Rear lamp structure for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a rear lamp structure for a vehicle improved in appearance and visibility with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A first lens member 102 capable of transmitting light, a first light source unit 110 provided above the first lens member 102 and configured to irradiate the first lens member 102 with light, a plurality of light emitting units 108 provided at predetermined positions of the first lens member 102 and configured to reflect light from the first light source unit 110 to a vehicle exterior side, and a second lens member 104 provided to overlap a vehicle interior side of the first lens member 102; The vehicular lighting fixture includes a second light source unit 124 which is provided on the vehicle interior side of a second lens member 104 and emits light by irradiating the second lens member 104 with light during deceleration of a vehicle, and a plurality of light shielding parts 130 which are provided at predetermined positions of a first lens member 102 and partially shield light from the second lens member 104.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rear lamp structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Current vehicle lamps use multiple LED elements. For example, in the rear combination lamp described in Patent Document 1, multiple turn lamp LEDs 13a and multiple backup lamp LEDs 13b are mounted on a light source substrate 14a shown in Fig. 2. Also, multiple tail and stop lamp LEDs 13c are mounted on a light source substrate 14c shown in Fig. 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-113433 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional vehicle lamps, multiple LED elements were placed in various locations to ensure that the entire lamp emitted light evenly and without color variations. This could lead to increased costs and device dimensions depending on the lamp design, and this often became a constraint when creating new designs.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a rear lamp structure for a vehicle that has a simple configuration and improves aesthetics and visibility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of a vehicle rear lamp structure according to the present invention is a vehicle rear lamp structure installed at the rear of a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a first lens member that is transmissive to light, a first light source unit that is provided above the first lens member and irradiates light onto the first lens member, a plurality of light-emitting portions that are provided at predetermined locations on the first lens member and reflect light from the first light source unit to the outside of the vehicle, a second lens member that is provided on top of the inside of the first lens member, a second light source unit that is provided on the inside of the second lens member and irradiates light onto the second lens member to cause it to emit light when the vehicle decelerates, and a plurality of light-shielding portions that are provided at predetermined locations on the first lens member and partially block light from the second lens member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rear lamp structure for a vehicle that has a simple configuration and improves aesthetics and visibility. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle rear lamp structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1(a) is an exploded view of the rear lamp structure of FIG. 1(a). [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rear lamp structure of FIG. 1(b) and FIG. 1(c). [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the second lens member of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A vehicle rear lamp structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle rear lamp structure installed at the rear of a vehicle, and is characterized by comprising: a first lens member that is transmissive to light; a first light source unit that is provided above the first lens member and irradiates light onto the first lens member; a plurality of light-emitting portions that are provided at predetermined locations on the first lens member and reflect light from the first light source unit to the outside of the vehicle; a second lens member that is provided on top of the inside of the first lens member; a second light source unit that is provided on the inside of the second lens member and irradiates light onto the second lens member to cause it to emit light when the vehicle decelerates; and a plurality of light-shielding portions that are provided at predetermined locations on the first lens member and partially block light from the second lens member.

[0010] The above-mentioned vehicle rear lamp structure has a first lens element and a second lens element that are installed one on top of the other, and can be used, for example, by turning on the first lens element at night or when reversing, and turning on the second lens element when decelerating. In this case, by partially blocking the light from the second lens element with the light-blocking portion of the first lens element, it is possible to produce different light designs when the first lens element is turned on and when the second lens element is turned on.

[0011] Therefore, the above configuration can improve the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle and also improve visibility for following vehicles. Furthermore, the above configuration can efficiently light the first lens member and the second lens member using the first light source unit and the second light source unit, thereby simplifying the device configuration. Furthermore, the above configuration can reduce the dimensions of the device by stacking the first lens member and the second lens member, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the device configuration and reduce the installation space.

