector 5 are housed in the space between the center of the cover lens 6 and the base part 2.

[0034] Such a cover lens 6 is formed of a transparent synthetic resin such as transparent PC (polycarbonate) or PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate resin). The front surface of the cover lens 6 is the outer wall surface of the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment. A colored decorative layer is provided on the front surface of the cover lens 6, except for the area of ​​the transparent window 6a. A hard coat layer is provided on the frontmost surface of the cover lens 6 as needed. This hard coat layer is a transparent coating layer that prevents the surface of the cover lens 6 from being scratched.

[0035] In the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment, when visible light L is incident from the LED unit 3 on one end of the light guide rod 4, the visible light L is guided longitudinally by each light guide rod 4. The visible light L guided longitudinally inside the light guide rod 4 is reflected by the inclined surface 4c1 of each groove portion 4c of the light guide rod 4 and travels rearward. The visible light L emitted rearward from the rear surface of the light guide rod 4 is diffused and reflected by the light diffusion reflector 5 located behind each light guide rod 4.

[0036] The visible light L diffused and reflected by the light diffusing reflector 5 passes through the light guiding rod 4 and is emitted forward from the front surface 4a of the light guiding rod 4. Furthermore, the visible light L emitted forward from the front surface 4a of the light guiding rod 4 passes through the cover lens 6 and is emitted forward from the vehicle lamp unit 1.

[0037] The vehicle optical unit 10 of this embodiment as described above emits visible light L forward. The vehicle optical unit 10 of this embodiment also includes a light guiding rod 4 and a light diffusing reflector 5. The light guiding rod 4 guides the visible light L longitudinally inside. The light diffusing reflector 5 is located behind the light guiding rod 4 and diffuses and reflects the visible light L incident from the front. The light guiding rod 4 also has a plurality of grooves 4c on its front surface 4a that reflect a portion of the visible light L guided inside toward the rear. The grooves 4c each extend in the longitudinal direction and in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, and are arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be parallel to each other.

[0038] According to the vehicle optical unit 10 of this embodiment, visible light L guided through the light guiding rod 4 is reflected backward by the grooves 4c formed on the front surface 4a of the light guiding rod 4. The visible light L reflected backward by the grooves 4c is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing reflector 5 located behind the light guiding rod 4. The light diffused and reflected by the light diffusing reflector 5 travels forward and is emitted forward, for example, via the light guiding rod 4. In this manner, in the vehicle optical unit 10 of this embodiment, the light diffused and reflected by the light diffusing reflector 5 is emitted forward via the light guiding rod 4. Therefore, compared to when visible light L reflected by the grooves 4c of the light guiding rod 4 is emitted directly forward, the grooves 4c are prevented from appearing bright. As a result, according to the vehicle optical unit 10 of this embodiment, the light guiding rod 4 can be viewed with more uniform brightness without having to perform a blasting treatment on the surface of the light guiding rod 4.

[0039] Furthermore, in the vehicle optical unit 10 of this embodiment, the light diffusing reflector 5 is a flat plate with a flat reflective surface. This allows the light diffusing reflector 5 to have a simple shape. This makes it easy to form and install the light diffusing reflector 5.

[0040] Furthermore, the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment includes the above-described vehicle optical unit 10 and an LED unit 3 that emits visible light L to one end of the light guiding rod 4. Because the vehicle lamp unit 1 of this embodiment includes the vehicle optical unit 10, it is possible to make the light guiding rod 4 visible with more uniform brightness without having to perform a blasting process on the surface of the light guiding rod 4.

[0041] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 4. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0042] 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of the vehicle optical unit 10A of this embodiment, where (a) is a front view as seen from the front, and (b) is a BB cross-sectional view of (a). As shown in this figure, in the vehicle optical unit 10A of this embodiment, the light guiding rod 4 and the light diffusing and reflecting plate 5 are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front.

[0043] Furthermore, the dimension of the light diffusing reflector 5 in the orthogonal direction is larger than the dimension of the light guiding rod 4 in the orthogonal direction. Therefore, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), parts of the light diffusing reflector 5 protrude above and below the light guiding rod 4 when viewed from the front.

[0044] According to the vehicle optical unit 10A of this embodiment, the visible light L emitted rearward from the light guiding rod 4 is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing reflector 5, so that parts of the light diffusing reflector 5 protruding above and below the light guiding rod 4 appear bright from the outside. Therefore, for example, the shape of the light diffusing reflector 5 can change the appearance impression of the vehicle optical unit 10A and the vehicle lamp unit 1.

[0045] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0046] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams of the vehicle optical unit 10B of this embodiment, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in (a). As shown in this figure, in the vehicle optical unit 10B of this embodiment, the light guiding rod 4 and the light diffusing and reflecting plate 5 are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front.

[0047] Furthermore, the dimension of the light diffusing reflector 5 in the orthogonal direction is smaller than the dimension of the light guiding rod 4 in the orthogonal direction. Therefore, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), when viewed from the front, the light diffusing reflector 5 is hidden by the light guiding rod 4 and cannot be seen from the outside.

[0048] According to the vehicle optical unit 10B of this embodiment, the light diffusing reflector 5 is hidden by the light guiding rod 4 when viewed from the front, and therefore the light diffusing reflector 5 can be prevented from being seen from the outside, for example, when visible light L is not incident from the LED unit 3. Therefore, for example, when the LED unit 3 is not lit, the light diffusing reflector 5 can be prevented from affecting the external appearance of the vehicle optical unit 10A and the vehicle lamp unit 1.

[0049] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0050] 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle optical unit 10C of this embodiment. As shown in this drawing, the light diffusing and reflecting plate 5 in the vehicle optical unit 10C of this embodiment is a curved plate with a curved reflecting surface.

