Lighting device for vehicle

Abstract

To brightly illuminate an outer lens.SOLUTION: The vehicular lighting device 10 includes the bottomed housing 11 provided with the recess 21 having the opening 21a, the outer lens 22 that closes the opening 21a, the light sources 35 that are attached to the right end portion of the bottom portion 12 of the housing 11 and emit light forward, and the inner lens 41 that is located in the recess 21 and between the outer lens 22 and the light sources 35 and has the condenser lens 42 facing the light sources 35. The opening 21a and the outer lens 22 are formed to be longer in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction. The front surface of the inner lens 41 includes a reflection surface 45 that reflects the light incident on the condenser lens 42 and an emission surface 46 that emits the reflected light. The reflecting surface 45 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so as to approach the 21a of the opening portion toward the left end portion side of the bottom portion 12. The first metallic film 51 formed by depositing metal on a film is bonded to the reflecting surface 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle lighting device that includes a light source, a long housing that houses the light source, and an outer lens that defines a lamp chamber together with the housing. In this vehicle lighting device, when light is emitted from the light source, the light passes through the outer lens. Therefore, the area of ​​the outer lens through which the light passes shines.

[0003] In the vehicle lighting device, the light sources are arranged at a plurality of locations spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction within the housing in order to improve the brightness of the outer lens when the light sources are turned on. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-64168 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above-described conventional vehicle lighting device, the greatest amount of light is transmitted through the outer lens at a portion facing the light source. The amount of light that transmits through the outer lens decreases as the distance from the portion facing the light source increases. Therefore, although the portion of the outer lens facing the light source is bright, the brightness decreases as the distance from that portion increases. The above-described conventional vehicle lighting device has room for improvement in terms of making the outer lens brighter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Various aspects of a vehicle lighting device for solving the above problems will be described below. [Aspect 1] A housing having a bottom with a recess having an opening, an outer lens closing the opening, a light source attached to the bottom of the housing, and an inner lens located within the recess and between the outer lens and the light source, wherein when three mutually orthogonal directions are defined as a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction, the opening and the outer lens extend in the first direction and the second direction, respectively, and are formed longer in the first direction than in the second direction, the light source is attached to one end of the bottom in the first direction, and is positioned at a position corresponding to one of the three directions in the third direction. and emits light toward the outer lens side, the inner lens has a condensing lens facing the light source in the third direction, the surface of the inner lens facing the outer lens in the third direction has a reflective surface of the condensing lens that reflects light that has entered the inner lens, and an emitting surface that emits the reflected light from the inner lens, the reflective surface is inclined with respect to the third direction so as to approach the opening toward the other end side of the bottom in the first direction, and a metallic film formed by vapor-depositing metal onto a film is bonded to the reflective surface.

[0007] According to the above configuration, when light is emitted from a light source attached to one end of the bottom in the first direction, the light is incident on the inner lens through the condenser lens. The light is collected by the condenser lens and irradiated onto the reflective surface. A portion of the irradiated light is reflected by the reflective surface, changing its direction of travel toward the other end of the bottom of the inner lens. The light is diffused as it passes through the inner lens, then emitted from the emitting surface and transmitted through the outer lens. A portion of the outer lens facing the emitting surface in the third direction is illuminated.

[0008] If the reflective surface of the inner lens were exposed, some of the light incident on the reflective surface would pass through without being reflected. The light that passes through the reflective surface would then pass through the outer lens. As a result, the part of the outer lens that faces the reflective surface in the third direction would shine.

[0009] In this regard, according to the above configuration, the evaporated metal of the metallic film bonded to the reflective surface reflects the irradiated light, and this reflection changes the traveling direction of the light toward the other end of the bottom of the inner lens in the first direction.

[0010] The light reflected by the metallic film and diffused by the inner lens is added to the light that would be reflected and diffused if the metallic film were not used. More light passes through the portion of the outer lens that faces the light exit surface in the third direction. Therefore, the portion of the outer lens that faces the light exit surface shines brighter than if the metallic film were not provided.