[0012] The first light source unit may include a light guide member that extends along the upper end face of the first lens member and irradiates the end face with light, and a first light source section that is provided near an end of the light guide member and irradiates the end face with light, causing the light guide member to emit light.The second light source unit may include a substrate that is provided on the interior side of the second lens member, and a plurality of second light source sections that are provided at predetermined locations on the substrate and irradiate the second lens member with light from the interior side of the vehicle, causing the second lens member to emit light.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the first lens member and the second lens member can be made to emit light efficiently with a simple configuration, so that the number of first light source units and second light source units can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the device configuration and the installation space while keeping costs down. do.

[0014] The second lens element has a lens cut portion formed by forming a plurality of concave or convex shapes over the entire surface of the second lens element facing the interior of the vehicle, which reflects light from the second light source unit to the exterior of the vehicle, and the lens cut portion may have a depth of the concave or a height of the convex that increases as the distance from a specified light source of the second light source unit increases.

[0015] The above configuration allows the second lens member to emit light efficiently with a simple configuration. In particular, the lens cut portion is configured so that the amount of light reflected increases the farther it is from the light source of the second light source unit, making it possible to emit light uniformly across the entire area of ​​the second lens member.

[0016] A light-shielding portion may be formed on the vehicle interior side of each of the plurality of light-emitting portions.

[0017] The above configuration allows the first lens element and the second lens element to be illuminated with different designs using a simple configuration. Furthermore, the simplicity of the configuration increases the degree of freedom for design changes, which can contribute to improving the aesthetics of the vehicle. [Example]

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in these embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention and, unless otherwise specified, do not limit the present invention. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0019] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a rear lamp structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as a rear lamp structure 100).

[0020] The rear lamp structure 100 is a lamp installed at the rear of a vehicle and can be implemented as, for example, a tail lamp or a stop lamp. The rear lamp structure 100 includes a first lens element 102, a second lens element 104, and a third lens element 106.

[0021] The first lens element 102 and the second lens element 104 are stacked and emit different light beams, enabling the production of a design light with improved aesthetics and visibility. The third lens element 106 is provided independently below the first lens element 102, etc., and can emit light beams different from those of the first lens element 102, etc.

[0022] Rear lamp structure 100 may include an outer lens (not shown), in which case first lens member 102, second lens member 104, and third lens member 106 may be implemented as inner lenses. By employing outer lenses, it becomes possible to appropriately set the design of rear lamp structure 100 in terms of the exterior appearance of the vehicle.

[0023] Fig. 1(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the first lens member 102 in Fig. 1(a) is lit. The first lens member 102 can function as a tail lamp that can be lit, for example, at night or when backing up, to alert following vehicles to the presence of the vehicle.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first lens member 102 is provided with a plurality of circular light emitting portions 108, and the first lens member 102 can emit light in a polka dot pattern.

[0025] Fig. 1(c) is a diagram showing a state in which the second lens member 104 of Fig. 1(b) is turned on. The second lens member 104 can function as a brake light to notify following vehicles that the vehicle is decelerating.

[0026] In this embodiment, the entire area of ​​the second lens member 104 can emit light. In this case, the back side of the light-emitting portion 108 of the first lens member 102 is a light-shielding portion 130 (see FIG. 3(b)) that blocks light from the second lens member 104. The light-shielding portion 130 partially blocks light from the second lens member 104, making it possible for the second lens member 104 to emit light in a design that is the inverse of the state in which the first lens member 102 emits light in FIG. 1(b).

[0027] For example, during deceleration, the third lens member 106 can be made to glow more brightly than the second lens member 104. By making the third lens member 106 glow brightly, it becomes possible to more reliably call the attention of following vehicles.

[0028] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the rear lamp structure 100 of Fig. 1(a). The rear lamp structure 100 is mainly composed of lens members and light source units that illuminate them.

[0029] The first lens member 102 is a transparent plate-like member made of a light-transmitting material such as acrylic or polycarbonate.

[0030] A plurality of light-emitting portions 108 are provided at various locations on the interior surface of first lens member 102. Light-emitting portions 108 are formed of circular opaque resin parts or the like, and are capable of reflecting and emitting light from first light source unit 110 to the exterior of the vehicle.

