Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture with a high design effect which acquires a desired light distribution characteristic, and which has a light emitting surface of uniform brightness.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture includes: a light source 20 (LED 202); an emission lens 23 for transmitting the light of the light source 20 and emitting it; and an extension 12 as a decoration member disposed on the front side of the emission lens 23. The emission lens 23 includes a bent part 233 which is constituted by a tabular translucent member, and in which at least part is bent and formed in a convex-shape in the plate thickness direction, and which protrudes frontward from an open window 121 of the extension 12. The surface of the bent part 233 is constituted as an emission surface, and surface processing is performed on the emission surface as a rough surface for diffusing light. The bent part 233 is visible from a wide angle region on the lamp front, and a desired light distribution characteristic can be acquired. In the appearance, brightness is controlled due to the diffusion of the light on the emission surface, and visibility can be acquired.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp that achieves desired light distribution characteristics and enhances design effects when lit. [Background technology]

[0002] One form of vehicle lighting fixture (lamp) used as an indicator light or signal light on an automobile has an extension arranged as a design element on the front side of an emission lens that emits light emitted from a light source with a required light distribution. The front surface of the emission lens is partially exposed through an opening window provided in this extension, and light is emitted from the exposed front portion of the emission lens, which functions as the light-emitting surface of the lamp. Patent Document 1 discloses an extension with multiple opening windows arranged on the front side of the lens, and the front area of ​​the lens exposed by these opening windows is configured as the light-emitting surface.

[0003] In the lamp of Patent Document 1, the front surface of the lens is located behind the extension, so some of the light emitted from the front surface of the lens may be blocked by the extension, making it difficult to increase the light emission angle and obtain the desired light distribution characteristics.Patent Document 1 provides a protrusion on part of the lens that faces forward of the extension, and by emitting light from this protrusion, the emission angle is increased and the desired light distribution characteristics are obtained. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-53146 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology of Patent Document 1 can obtain the desired light distribution by using the protrusion, but the light-emitting surface behind the extension is difficult to see when observing the lamp from an oblique side or side, for example, because it is blocked by the extension. As a result, it may not be possible to see the entire light-emitting surface of the lamp, which leaves an issue in terms of the lamp's design, i.e., the appearance of the light-emitting surface of the lamp.

[0006] To address this issue, a possible configuration is to bend a portion of the lens in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional direction so that it protrudes forward from the opening of the extension, and emit light from this bent portion. However, when a two-dimensional or three-dimensional bend is provided on the lens in this manner, the bent portion has a front portion facing the front of the lamp, as well as side portions facing in a direction intersecting the front portion. With such a bent portion, when light emitted from the light source passes through the lens, the light emitted from each side portion may have different brightness and be directed in different directions, making it difficult to design a lamp to achieve the desired light distribution. Furthermore, when observing the lamp, the brightness of the front portion and side portions of the bent portion may differ, which may result in an inconsistency in the brightness of the lamp's light-emitting surface, thereby degrading the lamp's design.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that has a desired light distribution characteristic, a light-emitting surface with uniform brightness, and a highly aesthetic design effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention comprises a light source, an exit lens that transmits and emits light from the light source, and an extension as a decorative member disposed in front of the exit lens. The exit lens has a bent portion that protrudes forward from an opening window of the extension, and the surface of the bent portion is configured as an exit surface from which light is emitted in a diffused state.

[0009] For example, the output lens may be made of a plate-like light-transmitting member, and the bent portion may be formed by bending at least a portion of the output lens in a convex shape in the plate thickness direction. The output surface of the output lens may be surface-treated to diffuse light, for example, to have a roughened surface. Alternatively, the output surface may be made of a microlens array. Furthermore, the output lens may be configured to include a light diffusion element that diffuses the light that passes through it.