[0011] [Aspect 2] The condenser lens has an annular outer peripheral surface that becomes smaller in diameter as it approaches the light source, and when the metallic film bonded to the reflecting surface is a first metallic film, a second metallic film formed by vapor-depositing metal onto a film is bonded to the outer peripheral surface. This is the vehicle lighting device described in [Aspect 1].

[0012] According to the above configuration, even if some of the light emitted from the light source and incident on the inner lens of the condensing lens passes through the outer peripheral surface, that light is reflected by the vapor-deposited metal of the second metallic film bonded to the outer peripheral surface. The light's direction of travel is changed toward the inside of the condensing lens by this reflection. As a result, a larger amount of light is collected by the condensing lens and irradiated onto the reflective surface. This reduces the loss of light due to transmission through the outer peripheral surface.

[0013] [Aspect 3] The vehicle lighting device according to [Aspect 1] or [Aspect 2], wherein the metallic film has a light transmittance of 0% to 10%. According to the above configuration, the degree to which the metallic film bonded to the reflective surface reflects light varies depending on the light transmittance of the metallic film. When the light transmittance is 0%, the metallic film does not transmit light and reflects most of the irradiated light.

[0014] Therefore, in this case, the amount of light diffused by the inner lens and emitted from the light exit surface increases, and the portion of the outer lens facing the light exit surface in the third direction shines brighter.

[0015] In this case, light does not pass through the portion of the outer lens that faces the reflecting surface of the inner lens in the third direction, and therefore the portion does not shine. On the other hand, when the light transmittance is greater than 0% and less than or equal to 10%, the metallic film transmits an amount of light according to the light transmittance. The light that has transmitted through the metallic film is transmitted through a portion of the outer lens that faces the metallic film in the third direction.

[0016] Therefore, in this case, in addition to the portion of the outer lens facing the exit surface of the inner lens in the third direction, the portion of the outer lens facing the reflecting surface in the same direction also lights up. Because the latter portion lights up, the illuminated area of ​​the outer lens is expanded in the first direction compared to when the latter portion does not light up.

[0017] In this case, the amount of light that changes direction toward the other end of the inner lens in the first direction of the bottom is reduced by the amount of light that passes through the metallic film and is reflected by the metallic film, and therefore the amount of light that is diffused by the inner lens is reduced.

[0018] However, the light transmittance of the metallic film is low, at less than 10%, so the effect of light passing through the metallic film on the brightness of the light that is emitted from the exit surface and passes through the outer lens is small.

[0019] [Aspect 4] A vehicle lighting device described in any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 3], wherein the outer lens has a surface on the side farthest from the bottom in the third direction as a design surface, and the design surface is curved at the center in the second direction so as to be farthest from the bottom in the third direction.

[0020] When the design surface of the outer lens is curved as described above, the shining curved surface can be seen no matter where the outer lens is viewed from in the second direction outside the vehicle lighting device, so the outer lens appears to be shining with the same brightness from any point in the second direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, the outer lens can be made to shine brightly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the X portion in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state before the first and second metallic films are placed as inserts in an open mold device prior to the formation of the inner lens in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the mold device in which the first and second metallic films are arranged is clamped, following the state shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle lighting device of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, in order to specify directions when describing each part of the vehicle lighting device 10, three mutually orthogonal directions are defined as a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the long, plate-shaped outer lens 22 is used as a reference, and this direction is defined as the left-right direction, the short-side direction is defined as the up-down direction, and the thickness direction of the outer lens 22 is defined as the front-rear direction. The left-right direction corresponds to the first direction, the up-down direction corresponds to the second direction, and the front-rear direction corresponds to the third direction. One side in the first direction is defined as the left, and the other side is defined as the right. One side in the second direction is defined as the up, and the other side is defined as the down. Furthermore, the forward direction in the direction in which light passes through the outer lens 22 is defined as the forward direction in the third direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the rearward direction in the third direction.

[0024] The vehicle lighting device 10 includes a bottomed housing 11 provided with a recess 21, an outer lens 22, a light source unit 31, and an inner lens 41. Next, each part constituting the vehicle lighting device 10 will be described.

