Vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp fitting which has appropriate light distribution characteristics to monitor a trailer connected with a vehicle and satisfies the request in terms of a design.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp fitting is an illumination lamp (TBG lamp) 1 which is arranged at a rear part of a vehicle CAR connecting through a coupler JNT at the rear part of the vehicle with a trailer TRL to illuminate an area from the rear part of the vehicle to the trailer TRL. The TBG lamp 1 is arranged at a position where the TBG lamp does not interfere with the other lamp RCL provided in the vehicle CAR and is arranged in a garnish GN not to be exposed to outside. The TBG lamp 1 illuminates at least an area including the coupler JNT with a prescribed illuminance and is turned on when the trailer TRL is connected to the vehicle CAR.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp suitable for use in illuminating a trailer when the trailer is towed by a motor vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] When a trailer is hitched to the rear of a vehicle and towed, the trailer's rear lights are turned on at night, while the vehicle's rear lights are turned off. Conventional vehicles are not equipped with illumination lamps for monitoring the trailer, so when the vehicle's rear lights are turned off, it becomes difficult for the vehicle's occupants to monitor the trailer's condition, for example, the condition of the coupling connecting the vehicle and the trailer. Patent Document 1 proposes a technology that turns on the rear lights to illuminate the trailer when it becomes necessary to monitor the trailer, allowing the trailer to be monitored. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-500305 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the technology of Patent Document 1, it is possible to monitor a trailer by turning on the rear lamps to illuminate the trailer, but because the rear lamps of a vehicle are designed to provide illumination with a predetermined light distribution characteristic, when the rear lamps are turned on, while the trailer is illuminated, light may also be emitted to areas outside the trailer. As a result, the light from areas outside the trailer may be emitted toward other vehicles or pedestrians, posing a risk of dazzling them.

[0005] Therefore, it is conceivable to equip the vehicle with dedicated lighting lamps for monitoring trailers. However, when installing new lighting lamps, there are restrictions on the installation location so as not to interfere with the lamps already installed in the vehicle, and the installation location and shape of the lighting lamp are also restricted by requirements for the vehicle's design. Furthermore, the lighting light emitted from the dedicated lamps is required to have light distribution characteristics that do not dazzle other vehicles or pedestrians. As such, there are various challenges when installing dedicated lighting lamps.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lighting fixture configured as an illumination lamp that has light distribution characteristics suitable for monitoring a trailer and that can satisfy the design requirements of an automobile. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a vehicle lighting fixture configured as an illumination lamp that is installed on a vehicle that has a trailer coupled to the rear of the vehicle body via a coupler and that illuminates at least the area from the rear of the vehicle body to the trailer, the illumination lamp is arranged in a position that does not interfere with other lamps provided on the vehicle and is not visible from the outside of the vehicle, and is configured to illuminate at least the area including the coupler with a predetermined illuminance. This illumination lamp is turned on when a trailer is coupled to the vehicle.

[0008] In the present invention, the coupler is disposed at a central position in the vehicle width direction, and the illumination lamp is disposed at a position away from the central position in the vehicle width direction, and a configuration is adopted in which a portion of the light emitted from the illumination lamp is deflected toward the center in the vehicle width direction. For example, the illumination lamp includes a light source unit and an illumination lens that deflects and emits the light of the light source unit, and the illumination lens deflects the light of the light source unit at least in the vehicle width direction.

[0009] In the present invention, the lighting lamp is preferably disposed inside a decorative member provided at the rear of the vehicle body. For example, the decorative member is a garnish provided at the rear of the vehicle body, and light from the lighting lamp is emitted through a gap between the vehicle body and the garnish. The lighting lamp is disposed at a position at least higher than the coupler, and emits light downward or diagonally downward from the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the lighting lamp is disposed in a position where it does not interfere with other lamps on the vehicle and is not visible from the outside of the vehicle, thereby satisfying the design requirements of the vehicle. Furthermore, the lighting lamp illuminates at least an area including the coupler with a predetermined illuminance, thereby achieving light distribution characteristics suitable for monitoring the trailer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are a schematic side view and a schematic perspective view of an automobile equipped with a vehicle lamp according to the present invention; [Figure 2] Rear view of a part of a car body. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of a TBG lamp. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a TBG lamp. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the light entrance surface and light exit surface of the irradiation lens of the TBG lamp. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of a horizontal light path passing through an illumination lens. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vertical optical path passing through an illumination lens. [Figure 9] Schematic diagram showing the form of illumination by a TBG lamp. [Figure 10] Schematic diagram illustrating the illuminance distribution of a TBG lamp. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1(a) is a schematic side view of an automobile to which the vehicle lamp of the present invention is applied. A coupler JNT is attached to the rear of the automobile CAR at a position below the body and at or near the center in the width direction of the vehicle, and a trailer TRL is connected via this coupler JNT.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1(b), rear combination lamps RCL, which combine tail lamps, backup lamps, and turn signal lamps, are arranged on the left and right sides of the rear of the automobile CAR. When a trailer TRL is coupled to this automobile CAR, the left and right rear combination lamps RCL are turned off in principle, and instead the rear lamps RL arranged on the rear of the trailer TRL shown in Figure 1(a) are turned on.