[0031] First light source unit 110 is provided above first lens member 102. First light source unit 110 irradiates end surface 122 of first lens member 102 with light, causing light emitting portion 108 to emit light. First light source unit 110 is configured to include substrate 111, first light source portion 112, and light guide portion 114.

[0032] The substrate 111 is electrically connected to the vehicle side. The first light source unit 112 is provided on the substrate 111 near an end of the light guide unit 114. The first light source unit 112 can be implemented by, for example, an LED element. The first light source unit 112 emits light when powered, and irradiates the light onto the end 120 of the light guide unit 114, causing the light guide unit 114 to emit light.

[0033] Light guide section 114 is L-shaped, with its long portion extending along the upper end surface 122 of first lens member 102. Light guide section 114 can be made of transparent resin, similar to first lens member 102. Light guide section 114 receives light from first light source section 112, emits light, and irradiates end surface 122 with the light.

[0034] Second lens member 104 is provided on the vehicle interior side of first lens member 102. Second lens member 104 is also a transparent plate-shaped member, and is made of a light-transmitting material such as acrylic or polycarbonate.

[0035] Second lens member 104 is provided with lens cut portions 134 (see FIG. 4(a)), which will be described later, over the entire surface facing the vehicle interior, and is configured to emit light over the entire surface. In addition, a plurality of light receiving portions 132 are provided on the vehicle interior side of second lens member 104. Light receiving portions 132 are provided in accordance with the number of second light source portions 128 of second light source unit 124, protrude from the vehicle interior side surface of second lens member 104, and receive light from second light source portions 128.

[0036] The second lens member 104 can be formed separately from the first lens member 102, or can be formed integrally with the first lens member 102 on the vehicle interior side. In other words, the first lens member 102 and the second lens member 104 can be made into an integrated part by two-layer molding.

[0037] Second light source unit 124 is provided on the vehicle interior side of second lens member 104. Second light source unit 124 irradiates second lens member 104 with light when the vehicle is decelerating, causing second lens member 104 to emit light. Second light source unit 124 is configured such that multiple second light source portions 128 are provided on a substrate 126.

[0038] Substrate 126 is provided on the vehicle interior side of second lens member 104 and is electrically connected to the vehicle side. Second light source unit 128 can be implemented by, for example, an LED element. A plurality of second light source units 128 are provided at predetermined locations on substrate 126, emit light using electricity, and irradiate light onto each of light receiving units 132 of second lens member 104 from the vehicle interior side, causing second lens member 104 to emit light.

[0039] The third lens member 106 is a small, horizontally elongated lens member, and is provided below the first lens member 102.

[0040] The third light source unit 136 has a plurality of third light source sections 140 on a substrate 138, and is provided on the vehicle interior side of the third lens member 106. The third light source sections 140 can also be implemented by LED elements that emit light when powered and irradiate the third lens member 106 with light from the vehicle interior side, causing the third lens member 106 to emit light.

[0041] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rear lamp structure 100 of Fig. 1(b) and Fig. 1(c). Fig. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of the rear lamp structure 100 of Fig. 1(b) taken along line AA. Fig. 3(a) shows a state in which the first lens member 102 is turned on at night or when backing up.

[0042] As described above, first lens member 102 is illuminated by first light source unit 110 (see FIG. 2). Light guide member 114 of first light source unit 110 receives light from first light source section 112, emits light, and irradiates upper end surface 122 of first lens member 102 with the light.

[0043] Light-emitting unit 108 emits light by reflecting it at a right angle after it enters first lens member 102 from end surface 122. The color of the light emitted at this time can be set appropriately depending on the type of first light source unit 112, the materials of light guide unit 114 and first lens member 102, and the material of the outer lens (not shown).

[0044] The light guide portion 114 may be configured so that only the lower portion facing the end face 122 emits light. For example, the light guide portion 114 may be processed such that the lower portion has fine irregularities so that light is emitted only from the lower portion.