[0025] <Housing 11> As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the housing 11 is made of an opaque resin material, such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). The housing 11 includes a bottom 12 and a cylindrical side wall 19 that protrudes forward from the peripheral edge of the bottom 12. The space surrounded by the bottom 12 and the side wall 19 defines a recess 21. The recess 21 has an opening 21a at its front end. The opening 21a extends in the left-right and up-down directions and is longer in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction. An engaging protrusion 20 is formed around the entire periphery of the front end of the cylindrical side wall 19.

[0026] The bottom 12 has an attachment protrusion 14 located at the right end, which is one end in the left-right direction, and an inclined portion 13 located to the left of the attachment protrusion 14. The inclined portion 13 is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that it approaches the opening 21a as it moves leftward, or in other words, as it approaches the left end, which is the other end of the bottom 12 in the left-to-right direction.

[0027] The mounting protrusion 14 comprises a cylindrical portion 15 that protrudes rearward from the right end, which is the rearmost portion of the inclined portion 13, and a mounting portion 16 that is located at the rear end of the cylindrical portion 15. A mounting hole 17 that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction is formed in the mounting portion 16. A rib 18 that extends radially from the mounting hole 17 and in the front-to-rear direction is formed around the mounting hole 17 on the front surface of the mounting portion 16, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 4.

[0028] <Outer Lens 22> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the outer lens 22 is made of a colorless, transparent or colored transparent resin material, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate (PC), and is transparent to visible light. Like the opening 21a, the outer lens 22 extends in the left-right and up-down directions, and is longer in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction. The outer lens 22 includes a plate-shaped main body 23 and an engaging protrusion 25 that protrudes rearward from the periphery of the main body 23. The main body 23 is slightly larger in the left-right and up-down directions than the opening 21a. The portion of the rear surface 24 of the main body 23 that is surrounded by the engaging protrusion 25 is formed by a plane that is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

[0029] The outer lens 22 has an engaging protrusion 25 which is engaged with the engaging protrusion 20 of the housing 11, thereby closing the opening 21a. The outer lens 22 has a front surface, which is the surface furthest from the bottom 12, as a design surface 26. The design surface 26 is gently curved at the center in the up-down direction so that it is furthest forward from the bottom 12 (see FIG. 3). The degree of curvature is constant at any point in the left-right direction.

[0030] <Light source unit 31> As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 , the light source unit 31 includes a socket portion 32 having an insertion portion 32a at its front end, a substrate 34, and a light source 35. The insertion portion 32a is inserted into the mounting hole 17 from the rear of the mounting protrusion 14, thereby being positioned inside the mounting protrusion 14. An annular seal member 36 is interposed between the portion of the socket portion 32 rearward of the insertion portion 32a and the attachment portion 16. In this state, when the socket portion 32 is rotated about a central axis CL extending in the front-rear direction, the socket portion 32 is locked to the mounting protrusion 14 in a state where it is prevented from falling off. The rib 18 formed on the attachment portion 16 of the mounting protrusion 14 contacts a portion of the inserted portion 32a as it is rotated, thereby serving to position the socket portion 32 in the rotational direction.

[0031] The substrate 34 is fixed to the front end of the insertion portion 32a. The light source 35 is configured by a semiconductor light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode (LED), a laser diode, or an organic EL element. The light source 35 is attached to the substrate 34 in a position in which it emits light forward, toward the outer lens 22 in the front-to-rear direction. Circuits and the like (not shown) required for controlling the light source 35 are mounted on the substrate 34.

[0032] <Inner Lens 41> As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the inner lens 41 is disposed within the recess 21 and between the outer lens 22 and the bottom 12 and light source 35. Similar to the outer lens 22, most of the inner lens 41 extends in the left-right and up-down directions, and is formed to be longer in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction. The inner lens 41 is formed from a transparent resin material, such as the above-mentioned PMMA or PC. The inner lens 41 is transparent to visible light and functions as a light guide. The inner lens 41 is attached to the housing 11 with mounting screws or the like (not shown).