[0051] The light diffusing reflector 5 has a curved surface that is curved to fit along the rear surface of the light guiding rod 4. In this embodiment, the light diffusing reflector 5 is arranged so that the entire curved surface faces the rear surface of the light guiding rod 4 with a small gap therebetween.

[0052] According to the vehicle optical unit 10C of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent visible light L emitted rearward from the rear surface of the light guiding rod 4 from leaking between the light diffusing reflector 5 and the light guiding rod 4. This prevents a decrease in the brightness of the light guiding rod 4. It is also possible to prevent rubbing between the light guiding rod 4 and the light diffusing reflector 5 due to vibrations when the vehicle is moving. However, if deterioration due to rubbing between the light guiding rod 4 and the light diffusing reflector 5 can be ignored, the entire curved surface of the light diffusing reflector 5 may be brought into close contact with the rear surface of the light guiding rod 4 without any gaps. In this case, it is possible to further prevent visible light L from leaking between the light diffusing reflector 5 and the light guiding rod 4.

[0053] (Fifth embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0054] 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of a vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment, where (a) is a front view as seen from the front, and (b) is a DD cross-sectional view of (a). As shown in this figure, the vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment is equipped with multiple light guiding rods 4. In addition, the light diffusing and reflecting plate 5 is arranged so as to overlap the multiple light guiding rods 4 when viewed from the front.

[0055] The vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment includes two light guide rods 4. One light diffusing reflector 5 is provided for each of the two light guide rods 4. This light diffusing reflector 5 is located behind the two light guide rods 4. When viewed from the front, the light diffusing reflector 5 is arranged to overlap the two light guide rods 4.

[0056] According to the vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of light diffusing reflectors 5 relative to the number of light guiding rods 4. Therefore, according to the vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment, it is possible to simplify the installation work of the light diffusing reflectors 5.

[0057] Furthermore, in the vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment, when viewed from the front, a portion of the light diffusing reflector 5 can be exposed between the two light guiding rods 4. Therefore, according to the vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment, the visible light L emitted rearward from the light guiding rods 4 is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing reflector 5, so that the area between the two light guiding rods 4 is brightly visible. Therefore, according to the vehicle optical unit 10D of this embodiment, a wider range can be brightly visible from the outside compared to the first embodiment.

[0058] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The shapes and combinations of the components shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements, etc., without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0059] For example, in the above embodiment, the light guiding rod 4 is described as having a circular cross-sectional shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the light guiding rod 4 may be formed so as to have a polygonal cross-sectional shape. Furthermore, for example, the light guiding rod 4 may have both or either one of the front surface 4a and the rear surface 4b flat.

[0060] Furthermore, the present invention can employ the configurations described in the following supplementary notes.

[0061] (Appendix 1) An optical unit for a vehicle that emits visible light forward, a light guiding rod that guides the visible light in a longitudinal direction therein; a light diffusing reflector located behind the light guide rod for diffusing and reflecting the visible light incident from the front; Equipped with The light guide rod has a plurality of grooves on the front surface that reflect a portion of the visible light guided inside the rod toward the rear, The grooves extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the front-rear direction, and are arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be parallel to each other. An optical unit for a vehicle.

[0062] (Appendix 2) The light guide rod and the light diffusion reflector are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front, The dimension of the light diffusing reflector in the orthogonal direction is larger than the dimension of the light guiding rod in the orthogonal direction. 2. The vehicle optical unit according to claim 1.

[0063] (Appendix 3) The light guide rod and the light diffusion reflector are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front, The dimension of the light diffusing reflector in the orthogonal direction is smaller than the dimension of the light guiding rod in the orthogonal direction. 2. The vehicle optical unit according to claim 1.

[0064] (Appendix 4) 4. The vehicle optical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light diffusing and reflecting plate is a flat plate having a flat reflecting surface.

[0065] (Appendix 5) 4. The vehicle optical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light diffusing and reflecting plate is a curved plate having a curved reflecting surface.

[0066] (Appendix 6) A plurality of the light guide rods are provided, The light diffusing and reflecting plate is disposed so as to overlap the plurality of light guide rods when viewed from the front. 6. The vehicle optical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0067] (Appendix 7) An optical unit for a vehicle according to any one of appendices 1 to 6; a light source device that inputs visible light to one end of the light guide rod; A vehicle part comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1...vehicle lamp unit (vehicle part), 2...base portion, 2a...main body portion, 2b...mounting portion, 3...LED unit, 4...light guide rod, 4a...front surface, 4b...rear surface, 4c...groove portion, 4c1...inclined surface, 5...light diffusion reflector, 6...cover lens, 10...vehicle optical unit, 10A...vehicle optical unit, 10B...vehicle optical unit, 10C...vehicle optical unit, 10D...vehicle optical unit, L...visible light

Claims

1. An optical unit for a vehicle that emits visible light forward, a light guiding rod that guides the visible light in a longitudinal direction therein; a light diffusing reflector located behind the light guide rod for diffusing and reflecting the visible light incident from the front; Equipped with The light guide rod has a plurality of grooves on the front surface that reflect a portion of the visible light guided inside the rod toward the rear, The grooves extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the front-rear direction, and are arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be parallel to each other. An optical unit for a vehicle.

2. The light guide rod and the light diffusion reflector are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front, The dimension of the light diffusing reflector in the orthogonal direction is larger than the dimension of the light guiding rod in the orthogonal direction.

2. The optical unit for a vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The light guide rod and the light diffusion reflector are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front, The dimension of the light diffusing reflector in the orthogonal direction is smaller than the dimension of the light guiding rod in the orthogonal direction.

2. The optical unit for a vehicle according to claim 1.

4. An optical unit for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a light source device that inputs visible light to one end of the light guide rod; A vehicle part comprising:

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