Vehicle light guide plate and vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle light guide plate which enables improvement of light utilization efficiency while reducing the number of components, and to provide a vehicle lamp fitting.SOLUTION: A vehicle light guide plate includes: an incident part into which light from a light source enters; a light guide part having a first reflection surface which reflects light entering from the incident part upward, a second reflection surface which reflects light reflected on the first reflection surface upward, and a third reflection surface which is provided bending forward from an upper end of the second reflection surface and reflects light reflected on the first reflection surface and light reflected on the second reflection surface; and an emission part which emits light reflected on the third reflection surface forward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light guide for a vehicle and a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] A known vehicle headlamp configuration includes, for example, a light-emitting element and a light-transmitting block through which light from the light-emitting element passes, with first and second reflecting surfaces formed on the surface of the light-transmitting block to reflect the light passing through the light-transmitting block (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-324013 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vehicle headlamp such as that described in Patent Document 1, there is a demand for reducing the number of parts and increasing the light utilization efficiency.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a vehicle light guide and a vehicle lamp that can reduce the number of parts and improve the light utilization efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle light guide of the present invention comprises a light guide section having an incident section into which light from a light source is incident, a first reflecting surface that reflects the light incident from the incident section upward, a second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface upward, and a third reflecting surface that is bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface forward, and an exit section that emits the light reflected by the third reflecting surface forward.

[0007] A vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a light source and the above-described vehicle light guide that guides light from the light source and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and improve the light utilization efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration along the cross section AA in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle lamp as viewed from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle lamp as viewed from behind. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration along the cross section BB in FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of an irradiation pattern projected onto a virtual screen in front of a vehicle. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of an irradiation pattern projected onto a virtual screen in front of the vehicle. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of a vehicle lamp according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration along the CC cross section in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle lamp as viewed from above. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle lamp as viewed from behind. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an irradiation pattern projected onto a virtual screen in front of a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle light guide and a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical.

[0011] In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions refer to directions when the automotive lamp is mounted on a vehicle and viewed from the driver's seat in the direction of vehicle travel. In this embodiment, the up-down direction is parallel to the vertical direction, and the left-right direction is horizontal. In this embodiment, the front and rear directions refer to directions when the lamp is mounted on a vehicle (mounted on a vehicle). For example, when the lamp is mounted on the front of a vehicle, the front is the front direction (front side), and the rear is the rear direction (rear side).

[0012] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a front view showing an example of a vehicle lamp 100 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration along the AA cross section in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle lamp 100 as seen from above. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle lamp 100 as seen from behind. In Figs. 3 and 4, the support member 30 is omitted from illustration.

[0013] The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment includes a light source unit 10, a vehicle light guide 20, and a support member 30.

[0014] The light source unit 10 has a light source 11 and a substrate 12. The light source 11 emits light (indicated by light rays L) for forming, for example, a low beam pattern. In this embodiment, for example, five light sources 11 are provided. Four or fewer or six or more light sources 11 may be provided. When two or more light sources 11 are provided, they can be arranged, for example, side by side in the left-right direction. The light source 11 is mounted on a mounting surface 12a of the substrate 12. The substrate 12 is supported by a support member 30. The light emitting surface 11a of the light source 11 faces forward.

[0015] The vehicle light guide 20 is disposed in front of the light source unit 10. The vehicle light guide 20 guides light from the light source 11 and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle light guide 20 includes an incident portion 21, a light guide portion 22, and an exit portion 23.

[0016] Light emitted from the light source 11 is incident on the incident portion 21. An incident portion 21 is provided for each light source 11. The incident portion 21 has an opposing incident surface 21a, a lateral incident surface 21b, and a reflecting surface 21c.

[0017] The opposing incident surface 21a faces the light emitting surface 11a of the light source 11. Light emitted forward from the light emitting surface 11a is incident on the opposing incident surface 21a. The opposing incident surface 21a is formed, for example, in a circular shape when viewed from behind. The opposing incident surface 21a may be formed in other shapes such as an oval shape or an elliptical shape when viewed from behind. The opposing incident surface 21a is, for example, a convex surface that protrudes toward the light source 11, but may also be a flat surface. The opposing incident surface 21a causes parallel light to be incident toward the first reflecting surface 22a. The light incident from the opposing incident surface 21a is irradiated toward the front of the vehicle in a pattern that is wider than that of the lateral incident surface 21b.