[0033] The inner lens 41 includes a condenser lens 42 between the light source 35 and a portion of the outer lens 22 facing forward from the light source 35. The condenser lens 42 is formed integrally with the other portions as part of the inner lens 41. The condenser lens 42 is disposed in the recess 21 while being recessed within the mounting protrusion 14. With this arrangement, the condenser lens 42 is located in a position close to the light source 35 in the forward direction.

[0034] The condensing lens 42 has a main body 43 in the center of its rear end. The main body 43 is hemispherical and has a curved surface that curves so as to bulge rearward. The condensing lens 42 has a surrounding portion 44 around the main body 43. The main body 43 is surrounded by the surrounding portion 44. The surrounding portion 44 has an annular outer peripheral surface 44a whose diameter decreases as it approaches the light source 35, i.e., toward the rear.

[0035] The front surface of the inner lens 41, which is the surface facing the outer lens 22, is provided with a reflecting surface 45 that reflects light incident on the inner lens 41 in the condensing lens 42, and an exit surface 46 that emits the reflected light from the inner lens 41.

[0036] The reflecting surface 45 is located between the condensing lens 42 and a portion of the outer lens 22 that is in front of the condensing lens 42. The reflecting surface 45 is configured as a flat surface that is inclined in the front-to-rear direction so that the reflecting surface 45 approaches the opening 21a and the outer lens 22 toward the left end of the bottom 12.

[0037] The exit surface 46 is formed by the portion of the front surface of the inner lens 41 to the left of the reflecting surface 45. The exit surface 46 and the reflecting surface 45 are adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. Like the design surface 26, the exit surface 46 is gently curved in the vertical center so as to be farthest forward from the bottom 12 (see Figure 3). The degree of curvature is constant at any point in the left-right direction. The exit surface 46 is located close to the rear surface 24 of the outer lens 22.

[0038] The rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41, which is to the left of the condenser lens 42 and faces the bottom 12, is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so as to approach the opening 21a and the outer lens 22 as it moves leftward. The dimension of the inner lens 41 in the front-to-rear direction gradually decreases as it moves leftward away from the light source 35. A plurality of minute irregularities 48 are formed on the rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41 in a regular pattern, for example, at equal intervals, in the left-to-right and up-to-down directions. As shown in FIG. 2, the irregularities 48 are formed in a sawtooth shape in a cross section perpendicular to the up-to-down direction. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of recesses 49 in the irregularities 48 is semicircular in a cross section perpendicular to the left-to-right direction.

[0039] 2 and 4, a first metallic film 51 is bonded to the reflecting surface 45 as a metallic film. A second metallic film 52 is bonded to the outer peripheral surface 44a of the condenser lens 42. Both the first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52 are formed by depositing a metal such as aluminum or indium onto a film. The first metallic film 51 has a light transmittance of 0% to 10%, and in this embodiment, 0%. The second metallic film 52 preferably has a light transmittance closer to 0%.

[0040] In this embodiment, the inner lens 41 in which the first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52 are joined together is formed by film insert molding. In this molding method, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, a mold device 54 is used that includes a fixed mold 55 and a movable mold 57 that moves toward and away from the fixed mold 55 in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle lighting device 10 (the up-and-down direction in Fig. 5). The fixed mold 55 is formed with a molding surface 56 for molding the uneven portion 48 of the inner lens 41, the condenser lens 42, etc. The movable mold 57 is formed with a molding surface 58 for forming the reflecting surface 45, the emission surface 46, etc. of the inner lens 41.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 5, the movable mold 57 is moved away from the fixed mold 55 toward the front of the vehicle lighting device 10 (upward in Fig. 5), thereby opening the mold device 54. The second metallic film 52 is placed on a molding surface 56 of the fixed mold 55. The first metallic film 51 is placed on a molding surface 58 of the movable mold 57. As shown in Fig. 6, the movable mold 57 is moved toward the rear of the vehicle lighting device 10 (downward in Fig. 6) and approaches the fixed mold 55, thereby clamping the mold device 54. Then, a cavity 59, which is a molding space for molding the inner lens 41, is formed between the fixed mold 55 and the movable mold 57.