[0010] In addition, an intermediate lens may be provided between the light source and the output lens to diffuse the light from the light source and make it incident on the output lens. Also, a light guide lens may be provided between the light source and the intermediate lens to guide the light from the light source and make it incident over the entire area of ​​the incident surface of the intermediate lens. Furthermore, a reflector may be provided behind the light guide lens to retroreflect light leaking from the light guide lens back towards the light guide lens. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the bent portion of the emission lens protrudes further forward than the extension, and light is emitted from this bent portion, so the emitted light is not blocked by the extension and desired light distribution characteristics are obtained. Furthermore, the bent portion from which light is emitted can be seen from a wide range of directions in front, and from any direction, the bent portion can be seen as a light-emitting surface that emits light with controlled brightness, thereby improving the design of the vehicle lamp. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of an automobile equipped with a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment, and a schematic perspective view of a right rear combination lamp with a portion thereof cut away. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] Enlarged cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1 [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic partially exploded perspective view of the main part of the tail lamp unit as seen from the front. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the lens shown in FIG. 4 as seen from behind. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the horizontal optical path of emitted light. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path of emitted light in the vertical direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an automobile (CAR) equipped with a vehicle lamp according to the present invention, which is applied to rear combination lamps RCL disposed on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle body as vehicle lamps. FIG. 1 also shows a schematic perspective view with a portion of the right rear combination RCL cut away; the left rear combination lamp has a symmetrical configuration and will not be described here. In the following description, the terms "front" and "front-rear" or "front-rear direction" refer to the front-rear direction of the rear combination lamp RCL, and the direction of light emitted from the rear combination lamp RCL is the forward direction. This forward direction may also be referred to as the "front direction."

[0014] The rear combination lamp RCL has a lamp housing 100, and a lamp unit 1 is disposed within this lamp housing 100. The lamp housing 100 is composed of a lamp body 101 that is open on the front side, and a translucent, colorless outer lens 102 that is attached so as to cover the opening of this lamp body 101. This outer lens 102 is formed into a curved surface that curves slightly from the front to the side, following the curved shape of the right rear part of the body of an automobile CAR.

[0015] The lamp unit 1 includes a tail lamp 2 disposed in a lower region within the lamp housing 100, two lamps 3 and 4 disposed on the left and right sides above the tail lamp 2, and one lamp 5 disposed outside the tail lamp 2 in the vehicle width direction, all configured as an integrated unit. The tail lamp 2 is configured as two lines with the lamp light-emitting surface bent in a curved shape to enhance design, but it may be configured as one or three or more lines, and does not necessarily have to be formed in a curved shape. The two upper lamps 3 and 4 are configured as, for example, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, or backup lamps. Here, they are configured as a stop lamp 3 and a turn signal lamp 4. The outer lamp is configured as a side marker lamp. These lamps 3, 4, and 5 may also be configured as lamps other than these.

[0016] Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged cross-sectional views of the main parts taken along lines II-II and III-III in Figure 1, respectively. Also, Figure 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a part of the lamp unit 1 as seen from the front. The lamp unit 1 has a unit body 11 that functions as a reflector, and an extension 12 is attached to the entire front area of ​​this unit body 11 as a design member.

[0017] The unit body 11 has a curved plate-like portion, the front surface of which is surface-treated to increase light reflectivity and configured as a reflective surface 111. For example, it may be coated with white paint or aluminum vapor-deposited. Therefore, the unit body 11 also functions as a reflector. An extension 12 is integrally supported on the front side of the unit body 11, and the lamps 2, 3, 4, and 5 are formed within a unit chamber formed by these components. For example, although not shown, the unit body 11 and extension 12 are integrally supported by engaging portions provided on the extension 12 with the unit 11.

[0018] The extension 12 has opening windows for emitting light corresponding to the tail lamp 2, stop lamp 3, turn signal lamp 4, and side marker lamp 5. For the tail lamp 2, two linear opening windows 121 extending in the left-right direction are formed in the lower region of the extension 12. For the stop lamp 3, turn signal lamp 4, and side marker lamp 5, a plurality of opening windows 122 are formed in the upper region and outer region of the linear opening windows 121.