[0018] The side incident surface 21b is disposed along the outer periphery of the opposing incident surface 21a. The side incident surface 21b is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the opposing incident surface 21a. Light emitted laterally from the light emitting surface 11a is incident on the side incident surface 21b. The side incident surface 21b may be formed so that its diameter decreases toward the front. The side incident surface 21b irradiates light in front of the vehicle in a more concentrated pattern than the opposing incident surface 21a.

[0019] The reflecting surface 21c is disposed along the outer periphery of the side entrance surface 21b. The reflecting surface 21c internally reflects the light incident from the side entrance surface 21b forward so as to condense the light.

[0020] Light guide portion 22 guides the light incident from incident portion 21. Light guide portion 22 has first reflecting surface 22a, second reflecting surface 22b, third reflecting surface 22c, and edge portion .

[0021] The first reflecting surface 22a is provided for each light source 11 and each incident portion 21. The first reflecting surface 22a is disposed in front of the incident portion 21. The first reflecting surface 22a internally reflects light that enters from the incident portion 21 and travels forward, upward or diagonally forward. The first reflecting surface 22a may be formed to internally reflect light toward the edge portion 24.

[0022] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration along the cross section BB in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the first reflecting surface 22a is formed in a state in which one curved surface is divided into sawtooth shapes for each light source 11 in a cross-sectional view. Note that the first reflecting surface 22a is not limited to the above configuration. For example, multiple first reflecting surfaces 22a may be formed by one curved surface. Also, one first reflecting surface 22a may be divided into multiple curved surfaces in the left-right direction.

[0023] The second reflecting surface 22b is disposed above the first reflecting surface 22a. The second reflecting surface 22b reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a upward or obliquely upward and forward.

[0024] The third reflecting surface 22c is provided in a state of being bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface 22b, and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b forward.

[0025] In the light guide unit 22, the positions, dimensions, angles, etc. of the first reflecting surface 22a, the second reflecting surface 22b, and the third reflecting surface 22c are set so that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b reaches the edge portion 24 side of the third reflecting surface 22c more closely than the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a. For example, the angle α between the second reflecting surface 22b and a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is set to be equal to or greater than 0° and equal to or less than 40°. Furthermore, the angle β between the third reflecting surface 22c and a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is set to be equal to or greater than 10° and equal to or less than 50°.

[0026] The edge portion 24 is provided at a bent portion from the second reflecting surface 22b to the third reflecting surface 22c. The edge portion 24 is provided at a boundary portion between the upper end of the second reflecting surface 22b and the lower end of the third reflecting surface 22c. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the edge portion 24 is provided at a corner formed by the second reflecting surface 22b and the third reflecting surface 22c. The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment is used when forming a low beam pattern. In this configuration, the edge portion 24 is located at a focal position (rear focal position) F of the exit surface 23a, which will be described later. The edge portion 24 is provided so as to extend in the left-right direction.

[0027] A cutoff forming portion 25 is provided on the edge portion 24. The cutoff forming portion 25 is disposed, for example, in the center of the edge portion 24 in the left-right direction. The cutoff forming portion 25 forms a cutoff line CL in the low beam pattern by passing light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a and the second reflecting surface 22b. The cutoff forming portion 25 has a first straight portion 25a, an inclined portion 25b, and a second straight portion 25c. The first straight portion 25a and the second straight portion 25c are portions for forming horizontal cutoff lines CLa, CLc (see FIGS. 6A and 6B) of the low beam pattern. The inclined portion 25b is a portion for forming an oblique cutoff line CLb (see FIGS. 6A and 6B) of the low beam pattern.

[0028] The exit portion 23 emits the light guided by the light guide portion 22 toward the front of the vehicle. The exit portion 23 has an exit surface 23a. The exit surface 23a emits forward the light that has entered from the entrance portion 21 and been guided by the light guide portion 22. The exit surface 23a has a curved shape that is convex forward from both sides in the vertical direction toward the center.

[0029] The vehicle light guide 20 has an attachment portion 26. The attachment portion 26 is fixed to the support member 30 via a fixing member such as a screw member 41.