[0042] A molten resin material (PMMA, PC, etc.) is pressurized and supplied to the cavity 59. When the resin material is cooled and hardened, the inner lens 41 is resin-molded in a state where it is bonded to the first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52.

[0043] Then, the mold device is opened, and the inner lens 41 in which the first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52 are integrated is taken out from the mold device . <Operation of this embodiment> Next, the operation of the vehicle lighting device 10 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0044] 2 and 4, when light is emitted from the light source 35, the light is irradiated onto the condenser lens 42. The irradiated light is incident on the inner lens 41 of the condenser lens 42. The light is collected by the condenser lens 42 and directed forward, and then irradiated onto the reflecting surface 45.

[0045] Here, some of the light incident on the inner lens 41 of the condenser lens 42 attempts to pass through the outer peripheral surface 44a of the surrounding part 44. However, this light is reflected by the evaporated metal of the second metallic film 52 bonded to the outer peripheral surface 44a, and the traveling direction of this light is changed to the inside of the condenser lens 42. As a result, a large amount of light is collected by the condenser lens 42 and irradiated onto the reflecting surface 45.

[0046] A portion of the light irradiated onto the reflecting surface 45 is reflected and changes its traveling direction to the left. The light is diffused as it passes through the inner lens 41. The diffused light is emitted from the exit surface 46 and passes through the outer lens 22. The light that has passed through the outer lens 22 is visible from outside the vehicle lighting device 10.

[0047] If the rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41 were perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, or in other words, if the thickness of the inner lens 41 in the front-to-rear direction were the same at every point in the left-to-right direction, the following phenomenon could occur: As light travels through the inner lens 41 toward the left end, all of the light could be emitted from the exit surface 46 before reaching that end. In this case, light would not be emitted from the left end and its surrounding areas of the exit surface 46 and would not pass through the outer lens 22. It would be difficult to illuminate the area of ​​the outer lens 22 that is in front of the above-mentioned area.

[0048] In this regard, in this embodiment, the rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41 is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that it approaches the opening 21a and the outer lens 22 as it moves leftward. This makes it easier for light to reach the left end of the inner lens 41. Light is emitted from a wide area of ​​the exit surface 46 in the left-to-right direction, including the left end and its surrounding area.

[0049] Furthermore, if the rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41 were formed as a flat surface, there is a risk that light would pass through this rear surface 47. In this regard, in this embodiment, a fine uneven portion 48 is formed on the rear surface 47. This uneven portion 48 reflects the irradiated light, thereby diffusing the light forward. This reduces the loss of light that would otherwise be caused by passing through the rear surface 47. As a result, a larger amount of light is emitted uniformly from the emission surface 46.

[0050] If the reflective surface 45 of the inner lens 41 is exposed, some of the light irradiated onto the reflective surface 45 will pass through without being reflected. When the light passes through the reflective surface 45, the light passes through a portion of the outer lens 22 that is in front of the reflective surface 45. Therefore, a portion of the outer lens 22 that faces the reflective surface 45 in the front-to-rear direction (a portion in front of the reflective surface 45) will shine.

[0051] In this regard, in this embodiment, the evaporated metal of the first metallic film 51 bonded to the reflective surface 45 reflects the light that has passed through the reflective surface 45. The degree to which the first metallic film 51 reflects light varies depending on the light transmittance of the first metallic film 51. The smaller the light transmittance, the less light passes through the first metallic film 51 and the more light is reflected. When the light is reflected by the first metallic film 51, the traveling direction of the light is changed to the left within the inner lens 41. As a result, more light travels leftward within the inner lens 41.

[0052] The light reflected by the first metallic film 51 and diffused by the inner lens 41 is added to the light that would be reflected and diffused if the first metallic film 51 were not used. More light is uniformly transmitted through the portion of the outer lens 22 that is in front of the exit surface 46. Therefore, the portion of the outer lens 22 that faces the exit surface 46 in the front-to-rear direction (the portion in front of the exit surface 46) shines more uniformly and brightly than if the first metallic film 51 were not provided.