[0014] As shown in the schematic configuration of FIG. 1(a), a lamp control unit 100 is provided in an automobile CAR, and a coupling sensor 101 provided in a coupler JNT is connected to the lamp control unit 100. The coupling sensor 101 outputs a predetermined signal when a trailer TRL is coupled. When the lamp control unit 100 receives a signal from the sensor 101, it turns off the rear combination lamps RCL and turns on the rear lamps RL of the trailer TRL.

[0015] 2 is a rear view of a portion of a vehicle CAR, with the aforementioned left and right rear combination lamps RCL disposed on the rear surface of the vehicle body BD, and a license plate LP disposed in the center of the vehicle width. A garnish (decorative member) GN is disposed above the license plate LP, extending in the vehicle width direction. A license lamp 10, shown by a dashed line, is mounted inside the garnish GN at a central position in the vehicle width direction. When lit, the garnish GN emits light downward to illuminate the license plate LP. Although not shown, a rear camera is mounted on a portion of the rear surface of the vehicle body BD, particularly on the upper portion, allowing for imaging and monitoring of the rearward area, for example, when the vehicle CAR is backing up.

[0016] The vehicle lighting device of the present invention is arranged inside the garnish GN and is configured as an illumination lamp (hereinafter referred to as a TBG lamp (trailer back guide lamp)) 1 that illuminates the front area of ​​the body of the connected trailer TRL or the area including the coupler JNT. This TBG lamp 1 is arranged inside the garnish GN at a position that does not interfere with the license lamp 2, in this case, at a position offset to the left side in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the rear of the automobile CAR. When turned on, as will be described later, the TBG lamp 1 is configured to emit illumination light toward the rear and downward of the automobile CAR through a light outlet provided on the underside of the garnish GN.

[0017] Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a portion including the TBG lamp 1 taken along line III-III in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an external perspective view of the TBG lamp, and Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view thereof. The TBG lamp 1 is composed of a cylindrical container-shaped body 2, a light source unit 3, and an illumination lens 4. A socket hole 22 is opened in a cylindrical bottom surface 21 of the body 2 so as to penetrate the body, and the light source unit 3 having a socket structure is attached to this socket hole 22. A rib 23 surrounding the socket hole 22 is formed in the cylindrical bottom surface 21 of the body 2, and the illumination lens 4 is attached to this rib 23 so as to cover the socket hole 22. The TBG lamp 1 is fixedly supported to a part of the vehicle body BD inside the garnish GN by mounting pieces 24 provided on the side edge of the body 2.

[0018] The light source unit 3 includes a heat sink 31 with multiple fins, a base 32 formed on one surface of the heat sink 31, and an LED (light emitting diode) 33 serving as a light source, here a chip-type LED that emits white light, mounted on the surface of the base 32. Multiple bayonet pieces 34 are erected on the base 32, and the bayonet pieces 34 are engaged with socket holes 22 in the body 2, thereby detachably supporting the light source unit 3 relative to the body 2. When the light source unit 3 is supported by the body 2, the light emitting surface of the LED 33 is exposed from the cylindrical bottom surface 21 of the body 2 through the socket holes 22, and the emitted light is emitted forward from the cylindrical bottom surface 21.