[0030] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 100 configured as described above will be described. When the light source 11 of the light source unit 10 is turned on, a light ray L is emitted forward from the light-emitting surface 11a. As shown in FIG. 2, the light ray L enters the vehicle light guide 20 from the opposing incident surface 21a or the side incident surface 21b of the incident unit 21. FIG. 2 shows an example of the light ray L entering from the opposing incident surface 21a. Note that the light ray entering from the side incident surface 21b is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 21c.

[0031] Of the light rays L, light ray L1 incident from the opposing incident surface 21a of the incident section 21 travels forward and is internally reflected upward by the first reflecting surface 22a in the light guiding section 22. The light ray L1 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a reaches the entire range of the second reflecting surface 22b and the third reflecting surface 22c. Therefore, the light ray L1 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a is reflected directly or internally by the second reflecting surface 22b and is collected toward the focal point F (edge ​​section 24), but is incident on the range up to the front side of the third reflecting surface 22c, i.e., the entire or almost entire range in the front-to-rear direction of the third reflecting surface 22c, and is then internally reflected forward.

[0032] Of the light rays L, light ray L2 incident from the side incidence surface 21b of the incident unit 21 is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 21c, and is then internally reflected upward by the first reflecting surface 22a in the light guiding unit 22. The light ray L2 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a reaches a region of the third reflecting surface 22c along the edge portion 24, i.e., a region in the vicinity of the edge portion 24, either directly or by being internally reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b. The light ray L2 that reaches the third reflecting surface 22c is internally reflected forward by the third reflecting surface 22c.

[0033] The light beams L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 23a are projected forward of the vehicle to form a low beam pattern.

[0034] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of an irradiation pattern P1 projected onto a virtual screen in front of a vehicle. Note that FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the light constituting the irradiation pattern P1, distinguishing between an area irradiated with light incident from the opposing incident surface 21a and an area irradiated with light incident from the side incident surface 21b. FIGS. 6A and 6B show patterns corresponding to vehicles driving on the left side of the road. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, lines VV indicate vertical lines on the screen, and lines HH indicate horizontal lines on the left and right sides of the screen. Here, the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines is considered to be the horizontal reference position.

[0035] The irradiation pattern P1 shown in Figures 6A and 6B includes a low beam pattern PL. The low beam pattern PL is formed by light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 23a. A portion of the light rays L1 and L2 is emitted from the emission surface 23a via the cutoff forming portion 25, thereby forming a cutoff line CL. Horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc are formed by light rays that pass through the first straight line portion 25a and the second straight line portion 25c of the cutoff forming portion 25. Furthermore, an oblique cutoff line CLb is formed by light rays that pass through the inclined portion 25b of the cutoff forming portion 25.

[0036] As described above, the light ray L2 reaches the third reflecting surface 22c closer to the edge portion 24 than the light ray L1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the area irradiated with the light ray L2 (areas B1 to B5) is closer to the cutoff line CL than the area irradiated with the light ray L1 (areas A1 to A5). The light ray L2 irradiating the areas B1 to B5 forms the area PLa shown in FIG. 6A. The light ray L2 irradiating the areas B1 to B5 (area PLa) and the light ray L1 irradiating the areas A1 to A5 are combined to form the low beam pattern PL shown in FIG. 6A. In this way, the light ray L1 and the light ray L2 can improve the amount of light in the low beam pattern PL near the cutoff line CL. When the low beam pattern PL is formed in combination with another lamp unit (not shown), the area PLa shown in FIG. 6A may be formed by the areas A1 to A5 (including areas B1 to B5). That is, the area PLa in FIG. 6A may be formed by the light beam L1 irradiated onto the areas A1 to A5 and the light beam L2 irradiated onto the areas B1 to B5.

[0037] 6B, light from the incident portions 21 (opposing incident surface 21a, lateral incident surface 21b) located near the optical axis AX, i.e., at the center in the left-right direction, forms regions A3 and B3 on the left-right central side of the low beam pattern PL. Furthermore, light from the incident portions 21 located away from the optical axis AX in the left-right direction, i.e., the incident portions 21 (opposing incident surface 21a, lateral incident surface 21b) located at the center in the left-right direction, forms regions A1, A2, B1, B2 and regions A4, A5, B4, B5 on both left-right sides of the central regions A3 and B3 in the low beam pattern PL.