[0053] In particular, in this embodiment, the light transmittance of the first metallic film 51 is 0%, so the first metallic film 51 does not transmit light and reflects most of the light that is irradiated onto it. By reflecting light on the first metallic film 51, the traveling direction of the light is changed to the left. In other words, most of the light irradiated onto the first metallic film 51 is reflected and its traveling direction is changed to the left. After that, the light is diffused by the inner lens 41, and the amount of light that is emitted from the exit surface 46 increases. The portion of the outer lens 22 that is in front of the exit surface 46 shines more uniformly and brightly.

[0054] In this case, since light does not pass through the first metallic film 51, light does not pass through the portion of the outer lens 22 that is in front of the reflecting surface 45 of the inner lens 41. The portion of the outer lens 22 does not shine.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the design surface 26 of the outer lens 22 is curved, the shining curved surface can be seen no matter where the outer lens 22 is viewed from outside (in front of) the vehicle lighting device 10 and in the vertical direction.

[0056] <Effects of this embodiment> Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) As shown in Fig. 4, the front surface of the inner lens 41 has a reflecting surface 45 that reflects light incident on the inner lens 41 in the condensing lens 42, and an exit surface 46 from which the reflected light is emitted after being diffused by the inner lens 41. The reflecting surface 45 is located between the condensing lens 42 and the outer lens 22, and is inclined relative to the front-to-rear direction so that it approaches the opening 21a and the outer lens 22 toward the left end of the bottom 12. Furthermore, a first metallic film 51, which is formed by vapor-depositing a metal onto a film, is bonded to the reflecting surface 45.

[0057] Therefore, it is possible to increase the amount of light that is reflected by the reflective surface 45 and the first metallic film 51 and changes its traveling direction to the left. As a result, it is possible to make many areas of the main body part 43 of the outer lens 22 brightly illuminated.

[0058] Furthermore, although light is emitted from the light source 35 in a spread state, the use of the condenser lens 42 enables the light to be condensed and directed to the reflecting surface 45. This increases the amount of light irradiated onto the reflecting surface 45, and therefore the amount of light directed to the left, making it possible to brightly illuminate many areas of the outer lens 22.

[0059] (2) As shown in Fig. 2, the rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41 is inclined in the front-to-rear direction so that the leftward movement approaches the opening 21a and the outer lens 22. Therefore, the portion of the outer lens 22 facing the light exit surface 46 includes the left end portion and its surrounding area, and a wide area in the left-to-right direction can be illuminated.

[0060] (3) As shown in Figures 2 to 4, minute irregularities 48 are formed on the rear surface 47 of the inner lens 41 and are regularly arranged in the left-right and up-down directions. Therefore, the irregularities 48 can diffuse light, and the portion of the outer lens 22 in front of the light exit surface 46 can be made to illuminate uniformly.

[0061] (4) As shown in FIG. 4, a second metallic film 52 made by vapor-depositing metal onto a film is bonded to the outer peripheral surface 44a of the surrounding portion 44 of the condenser lens . Therefore, the second metallic film 52 can prevent the light incident on the inner lens 41 of the condenser lens 42 from passing through the outer peripheral surface 44a. This reduces the loss of light due to passing through the outer peripheral surface 44a. This allows more light to be irradiated onto the reflecting surface 45.

[0062] (5) The first metallic film 51 has a light transmittance of 0%. Therefore, more light can be directed to the left, and the outer lens 22 can be made to shine brighter.

[0063] (6) As shown in FIG. 3, the design surface 26 of the outer lens 22 is curved at the center in the up-down direction so as to be farthest forward from the bottom portion 12. Therefore, the outer lens 22 can be made to appear to be shining with the same degree of brightness from any position outside (in front of) the vehicle lighting device 10 and in the vertical direction.