[0019] A curved gap is defined in the lower region of the extension 12, i.e., the internal region sandwiched in the fore-and-aft direction between the region where the two linear opening windows 121 are formed and the unit body 11, and a tail lamp 2 is disposed in this gap. Furthermore, as shown in part in FIG. 3, a space having a required dimension in the fore-and-aft direction is defined in the rear portion of the upper region of the extension 12, and a stop lamp 3 and a turn signal lamp 4 are disposed in this space. Furthermore, as shown in part in FIG. 2, side marker lamps 5 are disposed in the rear portion of the outer region of the extension 12 in the vehicle width direction. Since the stop lamps 3, turn signal lamps 4, and side marker lamps 5 are not particularly relevant to the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0020] 4, the tail lamp 2 is composed of a light source 20 and three lenses 21, 22, and 23 for emitting light from the light source 20 with a desired light distribution. These three lenses 21, 22, and 23 are configured as a light guide lens 21, an intermediate lens 22, and an emission lens 23, which are arranged from the light reflecting surface 111 of the unit body 11 toward the extension 12. Light emitted from the light source 20 is guided through the light guide lens 21 and then emitted toward the intermediate lens 22, then transmitted through the intermediate lens 22, and further transmitted through the emission lens 23, before being emitted forward or to the side of the tail lamp 2 with a desired light distribution.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the three lenses 21 to 23 as viewed from the rear. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the light guide lens 21 is formed of a colorless, light-transmitting member capable of guiding light, and is formed in the shape of a horizontally curved plate so as to be disposed along the curved light-reflecting surface 111 of the unit body 11. That is, the light guide lens 21 is configured to include a front region 211 that functions as the tail lamp 2, and a wraparound region 212 that extends in a curved shape laterally from the front region 211 and guides light to the front region 211. The light guide lens 21 is supported integrally with the unit body 11 by engaging pieces 21a provided on both horizontal ends of the light guide lens 21 with engaging holes 11a in the unit body 11. One end surface of the wraparound region 212 of the light guide lens 21 is configured as an incident surface 213 onto which light from the light source 20 is incident.

[0022] The rear surface of the front region 211 of the light guiding lens 21 is configured as a reflecting surface 214, and a large number of light reflecting steps 215, each having a required tapered shape in cross section in the horizontal direction, such as a sawtooth shape, and extending in the vertical direction or in a vertically oblique direction, are formed integrally on this reflecting surface 214 in a state of being arranged in the horizontal direction of the light guiding lens 21. In addition, the front surface of the front region 211 of the light guiding lens 21 is configured as an exit surface 216, and a large number of refractive steps, for example, cylindrical steps 217, each having an arc-shaped cross section in the vertical direction and extending in the horizontal direction, are formed integrally on this exit surface 216 in a state of being arranged in the vertical direction of the light guiding lens 21.

[0023] The light source 20 is composed of a light-emitting element that emits white light or red light. In this example, it is composed of three independent chip-shaped LEDs (light-emitting diodes) 202, which are mounted in an array on a single light source substrate 201. This light source substrate 201 is attached to the unit body 11, and the multiple LEDs 202 mounted on the light source substrate 201 are supported so that their light-emitting surfaces face the incident surface 213 of the light guide lens 21. Since the incident surface 213 of the light guide lens 21 is formed on one end surface of the wraparound area 212, the substrate 201 and the LEDs 202 that face the incident surface 213 can be disposed in positions away from the area on the front side of the tail lamp 2, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the tail lamp 2.

[0024] Each LED 202 is electrically connected as required by a lighting control circuit (not shown) so that it emits light when the tail lamp 2 is turned on. When each LED 202 emits light, the emitted light is incident on the incident surface 213 of the light-guiding lens 21 and is guided through the light-guiding lens 21 toward the other end surface. During the light-guiding process, the light is reflected by a reflecting step 215 provided on the reflecting surface 214 and is emitted from the exit surface 216.

[0025] The intermediate lens 22 is formed of a colorless, light-transmitting member in the shape of a slightly curved plate, and is formed in a shape and area that includes at least the opening window 121 of the extension 12. This intermediate lens 22 is disposed in front of the light guide lens 21 with a required gap therebetween, in a state that is approximately parallel to the emission surface 216 of the light guide lens 21. Abutment pieces 22a provided on the upper and lower edges of the intermediate lens 22 abut against the front edge of the unit body 11, and these abutment edges 22a are configured to be sandwiched between the intermediate lens 22 and the extension 12 supported by the unit body 11, thereby being supported integrally with the unit body 11.

[0026] The rear surface of the intermediate lens 22 is configured as an incident surface 221 onto which the light emitted from the light guide lens 21 is incident, and the front surface is configured as an exit surface 222 through which the incident light passes and exits. The intermediate lens 22 is configured so that the light emitted from the exit surface 222 is emitted in a diffused state (a state in which the light is scattered or diverged, the same applies below). Here, the exit surface 222 is surface-treated as a rough surface that diffuses the light, but it may also be configured as a fly's eye lens step in which minute convex spherical steps are arranged.