[0038] As described above, the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment includes a light guide section 22 having an incident section 21 into which light from the light source 11 is incident, a first reflecting surface 22a that reflects the light incident from the incident section 21 upward, a second reflecting surface 22b that reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a upward, and a third reflecting surface 22c that is bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface 22b and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b forward, and an exit section 23 that emits the light reflected by the third reflecting surface 22c forward.

[0039] According to this configuration, the light from the light source 11 can be emitted forward of the vehicle using one vehicle light guide 20 without using a projection lens or the like, thereby reducing the number of parts. In addition, part of the light internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a is reflected forward from the third reflecting surface 22c via the second reflecting surface 22b, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0040] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, the light guide portion 22 has an edge portion 24 that is provided extending in the left-right direction from the second reflecting surface 22b to the bent portion of the third reflecting surface 22c, and the edge portion 24 has a cutoff forming portion 25 that forms the cutoff line CL of the low beam pattern PL, which is the irradiation pattern P1.

[0041] According to this configuration, when a low beam pattern PL having a cutoff line CL is irradiated ahead of the vehicle, the light utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0042] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, multiple incident portions 21 are arranged in the left-right direction, and light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a is incident on the third reflecting surface 22c along the edge portion 24 corresponding to the left-right position of the incident portion 21.

[0043] According to this configuration, the low beam pattern PL can be formed in accordance with the position of the incident portion 21 in the left-right direction.

[0044] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, multiple incident portions 21 are arranged in the left-right direction, and of the multiple incident portions 21, light from the incident portions 21 arranged in a position near the optical axis AX of the exit portion 23 forms a central region in the left-right direction of the low beam pattern PL, and light from the incident portions 21 arranged in a position away from the optical axis AX forms regions on both sides of the central region in the left-right direction of the low beam pattern PL.

[0045] According to this configuration, the low beam pattern PL can be formed in an area corresponding to the position of the incident portion 21 in the left-right direction.

[0046] In the vehicle light guide 20 according to this embodiment, the incident portion 21 has an opposing incident surface 21a that is provided opposite the light source 10 and a lateral incident surface 21b that is arranged along the outer periphery of the opposing incident surface 21a, and light that enters from the opposing incident surface 21a is incident on the entire range of the third reflecting surface 22c in the fore-and-aft direction, and light that enters from the lateral incident surface 21b is incident on a region along the edge portion 24 of the third reflecting surface 22c.

[0047] According to this configuration, the entire low beam pattern PL is formed by the light incident from the opposing incident surface 21a, and the portion of the low beam pattern PL along the cutoff line CL is formed by the light incident from the side incident surface 21b.

[0048] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, the light guide section 22 has the first reflecting surface 22a, the second reflecting surface 22b, and the third reflecting surface 22c arranged so that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b reaches the edge portion 24 side of the third reflecting surface 22c further than the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a.

[0049] With this configuration, light ray L2, which is incident from the side incidence surface 21b and internally reflected by the first, second, and third reflection surfaces 22a, 22b, and 22c, reaches the third reflection surface 22c closer to the edge portion 24 than light ray L1, which is incident from the opposite incidence surface 21a, internally reflected by the reflection surface 21c, and then internally reflected by the first, second, and third reflection surfaces 22a, 22c. Therefore, the area irradiated with light ray L2 (areas B1 to B5 in FIG. 6B) is closer to the cutoff line CL than the area irradiated with light ray L1 (areas A1 to A5 in FIG. 6B). Therefore, light ray L1 and light ray L2 can improve the amount of light in the low beam pattern PL near the cutoff line CL.

[0050] The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment includes a light source 11 and the above-described vehicle light guide 20 that guides light from the light source 11 and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle.

[0051] This configuration makes it possible to provide a vehicle lamp 100 that reduces the number of parts and has high light utilization efficiency.

[0052] [Second embodiment] Fig. 7 is a front view showing an example of a vehicular lamp 200 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 8 is a view showing a configuration along the CC cross section in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a view showing an example of the vehicular lamp 200 as seen from above. Fig. 10 is a view showing an example of the vehicular lamp 200 as seen from behind. In Figs. 9 and 10, the support member 30 is omitted from illustration.

[0053] The vehicle lamp 200 shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 includes a light source unit 110, a vehicle light guide 120, and a support member .