[0064] (7) After the inner lens 41 is resin-molded, the outer lens 22 can also be made to shine brightly by applying metal to the reflecting surface 45 and the outer peripheral surface 44a of the surrounding portion 44 by vapor deposition, painting, hot stamping, or other methods. However, this method requires time to apply the metal. Furthermore, vapor deposition and painting require masking, which increases manufacturing costs.

[0065] In this regard, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, a first metallic film 51 and a second metallic film 52 in which metal is vapor-deposited on films in advance are used. Moreover, by performing a film insert molding method, the inner lens 41 is resin-molded in a state where it is joined to the first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52.

[0066] Therefore, the inner lens 41 in which the first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52 are bonded together can be formed in a short time while suppressing the manufacturing cost. (8) In addition to the present embodiment, the vehicle lighting device 10 may also be configured to have the light source unit 31 attached in the following manner.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7, the light source unit 31 is attached directly to the side wall 19 of the housing 11 in a position where the light source 35 irradiates light to the left. Although not shown, the light source unit 31 is attached to a mounting protrusion that protrudes rightward from the side wall portion 19 of the housing 11 in a position in which light is emitted from the light source 35 to the left.

[0068] However, the vehicle lighting device 10 of these embodiments has the following problems. The dimension of the housing 11 in the front-rear direction is affected by the dimension of the light source unit 31 in the same direction, and becomes large.

[0069] Accordingly, the inner lens 41 is disposed at a position far away from the outer lens 22. This may result in a decrease in brightness when the outer lens 22 is illuminated. When resin molding the housing 11 using a mold apparatus similar to the mold apparatus 54 equipped with the fixed mold 55 and the movable mold 57, the movable mold is generally moved in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle lighting device 10 (the up-and-down direction in FIG. 7 ). This movement closes and opens the mold apparatus. In the vehicle lighting device 10 of the above embodiment, the mounting hole 17 extends in the left-to-right direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, which is the direction of movement of the movable mold. Therefore, a member for forming the mounting hole 17 and a mechanism for sliding the member in the left-to-right direction are required, which makes the mold apparatus more complex.

[0070] 2 and 4, in this embodiment, the light source unit 31 is attached to the mounting protrusion 14 in a position where light is emitted forward from the light source 35. That is, the light source unit 31 is attached to the mounting protrusion 14 by rotating the light source unit 31 with the insertion portion 32a inserted from the rear into the mounting hole 17 extending in the front-to-rear direction.

[0071] Therefore, the following various effects can be obtained. The dimension of the housing 11 in the front-rear direction is less affected by the dimension of the light source unit 31 in the same direction. It is possible to reduce the dimension of the housing 11 in the front-rear direction except for the mounting protrusion 14.

[0072] Accordingly, the inner lens 41 can be disposed at a position closer to the rear of the outer lens 22, so that a decrease in brightness when the outer lens 22 is illuminated can be suppressed.

[0073] In the vehicle lighting device 10 of this embodiment, the mounting holes 17 extend in the front-rear direction. This direction is the same as the movement direction of the movable mold. Therefore, the housing 11 having the mounting holes 17 can be resin-molded without using a member for forming the mounting holes 17 or a mechanism for sliding the member. This obviates the need for the above-mentioned members, mechanisms, etc., and accordingly simplifies the mold apparatus.

[0074] <Example of change> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0075] The light transmittance of the first metallic film 51 may be greater than 0% and equal to or less than 10%. In this modification, the first metallic film 51 transmits light in an amount corresponding to the light transmittance, like a half mirror.

[0076] In this case, light passes through the portion of outer lens 22 in front of emitting surface 46 of inner lens 41 as well as the portion in front of reflecting surface 45, so both portions are illuminated. Since the latter portion is illuminated, the illuminated area of ​​outer lens 22 can be expanded in the left-right direction compared to when the latter portion is not illuminated.

[0077] As described above, the portion of the outer lens 22 in front of the light source 35 can also be illuminated. In other words, when the outer lens 22 is viewed from outside the vehicle lighting device 10, the light-emitting area of ​​the outer lens 22 and the light source unit 31 overlap in the left-right direction. Therefore, under the condition that the dimension of the light-emitting area of ​​the outer lens 22 in the left-right direction is the same, the dimension of the housing 11, and therefore the dimension of the vehicle lighting device 10 in the left-right direction, can be reduced by the dimension of the light source unit 31 in the left-right direction. In this way, the vehicle lighting device 10 can be made smaller in the left-right direction.