[0027] The exit lens 23 is formed from a slightly curved, plate-like red light-transmitting member, and is formed to have approximately the same outer shape and area as the intermediate lens 22. The rear surface of the exit lens 23 is configured as an incident surface 231, and the front surface is configured as an exit surface 232. The exit lens 23 has two linear bent portions 233 formed at two locations corresponding to the two opening windows 121 of the extension 12, which protrude forward beyond the front surface of the extension 12 through the opening windows 121.

[0028] The bent portion 233 is formed by bending in three dimensions into a shape similar to a square trough or a square container that has approximately the same linear shape as the opening window 121. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3, the bent portion 233 is configured to have a front portion 234 that faces forward of the tail lamp 2, and side portions 235 that extend in the front-to-rear direction at the top, bottom, left, and right peripheral edges of the front portion 234. These front portion 234 and side portion 235 protrude from the surface of the extension 12 and can be seen from a wide range of directions, from the front to the sides of the tail lamp 2.

[0029] The exit lens 23 is configured so that light emitted from the exit surface 232 is diffused. Here, the exit surface 232 of the exit lens 23 is formed as a rough surface by surface treatment such as texturing, so that light is diverged or scattered when it is emitted from the exit surface 232. The texture of this exit surface 232 is formed so that the degree of light diffusion is greater than the texture of the exit surface 222 of the intermediate lens 22, but it may be the same as the texture of the intermediate lens 22. Note that, in the exit surface 231, only the front portion 234 and the side portion 235 of the bent portion 233 may be formed as rough surfaces. Alternatively, instead of a rough surface, the exit lens 23 may be configured as a fly's eye lens in which minute convex spherical steps are arranged. Furthermore, the exit lens 23 may be configured to include a fine light diffusion element inside in order to diffuse the light emitted from the exit lens 23 within the exit lens 23.

[0030] At least one front convex portion 236 that protrudes forward by a small amount is integrally formed in an area of ​​the exit surface 232 of the exit lens 23 where no bent portion 233 is provided. Also, at least one rear convex portion 237 that protrudes backward by a small amount is integrally formed in an area of ​​the entrance surface 231 of the exit lens 23 where no bent portion 231 is provided. Here, the rear convex portion 237 is formed as a convex rib that extends along the space between the two bent portions 233.

[0031] The output lens 23 is disposed between the intermediate lens 22 and the extension 12. As described above, the extension 12 is supported integrally with the unit body 11, and the intermediate lens 22 is supported between the unit body 11 and the extension 12. Therefore, the output lens 23 is supported in a state where it is sandwiched between the output surface 222 of the intermediate lens 22 and the rear surface of the extension 12. That is, the rear surface convex portion (convex rib) 237 of the output lens 23 abuts against the output surface 222 of the intermediate lens 22, and the front surface convex portion 236 of the output lens 23 abuts against the rear surface of the extension 12, thereby being sandwiched between the intermediate lens 22 and the extension 12. The gap dimensions between the output lens 23 and the intermediate lens 22 and between the output lens 23 and the extension 12 are the protrusion dimensions of the rear surface convex portion 237 and the front surface convex portion 236, respectively, and therefore the output lens 23 can be positioned in the front-to-rear direction relative to the intermediate lens 22 and the extension 12.

[0032] According to the tail lamp 2 configured as described above, when the LEDs 202 emit light, the light from each LED 202 is incident on the light guide lens 21, and is then emitted after passing through the intermediate lens 22 and the emission lens 23. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path in the horizontal plane of the light from the LED 202 from when it enters the light guide lens 21 until it is emitted from the emission lens 23, and Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path in the vertical plane.

[0033] 6 and 7 , light from the LED 202 is incident on the incident surface 213 of the light-guiding lens 21, and is guided through the light-guiding lens 21 from the wraparound region 212 toward the front region 211. At this time, the light is guided while repeatedly being totally reflected within the light-guiding lens 21. Then, when the light is guided to the reflecting surface 214 on which the light-reflecting step 215 is formed, the light is internally reflected by the light-reflecting step 215 at an angle different from that at which the light was guided, and is emitted forward from the exit surface 216 and is incident on the incident surface 221 of the intermediate lens 22.

[0034] By appropriately designing the sawtooth shape of the light reflecting steps 215 of the light guide lens 21, the light reflected by the light reflecting surface 214 is emitted from the emission surface 216 in a state of being diverged in the horizontal direction at a required angle. Furthermore, when emitting from the emission surface 216, the light is emitted in a state of being diverged in the vertical direction by the refractive steps (cylindrical steps) 217 ​​formed on the emission surface 216. As a result, the light is incident onto almost the entire area of ​​the entrance surface 221 of the intermediate lens 22.