[0054] The light source unit 110 has a light source 111 and a substrate 112. The light source 111 emits light (indicated by light rays L) for forming, for example, a low beam pattern. In this embodiment, for example, five light sources 111 are provided. Four or fewer or six or more light sources 111 may be provided. The light source 111 is mounted on a mounting surface 112a of the substrate 112. The substrate 112 is supported by a support member 130. The light emitting surface 111a of the light source 111 faces forward.

[0055] The vehicle light guide 120 is disposed in front of the light source unit 110. The vehicle light guide 120 guides light from the light source 111 and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle light guide 120 includes an incident portion 121, a light guide portion 122, an exit portion 123, a projection lens portion 126, and a connecting portion 128.

[0056] The incident portion 121 receives light emitted from the light source 111. A corresponding incident portion 121 is provided for each light source 111. In the present embodiment, the vehicle light guide 120 is provided with the incident portion 121 and the light guide portion 122 separably arranged. The incident portion 121 is provided separate from the light guide portion 122. The incident portion 121 has an opposing incident surface 121a, a lateral incident surface 121b, a reflecting surface 121c, and an exit surface 121d. The opposing incident surface 121a, the lateral incident surface 121b, and the reflecting surface 121c have the same configurations as the opposing incident surface 21a, the lateral incident surface 21b, and the reflecting surface 21c of the vehicle light guide 20 described above. The exit surface 121d emits light incident from the opposing incident surface 121a and light reflected by the reflecting surface 121c forward. The emission surface 121d is formed, for example, in a planar shape.

[0057] Light guiding portion 122 guides light incident from incident portion 121. Light guiding portion 122 is disposed in front of incident portion 121. Light guiding portion 122 has incident surface 122d, first reflecting surface 122a, second reflecting surface 122b, third reflecting surface 122c, and edge portion 124.

[0058] The incident surface 122d is disposed in front of the exit surface 121d and faces the exit surface 121d. Light emitted forward from the exit surface 121d is incident on the incident surface 122d. The incident surface 122d has a shape corresponding to the shape of the exit surface 121d. In this embodiment, the incident surface 122d is, for example, planar. The incident surface 122d may have a different shape from the exit surface 121d.

[0059] The first reflecting surface 122a is provided for each light source 111 and each incident portion 121. The first reflecting surface 122a is disposed in front of the incident surface 122d. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, for example, the first reflecting surface 122a is configured to be divided into a plurality of curved surfaces in the left-right direction. Note that the configuration of the first reflecting surface 122a is not limited to the above.

[0060] The second reflecting surface 122b is disposed above the first reflecting surface 122a. The second reflecting surface 122b reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a upward or diagonally upward toward the front. In this embodiment, the second reflecting surface 122b has a prism portion 127 (see FIGS. 8 and 10) below the cutoff forming portion 125 of the edge portion 124. The prism portion 127 has a shape in which two curved surfaces that protrude rearward are arranged vertically. The prism portion 127 reflects a portion of the light that reaches the second reflecting surface 122b to the third reflecting surface 122c, thereby forming an overhead pattern PO (see FIG. 11) in front of the vehicle. The prism portion 127 is disposed in the center in the left-right direction.

[0061] Third reflecting surface 122c is provided in a state of being bent forward from the upper end of second reflecting surface 122b. Third reflecting surface 122c reflects forward the light reflected by first reflecting surface 122a and the light reflected by second reflecting surface 122b (including the light reflected by prism portion 127).

[0062] The positions, dimensions, angles, etc. of the first reflecting surface 122a, the second reflecting surface 122b, and the third reflecting surface 122c of the light guide section 122 are set so that light incident from the side incident surface 121b of the incident section 121 and internally reflected by the reflecting surface 121c reaches the edge section 124 side (focal point F side) of the third reflecting surface 122c further than light incident from the opposite incident surface 121a of the incident section 121.

[0063] The edge portion 124 is provided at a bent portion from the second reflecting surface 122b to the third reflecting surface 122c. The edge portion 124 is provided at a boundary portion between the upper end of the second reflecting surface 122b and the lower end of the third reflecting surface 122c. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, the edge portion 124 is provided at a corner formed by the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c. The vehicular lamp 200 according to this embodiment is used when forming a low beam pattern. In this configuration, the edge portion 124 is located at a focal position (rear focal position) F of the light exit surface 123a, which will be described later. The edge portion 124 is provided so as to extend in the left-right direction.