[0019] The illumination lens 4 has a flange portion 41 having a fitting ring 40 on its rear surface that fits into a rib 23 provided on the cylindrical bottom surface 21 of the body 2, and is attached integrally to the cylindrical bottom surface 21 of the body 2 at this flange portion 41. The illumination lens 4 has a lens portion 42 in an area surrounded by the flange portion 41, which is positioned opposite the light-emitting surface of the LED 33 of the light source unit 3. The lens portion 42 protrudes somewhat toward the front of the lamp (the opposite side from the LED 33; the same applies to front and rear hereinafter) relative to the flange portion 41, and the surface on the rear side of the lamp that faces the LED 33 is configured as a light incident surface 43 onto which light from the LED 33 is incident, and the surface on the opposite side, on the front side of the lamp, is configured as a light exit surface 44.

[0020] 6(a) and 6(b) are enlarged perspective views of the light incident surface 43 and the light exit surface 44 of the lens portion 41 of the illumination lens 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6(a), the light incident surface 43 is generally formed in a saddle shape convex toward the rear of the lamp, with the lens optical axis Lx passing through the center of the lens portion 42 as its vertex. That is, when viewed from the light incident surface 43 side, it is divided into four incident surfaces: upper, lower, left, and right, centered on the lens optical axis Lx. The upper incident surface 43U and the lower incident surface 43D together have a vertical cross-sectional shape that is a convex arc shape or a similar convex curved shape, and a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is a concave arc shape or a similar concave curved shape. Furthermore, the left incident surface 43L and the right incident surface 43R, which are disposed on the left and right sides when viewed from the front of the lamp, are formed as inclined surfaces that are inclined leftward or rightward, respectively, with the lens optical axis Lx as their vertex.

[0021] 3 and 6(b), the light exit surface 44 is divided into upper and lower sections on either side of the lens optical axis Lx, and is configured as an upper exit surface 44U and a lower exit surface 44D that extend horizontally. That is, in the light exit surface 44, a step portion 45 that extends in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions of the lamp is formed at the boundary between the upper exit surface 44U and the lower exit surface 44D that are positioned on the lens optical axis Lx, and this step portion 45 optically divides the upper exit surface 44U and the lower exit surface 44D.

[0022] The vertical cross section of upper emission surface 44U is a convex arc shape or a curved shape similar to this toward the front side of the lamp, and the horizontal cross section is formed as a curved surface extending linearly and tilted at a required angle toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, i.e., facing diagonally forward and left when viewed from the front side of the lamp. In other words, upper emission surface 44U is configured as a convex cylindrical surface tilted diagonally forward and left when viewed from the front side of the lamp.

[0023] On the other hand, the vertical cross-sectional shape of lower emission surface 44D is a convex arc shape toward the front of the lamp, and the horizontal cross-sectional shape is formed as a curved surface extending in the vehicle width direction, i.e., in a linear direction along the rear surface of the vehicle body. That is, lower emission surface 44D is configured as a convex cylindrical surface extending horizontally when viewed from the front side of the lamp. Furthermore, lower edge region 44E extending from the lower edge of lower emission surface 44D to flange portion 41 is formed as a flat surface or a concave curved surface that is slightly curved in the vertical direction.

[0024] As described above, the TBG lamp 1 is disposed inside the garnish GN, and therefore, as can be seen from Fig. 2, the TBG lamp 1 is obscured by the garnish GN and cannot be seen from outside the automobile CAR. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, the TBG lamp 1 is disposed inside the garnish GN with the lens optical axis Lx of the lens portion 4 facing diagonally downward, and is disposed facing a gap S formed between the garnish GN and the vehicle body BD provided at the lower edge of the garnish GN. This gap S is configured as a light exit port for the illumination light emitted from the TBG lamp 1.

[0025] As described above, the rear combination lamps RCL of the automobile CAR are turned off when the trailer TRL is coupled to the vehicle, but the TBG lamp 1 is configured to be turned on automatically or manually at that time. In the case of automatic lighting, the TBG lamp 1 may be turned on by the lamp control unit 100 shown in FIG. 1(a). It is particularly preferable for the lamps RCL to be turned on when the automobile CAR is backing up, illuminating the rear area of ​​the body BD of the automobile CAR, i.e., the area including the coupler JNT and the front of the trailer TRL. This illumination allows the passengers of the automobile CAR to monitor the status of the coupler JNT and the trailer TRL through the rearview mirror or a monitor displaying images captured by a rear camera (not shown).

[0026] When the TBG lamp 1 is turned on, the LED 33 emits light. Figures 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of the light path of the light emitted from the LED 33 entering the illumination lens 4 and exiting from the illumination lens 4. Figures 7(a) and (b) are schematic diagrams of the horizontal light path of the incident light, and Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the vertical light path. The light emitted from the LED 33 is diverged in a required angular range and enters the light incident surface 43 of the illumination lens 4.