[0078] In this case, the amount of light that is reflected by the reflecting surface 45 and changes its traveling direction to the left is reduced by the amount of light that passes through the first metallic film 51. Accordingly, the amount of light that is diffused by the inner lens 41 is reduced.

[0079] However, the light transmittance of the first metallic film 51 is low, at 10% or less. Therefore, the influence of the light passing through the first metallic film 51 on the brightness of the light that is emitted from the exit surface 46 and passes through the outer lens 22 is small.

[0080] Furthermore, according to the above modification, by varying the light transmittance of the first metallic film 51, it is possible to adjust the amount of light that passes through the portion of the outer lens 22 that is in front of the reflective surface 45, and thereby adjust the brightness of that portion. As the light transmittance increases, the portion of the outer lens 22 can be made to shine brighter.

[0081] The first metallic film 51 and the second metallic film 52 may have a known protective film that covers the metal. According to this modification, the protective film can prevent scratches from being formed on the evaporated metal.

[0082] The second metallic film 52 may be omitted as appropriate. In addition to the configuration of the above embodiment in which the design surface 26 of the outer lens 22 is curved in the up-down direction, it may also be curved in the center in the left-right direction so as to be farthest forward from the bottom 12. In this case, the design surface 26 becomes a curved surface that curves in all directions, including the up-down direction and the left-right direction, so as to form part of a spherical surface.

[0083] The design surface 26 may also be configured by a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. As the light source 35, in addition to the semiconductor light emitting element, a lamp light source such as an incandescent lamp, a halogen lamp, a discharge lamp, or a neon lamp may be used.

[0084] At least one of the cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 48 in FIG. 2 and the cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 48 in FIG. 3 may be changed to a cross-sectional shape different from that in the above embodiment. The vehicle lighting device 10 may be applied to, for example, an exterior accessory attached to the outside of a vehicle, or an interior accessory attached to the inside of a vehicle. In particular, when applied to an exterior accessory, the vehicle lighting device 10 may be used for decorative purposes or as a marker light that improves the visibility of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10...Vehicle lighting device 11. Housing 12...Bottom 21...recess 21a...Opening 22...Outer lens 26...Design surface 35...Light source 41...Inner lens 42...Condenser lens 44a...Outer surface 45...Reflective surface 46...Exit surface 51...First metallic film (metallic film) 52...Second metallic film

Claims

1. a housing having a bottom and a recess with an opening, an outer lens closing the opening, a light source attached to the bottom of the housing, and an inner lens disposed within the recess and between the outer lens and the light source; When the three mutually orthogonal directions are defined as a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction, the opening and the outer lens extend in the first direction and the second direction, respectively, and are formed to be longer in the first direction than in the second direction; the light source is attached to one end of the bottom in the first direction and emits light toward the outer lens in the third direction; the inner lens includes a condenser lens facing the light source in the third direction, a surface of the inner lens facing the outer lens in the third direction includes a reflecting surface that reflects light incident on the inner lens in the condensing lens, and an exit surface that emits the reflected light from the inner lens, the reflecting surface is inclined with respect to the third direction so as to approach the opening toward the other end of the bottom in the first direction, The vehicle lighting device has a metallic film bonded to the reflective surface, the metallic film being formed by vapor-depositing a metal onto a film.

2. the condenser lens has an annular outer peripheral surface whose diameter decreases as it approaches the light source, 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein when the metallic film bonded to the reflective surface is a first metallic film, a second metallic film formed by vapor-depositing a metal onto a film is bonded to the outer peripheral surface.

3. 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the metallic film has a light transmittance of 0% to 10%.

4. the outer lens has a surface on a side farther from the bottom in the third direction as a design surface, The vehicle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the design surface is curved at a central portion in the second direction so as to be farthest from the bottom portion in the third direction.

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