[0064] A cutoff forming portion 125 is provided on the edge portion 124. The cutoff forming portion 125 is disposed, for example, in the center of the edge portion 124 in the left-right direction. The cutoff forming portion 125 forms a cutoff line CL in the low beam pattern by passing light reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a and the second reflecting surface 122b. The cutoff forming portion 125 has a first straight portion 125a, an inclined portion 125b, and a second straight portion 125c. The first straight portion 125a and the second straight portion 125c are portions for forming horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc (see FIG. 11) of the low beam pattern. The inclined portion 125b is a portion for forming an oblique cutoff line CLb (see FIG. 11) of the low beam pattern.

[0065] Exit portion 123 emits the light guided by light guiding portion 122 toward the front of the vehicle. Exit portion 123 has exit surface 123a. Exit surface 123a emits forward the light that has entered from entrance portion 121 and been guided by light guiding portion 122. Exit surface 123a has a curved shape that is convex forward from both sides in the vertical direction toward the center.

[0066] Projection lens unit 126 projects the light emitted from emission unit 123 forward. Projection lens unit 126 is disposed in front of emission unit 123 with a gap between it and emission unit 123. Projection lens unit 126 has a projection-side incident surface 126a and a projection-side exit surface 126b. Projection-side incident surface 126a is disposed opposite exit surface 123a of emission unit 123 in the front-rear direction. Light emitted from exit surface 123a is incident on projection-side incident surface 126a. Projection-side exit surface 126b emits light incident from projection-side incident surface 126a forward.

[0067] 9, the curvature of the projection-side exit surface 126a of the projection lens portion 126 is smaller than that of the exit surface 23a of the above-described vehicle light guide 120. In this way, by providing the projection lens portion 126, the curvature of the projection-side exit surface 126a can be reduced, thereby improving the design when viewed from the front side.

[0068] The connecting portion 128 integrally connects the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126. The connecting portion 128 has a bottom portion 128a and a side wall portion 128b. The bottom portion 128a connects the lower portions of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 to each other. The side wall portion 128b connects the left and right side portions of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 to each other. The bottom portion 128a and the side wall portion 128b form the vehicle light guide 120 in a shape in which an upper portion is hollowed out between the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126. In the vehicle light guide 120, the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 are provided integrally by the connecting portion 128, so the number of parts can be reduced compared to when a projection lens is provided separately. Furthermore, since connecting portion 128 connects the lower portions and both left and right sides of emission portion 123 and projection lens portion 126, emission portion 123 and projection lens portion 126 can be firmly connected.

[0069] The vehicle light guide 120 has an attachment portion 129. The attachment portion 129 is fixed to a support member 130 via a fixing member such as a screw member 141.

[0070] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 200 configured as described above will be described. When the light source 111 of the light source unit 110 is turned on, a light ray L is emitted forward from the light-emitting surface 111a. As shown in FIG. 8, the light ray L enters the vehicle light guide 120 from the opposing incident surface 121a or the side incident surface 121b of the incident unit 121. FIG. 8 shows an example of the light ray L entering from the opposing incident surface 121a. Note that the light ray entering from the side incident surface 121b is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 121c.

[0071] Of the light rays L, light ray L3 incident from opposing incident surface 121a of incident unit 121 is emitted forward from exit surface 121d and enters light guiding unit 122 from incident surface 122d. Light ray L3 is internally reflected upward by first reflecting surface 122a in light guiding unit 122 and reaches the entire range of second reflecting surface 122b and third reflecting surface 122c. Therefore, light ray L3 internally reflected by first reflecting surface 122a is reflected directly or internally by second reflecting surface 122b and is collected toward focal point F (edge ​​portion 24), but is incident on the range up to the front side of third reflecting surface 122c, i.e., the entire or almost entire range in the front-to-rear direction of third reflecting surface 122c, and is then internally reflected forward. Furthermore, a portion of light ray L3 (hereinafter referred to as light ray L4) is internally reflected by prism portion 127 of second reflecting surface 122b, reaches third reflecting surface 122c, is internally reflected forward by third reflecting surface 122c, and is emitted forward from exit surface 123a. Light rays L3 and L4 emitted forward from exit surface 123a are incident on projection-side incident surface 126a of projection lens portion 126, and are emitted forward of the vehicle from projection-side exit surface 126b.