[0045] Fig. 3(b) is a BB cross-sectional view of the rear lamp structure 100 of Fig. 1(c). Fig. 3(b) shows a state in which the first lens member 102 is turned off and the second lens member 104 is turned on during deceleration.

[0046] As described above, second lens member 104 is illuminated by second light source unit 124. Second light source section 128 of second light source unit 124 irradiates light onto each of convex light receiving sections 132. Second lens member 104 is provided with lens cut sections 134 (see FIG. 4(a)), which will be described later, over the entire surface facing the interior of the vehicle. This allows second lens member 104 to reflect light entering from light receiving sections 132 in a direction perpendicular to the entire surface facing the interior of the vehicle, thereby emitting light.

[0047] A light-shielding portion 130 is formed on the interior side of each light-emitting portion 108, i.e., on the second lens member 104 side of the light-emitting portion 108. The light-shielding portion 130 is a portion made of an opaque resin or the like, and partially blocks light from the second lens member 104. As a result, when the second lens member 104 is turned on, it can emit light in a design that is the inverse of the state in which the first lens member 102 in FIG. 3(a) emits light.

[0048] In this way, the rear lamp structure of this embodiment switches from emitting light from the first lens member 102 in Fig. 3(a) to emitting light from the second lens member 104 in Fig. 3(b), thereby reversing the light design from Fig. 1(b) to Fig. 1(c), thereby improving the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle and clearly calling the attention of following vehicles.

[0049] In the rear lamp structure 100 of this embodiment, a first lens member 102 and a second lens member 104 are installed one on top of the other, and it is possible to use the structure by turning on the first lens member 102, for example, at night or when reversing, and turning on the second lens member 104 when decelerating. In this case, by partially blocking the light from the second lens member 104 with the light-blocking portion 130 of the first lens member 102, it is possible to produce light with different designs when the first lens member 102 and the second lens member 104 are turned on.

[0050] The rear lamp structure 100 not only improves the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle, but also improves visibility for following vehicles. Furthermore, by stacking the first lens member 102 and the second lens member 104, the dimensions of the device, particularly the thickness of the device, can be reduced, making it possible to miniaturize the device configuration and reduce the installation space.

[0051] According to the rear lamp structure 100, the first lens member 102 and the second lens member 104 can be illuminated efficiently and with different designs using a simple configuration that utilizes the first light source unit 110 and the second light source unit 124. In particular, the limited number of first light source units 112 and second light source units 128 can be efficiently utilized to widely illuminate the first lens member 102 and the second lens member 104. This reduces the number of LED elements used as the first light source units 112 and the second light source units 128, which contributes to a more compact device configuration and a reduction in installation space while keeping costs down.

[0052] The rear lamp structure 100 has a simple configuration that utilizes the light-emitting portion 108 and the light-blocking portion 130, and achieves different light emission designs when the first lens member 102 and the second lens member 104 are lit. Therefore, the light presentation can be changed simply by changing the design of the light-emitting portion 108 and the light-blocking portion 130, without having to change the outer lens (not shown) or the housing that is the attachment portion to the vehicle. This increases the degree of freedom in design changes, and makes it possible to reduce the costs and labor required for design changes.

[0053] Figure 4 shows the second lens member 104 of Figure 2. Figure 4(a) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the light receiving portion 132 of the second lens member 104 of Figure 2. Recess 142

[0054] A plurality of lens cut portions 134 are formed on the surface of second lens member 104 facing the vehicle interior side. Lens cut portions 134 are light-emitting portions provided over the entire surface of second lens member 104 facing the vehicle interior side. Lens cut portions 134 are formed by providing a plurality of fine concave-shaped depressions over the entire surface of second lens member 104 facing the vehicle interior side.