[0027] Of the light incident on light incident surface 43, light incident on upper incident surface 43U and lower incident surface 43D reaches light exit surface 44 in approximately the same divergence state in the horizontal direction due to the curved shape of each incident surface, and reaches light exit surface 44 in a state close to converged parallel light beams in the vertical direction. On the other hand, light incident on left incident surface 43L and right incident surface 43R reaches light exit surface 44 almost without being affected by refraction because the surface angles of incident surfaces 43R and 43L are angled toward the light source.

[0028] Of the light reaching the light exit surface 44, the light that reaches the upper exit surface 44U is refracted by the convex cylindrical surface and emitted. During this refraction, the light converges vertically and then diverges and is emitted diagonally downward. Furthermore, the light remains diverged horizontally. That is, the light is emitted downward toward the vicinity of the rear of the vehicle body BD of the automobile CAR. In this case, since the upper exit surface 44U is inclined horizontally toward the left outer side in the vehicle width direction, light emitted from the area to the right of the lens optical axis Lx of the upper exit surface 44U is emitted rightward, i.e., toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, at a large deflection angle. In other words, the light emitted toward the center of the vehicle body around the lens optical axis Lx diverges more than the light emitted toward the left side of the vehicle body.

[0029] Furthermore, of the light that reaches the light exit surface 44, the light that reaches the lower exit surface 44D is refracted by the convex cylindrical surface, converges in the vertical direction, and then is emitted diagonally downward in a divergent state. In the horizontal direction, it is emitted in a divergent state. In this case, the angle of depression diagonally downward from the lower exit surface 44D is smaller than that in the case of the upper exit surface 44U, so it is emitted downward slightly farther than near the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR. In the horizontal direction, it is emitted at a deflection angle that is approximately symmetrical with respect to the lens optical axis Lx. Furthermore, the light from the lower edge region 44E of the light exit surface 44 is emitted downward far from the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR while being somewhat diverged.

[0030] Of the light emitted from the LED 33, light with a large divergence angle is incident on the flange portion 41 around the lens portion 42. This light is transmitted through the flange portion 41 and emitted toward the rear of the automobile CAR, but the direction of emission is not particularly deflected and the light is irradiated toward a relatively wide surrounding area.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 9, the light emitted from the TBG lamp 1 in this way is emitted from the gap S at the lower edge of the garnish GN, i.e., the light outlet, and illuminates an area from the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR to the front of the body of the coupler JNT and trailer TRL. Fig. 10 shows the illuminance distribution characteristics when the TBG lamp 1 is illuminating. This characteristic is shown in Fig. 10(a) as the illuminance surface distribution at three different height positions, i.e., the plane at the road surface position H1 where the automobile CAR is located, the plane at the height position H2 of the coupler JNT, and the plane at the height position H3 that is a predetermined dimension lower than the height of the TBG lamp 1, and the area of ​​illuminance of 5 lux in this case.

[0032] This illuminance distribution characteristic is due to the light emitted from the light emission surface 44 of the illumination lens 4. That is, the light emitted from the upper emission surface 44U illuminates the area immediately below the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR, the light emitted from the lower emission surface 44D illuminates the area from the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR to the trailer TRL, and the light emitted from the lower edge area 44E illuminates an even wider area, and this is the distribution characteristic of light that is a combination of these illumination lights.

[0033] As can be seen from this distribution characteristic, the road surface area H1 from the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR to the trailer TRL is heavily illuminated by light emitted from the lower emission surface 44D, so the area from the rear of the body BD to the front of the trailer TRL is illuminated with a predetermined illuminance. This makes it possible to monitor a wide area from the rear of the body BD of the automobile CAR to the front of the trailer TRL.

[0034] In area H2 where the coupler JNT is located, the light emitted from the lower exit surface 44D and the light emitted from the upper exit surface 44U are combined, illuminating the coupler JNT with a relatively high illuminance. Furthermore, because the upper exit surface 44U is tilted horizontally, the light emitted from the upper exit surface 44U is deflected at a large angle toward the center of the vehicle body BD in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, even if the TBG lamp 1 is positioned offset to the left of the center of the vehicle body BD in the vehicle width direction, the entire vehicle width direction area, including this center, can be illuminated with a substantially uniform illuminance, thereby increasing the illuminance of the coupler JNT located in the center of the vehicle width direction and enabling highly reliable monitoring.