[0072] Of the light rays L, light ray L5 incident from side incidence surface 121b of incident unit 121 is internally reflected forward by reflecting surface 121c, emitted forward from emission surface 121d, and enters light guiding unit 122 from incident surface 122d. In light guiding unit 122, light ray L5 is internally reflected upward by first reflecting surface 122a and then, either directly or by second reflecting surface 122b, reaches a region of third reflecting surface 122c along edge portion 124, i.e., a region in the vicinity of edge portion 124. Light ray L5 that reaches third reflecting surface 122c is internally reflected forward by third reflecting surface 122c. Light ray L5 is emitted forward from emission surface 123a.

[0073] Light ray L5 incident from side entrance surface 121b reaches third reflecting surface 122c closer to edge portion 124 than light rays L3 and L4 incident from opposite entrance surface 121a. Light ray L5 emitted forward from exit surface 123a is incident on projection-side entrance surface 126a of projection lens unit 126 and is emitted forward of the vehicle from projection-side exit surface 126b.

[0074] Light rays L3 and L5 emitted from projection-side exit surface 126b of projection lens unit 126 are irradiated in front of the vehicle to form a low beam pattern, and light ray L4 emitted from projection-side exit surface 126b of projection lens unit 126 is irradiated in front of the vehicle to form an overhead pattern.

[0075] Fig. 11 shows an example of an irradiation pattern P2 projected onto a virtual screen in front of a vehicle, corresponding to a left-hand traffic vehicle. In Fig. 11, lines VV indicate vertical lines on the screen, and lines HH indicate horizontal lines on the left and right of the screen. Here, the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines is assumed to be the horizontal reference position.

[0076] The irradiation pattern P2 shown in FIG. 11 includes a low beam pattern PL and an overhead pattern PO.

[0077] The low beam pattern PL is formed by light rays L3 and L5 emitted from the projection-side emission surface 126b. A portion of the light rays L3 and L5 is emitted from the emission surface 123a via the cutoff forming portion 125, thereby forming a cutoff line CL. Horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc are formed by the light rays that pass through the first straight line portion 125a and the second straight line portion 125c of the cutoff forming portion 125. Furthermore, an oblique cutoff line CLb is formed by the light rays that pass through the inclined portion 125b of the cutoff forming portion 125.

[0078] The overhead pattern PO is formed by the light beam L5 emitted from the projection-side emission surface 126b. The overhead pattern PO is formed, for example, above the low beam pattern PL.

[0079] As described above, light ray L5 reaches the third reflecting surface 122c closer to the edge portion 124 than light ray L3. Therefore, light ray L5 is irradiated onto an area closer to the cutoff line CL (for example, area PLa in FIG. 11) than light ray L3. Therefore, light ray L3 and light ray L5 can improve the amount of light in the low beam pattern PL near the cutoff line CL.

[0080] As described above, the vehicle light guide 120 of this embodiment includes the incident portion 121, the light guide portion 122, and the exit portion 123, and further includes the projection lens portion 126 arranged in front of the exit portion 123 with a gap therebetween, which projects the light emitted from the exit portion 123 forward, and the connecting portion 128 which connects the exit portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 together.

[0081] According to this configuration, the provision of projection lens unit 126 can reduce the curvature of projection-side exit surface 126a, thereby improving the design when viewed from the front side. Also, because exit unit 123 and projection lens unit 126 are provided integrally by connecting unit 128, the number of parts can be reduced compared to when a projection lens is provided separately.

[0082] In the vehicle light guide 120 according to this embodiment, the connecting portion 128 connects the lower portions of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 to each other and both side portions in the left-right direction to each other.

[0083] According to this configuration, connecting portion 128 connects the lower portions and both left and right sides of emission portion 123 and projection lens portion 126, respectively, so that emission portion 123 and projection lens portion 126 can be firmly connected.

[0084] In the vehicle light guide 120 according to this embodiment, an incident portion 121 and a light guide portion 122 are provided so as to be separable.

[0085] According to this configuration, since incident portion 121 and light guiding portion 122 are separable, incident portion 121 and light guiding portion 122 can be formed as separate members using different materials. As a result, for example, by forming incident portion 121, which is closer to light source 111, using a material with high heat resistance, vehicle light guide 120 with high heat resistance can be obtained.