[0055] Fig. 4(b) is a CC cross-sectional view of second lens member 104 in Fig. 4(a). Lens cut portion 134 is provided as a truncated cone-shaped recess. A cone-shaped recess 142 is provided in second lens member 104 at a position opposite light receiving portion 132. Light from second light source unit 128 (see Fig. 3(b)) that enters light receiving portion 132 is reflected by recess 142 and travels inside second lens member 104, then reflected by lens cut portion 134 and heads toward the exterior of the vehicle.

[0056] Lens cut portion 134 is provided so that its depth increases with the distance from light receiving portion 132, i.e., the distance from second light source portion 128 (see FIG. 3(b)). The depth of lens cut portion 134 is the dimension from the surface of second lens member 104 facing the interior of the vehicle to the top surface of truncated cone-shaped lens cut portion 134. For example, the depth of lens cut portion 134 gradually increases from depth W1 on the light receiving portion 132 side to depth W2 at a more distant location. This allows lens cut portion 134 to reflect more light the farther it is from second light source portion 128.

[0057] The above-described lens cut portion 134 enables efficient light emission from second lens member 104 with a simple configuration. In particular, lens cut portion 134 is configured so that the amount of light reflected increases the farther the distance from the light source of second light source unit 124, making it possible to cause second lens member 104 to emit light uniformly across the entire area.

[0058] In this embodiment, as an example, the upper surface of the truncated cone-shaped lens cut portion 134 is provided along a surface that is inclined at about 0.25° with respect to the surface of the second lens member 104 facing the interior of the vehicle. This angle can be changed as appropriate in accordance with the output of the LED element serving as the second light source portion 128, the dimensions of the second lens member 104, etc.

[0059] Furthermore, the lens cut portion 134 may be provided as a concave depression or as a convex protrusion. The convex lens cut portion 134 also allows the light from the second light source unit 128 to be reflected and emitted to the outside of the vehicle.

[0060] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0061] The present invention can be used in a rear lamp structure for a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 100...rear lamp structure, 102...first lens member, 104...second lens member, 106...third lens member, 108...light emitting portion, 110...first light source unit, 111...substrate, 112...first light source portion, 114...light guide portion, 120...end portion, 122...end surface, 124...second light source unit, 126...substrate, 128...second light source portion, 130...light shielding portion, 132...light receiving portion, 134...lens cut portion, 136...third light source unit, 138...substrate, 140...third light source portion, 142...recess

Claims

1. A vehicle rear lamp structure to be installed at the rear of a vehicle, a first lens member that is light transmissive; a first light source unit provided above the first lens member to irradiate the first lens member with light; a plurality of light-emitting portions provided at predetermined positions of the first lens member and configured to reflect light from the first light source unit toward an exterior of the vehicle; a second lens member provided on the vehicle interior side of the first lens member so as to overlap the first lens member; a second light source unit provided on an interior side of the second lens member and configured to irradiate the second lens member with light to cause it to emit light when the vehicle is decelerating; a plurality of light-shielding portions provided at predetermined locations of the first lens member to partially block light from the second lens member; A rear lamp structure for a vehicle, comprising:

2. The first light source unit is a light guide member that extends along an upper end surface of the first lens member and irradiates the end surface with light; a first light source unit provided near an end of the light guide member and irradiating the end with light to cause the light guide member to emit light; and The second light source unit is a substrate provided on the vehicle interior side of the second lens member; a plurality of second light source units provided at predetermined locations on the substrate and configured to irradiate the second lens member with light from inside the vehicle, causing the second lens member to emit light; 2. The vehicle rear lamp structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. the second lens member has a lens cut portion formed by forming a plurality of concave or convex shapes over the entire surface of the second lens member facing the interior of the vehicle, and the lens cut portion reflects light from the second light source unit toward the exterior of the vehicle; 2. The vehicle rear lamp structure according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the recess or the height of the protrusion of the lens cut portion increases as the distance from the predetermined light source of the second light source unit increases.

4. 2. The vehicle rear lamp structure according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding portion is formed on the vehicle interior side of each of the plurality of light-emitting portions.

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