[0035] It should be noted that a portion of the light guided through the light guide lens 21 may leak out from the reflecting surface 214, but the leaked light is reflected by the front surface of the unit body 11, i.e., the reflecting surface 111 configured as a reflector, and is retroreflected towards the light guide lens 21. This reflected light is emitted from the exit surface 216 of the light guide lens 21.

[0036] In this way, by guiding the light from the LEDs 202 through the light guide lens 21 and emitting it from the emission surface 215, the spread of light from each LED 202 can be expanded, and even with a small number of LEDs 202, light can be incident on a wide surface area, that is, the entire area of ​​the incidence surface 216 of the intermediate lens 22. This reduces the cost associated with the LEDs 202, thereby realizing a low-cost tail lamp 2. In addition, by appropriately designing the shape of the light guide lens 21, the degree of freedom in the position at which the LEDs 202 are disposed can be increased, and the degree of freedom in the design of the tail lamp 2 can be increased.

[0037] Light incident on the incident surface 221 of the intermediate lens 22 is transmitted in the plate thickness direction of the intermediate lens 22 and is emitted from the exit surface 222. Because the exit surface 222 is rough, the emitted light is diffused. Therefore, even if the brightness of the light emitted from the exit surface 212 of the light guide lens 21 is not necessarily uniform, the uniformity of brightness is improved by the diffusion at the exit surface 212. Furthermore, because a predetermined gap defined by the rear surface convex portion 237 is provided between the exit surface 212 of the intermediate lens 22 and the incident surface 231 of the exit lens 23, the spread of the light from the intermediate lens 22 until it enters the exit lens 23 can be increased, thereby improving the uniformity of brightness.

[0038] Light emitted from intermediate lens 22 is incident on incident surface 231 of output lens 23 and is emitted from bent portion 233 protruding from opening window 121 of extension 12. Bent portion 233 has a three-dimensional shape having a front portion 234 and a side portion 235, and therefore is emitted from these front portion 234 and side portion 235. The uniformity of brightness of the light incident from intermediate lens 22 is increased by the texture of output surface 222, but output surface 232 of output lens 23, including front portion 234 and side portion 235 of bent portion 233, is roughened by texture processing, and therefore the light emitted from output surface 232 is further diffused and emitted in a scattered state. This further improves the uniformity of the brightness of the light emitted from each exit surface 232 of the front portion 234 and the side portion 235, even if the direction and angle of the light incident on each entrance surface 231 of the front portion 234 and the side portion 235 of the bent portion 233 are different.

[0039] Of the light incident on the incident surface 231 of the output lens 23, the light that is incident on an area other than the bent portion 233 is also output from the output surface 232, but since this area is disposed on the rear side of the extension 12, it is reflected by the rear surface of the extension 12 and returned to the output lens 23. Then, after being guided inside the output lens 23, it is output from the front portion 234 or the side portion 235 of the bent portion 233.

[0040] In this way, light of uniform brightness is emitted in a diffused state from the emission surface 232 of the emission lens 23, particularly from the front portion 234 and side portion 235 of the bent portion 233. Because the bent portion 233 protrudes forward of the extension 12, the light emitted from the bent portion 233 is hardly blocked by the extension 12, and desired light distribution characteristics can be obtained. Therefore, by designing the size of the bent portion 233, particularly the dimension and area of ​​the portion protruding from the extension 12, to a desired size, a tail lamp 2 with desired light distribution characteristics can be constructed, thereby increasing design freedom. Furthermore, the bent portion 233 of the emission lens 23 can be seen from a wide range of directions in front of the tail lamp 1, and the brightness of the front portion 234 and side portion 235 is uniform regardless of the direction from which the tail lamp 1 is viewed, thereby improving the design of the tail lamp 1.

[0041] Note that even when a light diffusion element is included inside output lens 23, the incident light is diffused by the light diffusion element and emitted from output surface 232, thereby improving the uniformity of brightness at front surface 234 and side surface 235 of bent portion 233. It is also possible to roughen incident surface 231 of output lens 23. However, if incident surface 231 is flat as in the embodiment, the light incident on output lens 23 is not diffused at incident surface 231, so the incident light reaches output surface 232 without being diffused and is emitted from there, thereby improving the incidence efficiency of light incident on output lens 23.