[0086] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the vehicle light guide 120, the light guide section 122 may be provided so that the first reflecting surface 122a can be separated from the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c. In this case, the positional relationship between the first reflecting surface 122a and the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c can be adjusted.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the vehicle light guide 20, 120 has been described with reference to an example of a configuration for forming a low beam pattern PL, but is not limited to this configuration. The vehicle light guide 20, 120 can also be used to form other patterns, such as a high beam pattern or an ADB pattern. In this case, the cutoff forming portion 25, 125 is not provided. Furthermore, the edge portion 24, 124 may not be provided. Note that, when the edge portion 224, 124 is provided, the edge portion 24, 124 does not have to be positioned at the focal position F on the rear side of the emission surface 23a, 123a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] AX...optical axis, CL...cutoff line, CLa, CLc...horizontal cutoff line, CLb...diagonal cutoff line, F...focal position, L, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5...light ray, P1, P2...irradiation pattern, PL...low beam pattern, PO...overhead pattern, 10,110...light source unit, 11,111...light source, 11a, 111a...light emitting surface, 12,112...substrate, 12a, 112a...mounting surface, 20,120...vehicle light guide, 21,121...incident portion, 21a, 121a...opposing incident surface, 21b, 121b...side incident surface, 21c, 121c...reflecting surface, 22,120, 122...light guide unit, 22a, 122a... First reflecting surface, 22b, 122b... second reflecting surface, 22c, 122c... third reflecting surface, 23, 123... exit portion, 23a, 121d, 123a... exit surface, 24, 124... edge portion, 25, 125... cutoff forming portion, 25a, 125a... first straight portion, 25b, 125b... inclined portion, 25c, 125c... second straight portion, 26, 129... mounting portion, 30, 130... support member, 41, 141... screw member, 100, 200... vehicular lamp, 122d... incident surface, 126... projection lens portion, 126a... projection-side incident surface, 126a, 126b... projection-side exit surface, 127... prism portion, 128... connecting portion, 128a... bottom portion, 128b... side wall portion

Claims

1. an incident portion to which light from the light source is incident; a light guide section including a first reflecting surface that reflects light incident from the incident section upward, a second reflecting surface that reflects light reflected by the first reflecting surface upward, and a third reflecting surface that is bent forward from an upper end of the second reflecting surface and reflects light reflected by the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface forward; an exit portion that outputs the light reflected by the third reflecting surface forward; A vehicle light guide comprising:

2. the light guide portion has an edge portion provided in a state of extending in the left-right direction from the second reflecting surface to a bending portion of the third reflecting surface, The edge portion has a cutoff forming portion that forms a cutoff line of the irradiation pattern. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. The incident portion is arranged in plurality in the left-right direction, The light reflected by the first reflecting surface is incident on the third reflecting surface along the edge portion in accordance with the position of the incident portion. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 2 .

4. The incident portion is arranged in plurality in the left-right direction, Of the plurality of incident portions, light from the incident portion arranged at a position near the optical axis of the output portion forms a region on the left-right central side of the irradiation pattern, and light from the incident portion arranged at a position away from the optical axis forms regions on both left and right sides of the central region of the irradiation pattern. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 2 .

5. The incident portion is a facing incident surface provided opposite the light source and a side incident surface arranged along an outer periphery of the facing incident surface, The light incident from the opposing incident surface is incident on the entire range of the third reflecting surface in the front-to-rear direction, and the light incident from the side incident surface is incident on the area along the edge portion of the third reflecting surface. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 2 .

6. The light guiding unit is configured such that the first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface, and the third reflecting surface are arranged such that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface reaches the edge portion side of the third reflecting surface more closely than the light reflected by the first reflecting surface. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 2 .

7. a projection lens unit disposed in front of the light exiting unit with a gap therebetween, the projection lens unit projecting the light emitted from the light exiting unit forward; a connecting portion that integrally connects the light emitting portion and the projection lens portion; The vehicle light guide according to claim 1 , further comprising:

8. The connecting portion connects the lower portions of the light emitting portion and the projection lens portion to each other and both left and right side portions of the light emitting portion and the projection lens portion to each other. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 7.

9. The incident portion and the light guide portion are provided separably. The light guide for a vehicle according to claim 7.

10. A light source and The vehicle light guide according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which guides light from the light source and irradiates it ahead of the vehicle. A vehicle lighting fixture comprising:

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