[0035] On the other hand, at height position H3 close to the TBG lamp 1, the area illuminated with the specified illuminance is limited to a narrow area including the rear of the vehicle body BD. This prevents the light emitted from the TBG lamp 1 from being directed toward other vehicles or pedestrians around the automobile CAR and trailer TRL, thereby preventing them from being dazzled. This can be seen from the fact that the TBG lamp 1 is covered by the garnish GN and cannot be seen by other vehicles or pedestrians.

[0036] In this way, the TBG lamp 1 of the embodiment is disposed in a position that does not interfere with the rear combination lamp RCL or license lamp 10 provided on the automobile CAR, and is disposed in a state where it is not visible from the outside of the automobile CAR by the garnish GN, so that design requirements can be met without imposing any constraints on the design of the automobile CAR when disposing the TBG lamp 1. Furthermore, the TBG lamp 1 can illuminate the rear area of ​​the automobile CAR, including the coupler JNT, at a predetermined illuminance and over a predetermined range, thereby obtaining light distribution characteristics suitable for monitoring the trailer TRL.

[0037] The structure of the TBG lamp according to the present invention, particularly the structure of the illumination lens, is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. In particular, it is sufficient if the light emitted from the TBG lamp disposed at a position off-center in the vehicle's width direction can be deflected in the vehicle width direction to illuminate with a substantially uniform illuminance in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, it is sufficient if the TBG lamp can illuminate the area between the rear of the vehicle and the front of the trailer, as well as the coupler connecting the vehicle and the trailer. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the TBG lamp according to the present invention is mounted in a garnish provided at the rear of the vehicle body, but it may also be disposed inside the vehicle body, for example, inside the body panel.

[0038] Vehicles in which the TBG lamp according to the present invention is installed are not limited to the automobiles described in the embodiments, but can also be applied to large automobiles and special automobiles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 TBG lamp (vehicle lighting fixture) 2 Body 3 Light source section 4 Lighting lens 33 LED 41 Flange 42 Lens section 43 Light incidence surface 43U, 43D, 43R, 43L entrance surface 44 Light exit surface 44U Upper output surface (1st output surface) 44D Lower exit surface (second exit surface) CAR Automobile (vehicle) TRL Trailer JNT coupler

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting fixture configured as an illumination lamp provided at the rear of a vehicle that connects a trailer to the rear of the vehicle body via a coupler, for illuminating at least the area from the rear of the vehicle body to the trailer, wherein the illumination lamp is arranged in a position that does not interfere with other lamps provided on the vehicle, and in a state where it is not visible from outside the vehicle, and the vehicle lighting fixture illuminates at least the area including the coupler with a predetermined illuminance.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the illumination lamp is turned on when the trailer is coupled to the vehicle.

3. 2. The vehicle lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the coupler is disposed at a central position in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle, the illumination lamp is disposed at a position away from the central position in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and a portion of the light emitted from the illumination lamp is deflected toward the center in the vehicle width direction.

4. 4. The vehicle lighting fixture according to claim 3, wherein the illumination lamp comprises a light source unit and an illumination lens into which light from the light source unit is incident and which deflects and emits the light, and the illumination lens deflects the light from the light source unit at least in a width direction of the vehicle.

5. 5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 4, wherein the illumination lens has a first exit surface and a second exit surface as light exit surfaces that emit light from the light source unit, the first exit surface deflecting the light toward a position near a rear part of the vehicle body and a central position in a vehicle width direction, and the second exit surface deflecting the light toward a position farther away from the rear part of the vehicle body.

6. 5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 4, wherein the illumination lens has a light incident surface for transmitting the incident light from the light source unit in a horizontal direction as is or in a diverging state, and a light incident surface for transmitting the incident light in a converging state in a vertical direction, as a light incident surface for receiving the light from the light source unit.

7. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the illumination lamp is disposed inside a decorative member provided at a rear portion of the vehicle body.

8. 8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 7, wherein the decorative member is a garnish provided at a rear portion of the vehicle body, and the light of the illumination lamp is emitted through a gap between the vehicle body and the garnish.

9. 9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 8, wherein the illumination lamp is disposed at a position higher than at least the coupler, and emits light downward or obliquely downward from the vehicle.

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