[0042] The rib-shaped rear convex portion 237 formed on the rear surface of the output lens 23 ensures the gap dimension with the intermediate lens 22 and also has the function of blocking this gap between the upper and lower bent portions 233. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress light leakage between the upper and lower bent portions 233 through the gap. For example, it is possible to suppress light incident on the lower region of the incident surface 231 of the output lens 23 from leaking to the upper region, thereby preventing it from becoming difficult to uniformly control the brightness of the upper and lower bent portions 233.

[0043] Furthermore, by processing the exit surface 232 of the exit lens 23 to a rough surface, when external light, such as sunlight or the illumination light of other vehicles, is incident on the exit surface 232, the light is prevented from being reflected in a specific direction. If the exit surface 232 were a smooth surface, the external light incident on the exit surface 232 would be specularly reflected in a specific direction corresponding to the angle of incidence, increasing the amount of reflected light. If this reflected light were directed toward others, such as occupants of other vehicles or pedestrians, the others might see the lamp as if it were lit or might be dazzling to them. However, the exit lens 23 of this embodiment can prevent such problems.

[0044] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the brightness of light is made uniform at the bent portion 233, which is the light-emitting surface of the tail lamp 2, but by appropriately adjusting the surface treatment of the light-emitting surface 232, it is also possible to achieve so-called gradation light emission, in which the brightness of the portion of the light-emitting surface 232 changes continuously or in stages. Such a configuration in which the brightness changes regularly also enhances the design.

[0045] In the present invention, as long as the bent portion of the output lens protrudes from the opening window of the extension and the light is emitted from this bent portion in a diffused state, other configurations are not limited to those described in the embodiments. For example, if the desired diffused light can be emitted using only the output lens, the intermediate lens may be omitted. Furthermore, if the light emitted from the LED can be incident on at least the bent portion of the output lens, the light guide lens may be omitted or other optical means may be used. In this case, the light source may be an illuminant other than an LED.

[0046] Other configurations of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments. For example, the shape of the bent portion of the exit lens as viewed from the front can be configured in any shape based on the design required for the tail lamp. Furthermore, as long as the bent portion protrudes from the surface of the extension, the horizontal and vertical cross-sectional shapes can also be configured in any shape. Furthermore, when a light source that emits red light is used, the exit lens may be made of a colorless or white translucent material.

[0047] The lamps to which the present invention is applicable are not limited to the tail lamps described in the embodiments, but can also be applied to vehicle lighting fixtures, such as indicator lamps such as position lamps and side marker lamps, and signal lamps such as stop lamps and turn signal lamps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Lamp unit 2 tail lamps 3 Stop lamp 4 turn signal lamps 5 Side marker lamps 11 Unit body (reflector) 12 Extension 20 light source 21 Light guide lens 22 Intermediate Lens 23 Output lens 121,122 Opening window 202 LED 211,221,231 Incidence plane 212,222,232 Exit surface 233 Bend RCL rear combination lamp CAR

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting fixture comprising a light source, an exit lens that transmits and emits light from the light source, and an extension that serves as a decorative member disposed in front of the exit lens, wherein the exit lens has a bent portion that protrudes forward from an opening window of the extension, the surface of the bent portion being configured as an exit surface, and light being emitted in a diffused state from the exit surface.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the emission lens is made of a plate-shaped light-transmitting member, and the bent portion is formed by bending at least a part of the emission lens in a convex shape in a plate thickness direction.

3. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the exit surface of the exit lens is surface-treated to diffuse light.

4. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the exit surface of the exit lens is formed as a rough surface that diffuses light.

5. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the exit lens includes a light diffusing element for diffusing light passing through the exit lens.

6. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate lens between the light source and the emission lens, which diffuses light from the light source and causes the light to enter the emission lens.

7. 7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, further comprising a light guide lens disposed between the light source and the intermediate lens, the light guide lens guiding the light from the light source and allowing the light to be incident on the entire incident surface of the intermediate lens.

8. 8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 7, further comprising a reflector provided on the rear side of the light guide lens, for retro-reflecting light leaking from the light guide lens back toward the light guide lens.

9. 9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 8, wherein the output lens, the intermediate lens, and the light guide lens are supported in a sandwiched state between a unit body constituting the reflector and the extension.

10. 10. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, which is configured as an indicator light or a signal light for an automobile.

Images