Illuminated emblem

Abstract

The objective is to provide a luminous emblem in which an outer lens having an emblem design on its surface extends to the outside of the housing, and the entire design of the emblem can be efficiently illuminated. [Solution] The present invention provides a light-emitting emblem 1 comprising: a housing 11; an outer lens 10 having an emblem design on its surface, having a housing 11, a first portion 101 covering the opening of the housing 11, and a second portion 102 not overlapping with the housing 11; a light-emitting element 13 housed in a space sealed by the housing 11 and the first portion 101; and an inner lens 11 having a reflective surface 121 on its upper surface that is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13, wherein light emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13 and totally reflected by the reflective surface 121 of the inner lens 11 enters the outer lens 10 without being obstructed by the housing 11 and proceeds to the second portion 102.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a light-emitting emblem, and more particularly to a light-emitting emblem installed on a vehicle such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a light-emitting emblem is known in which a space is formed by a housing and an outer lens, and an LED light source and an inner lens are housed within that space (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the light-emitting emblem described in Patent Document 1, light emitted from an LED enters a plate-shaped inner lens, travels in the in-plane direction within the inner lens, and is reflected upward by the irregularities on the lower surface of the inner lens. The light emitted upward from the inner lens then passes through the outer lens and is emitted to the outside of the light-emitting emblem, causing the emblem to emit light. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-185953 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] However, according to the light-emitting emblem described in Patent Document 1, the light-emitting area on the surface of the outer lens having the emblem design is limited to the area located almost directly above the inner lens. Therefore, if the outer lens extends to the outside of the housing, it is not possible to efficiently illuminate the entire emblem.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a light-emitting emblem in which an outer lens having an emblem design on its surface extends to the outside of the housing, and which can efficiently illuminate the entire design of the emblem. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides the following luminescent emblem to achieve the above objective.

[0008] [1] An illuminating emblem comprising: a housing; an outer lens having an emblem design on its surface, having a housing; a first portion covering an opening of the housing so as to seal the inside of the housing; and a second portion not overlapping the housing; a light-emitting element as a light source housed in a space sealed by the housing and the first portion of the outer lens; and an inner lens provided in the space between the first portion of the outer lens and the light-emitting element, having a reflective surface on its upper surface that is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light-emitting element, wherein light emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element and totally reflected by the reflective surface of the inner lens enters the outer lens without being obstructed by the housing, proceeds to the second portion, and the light emitted from the light-emitting element is taken out from the surface of the outer lens, causing the emblem design to emit light. [2] The luminescent emblem according to [1] above, wherein the inner lens has multiple reflective surfaces. [3] The light-emitting emblem according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the light emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element and entering the outer lens is totally reflected at the side surface of the outer lens upon which it first reaches. [4] The luminescent emblem according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the height of the upper end of the reflective surface with respect to the bottom of the housing is higher than the height of the upper end of the housing and the height of the lower surface of the second portion of the outer lens. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a light-emitting emblem in which an outer lens having an emblem design on its surface extends to the outside of the housing, and the entire design of the emblem can be efficiently illuminated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a plan view of an luminescent emblem according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2(a) is a plan view of the illuminated emblem with the outer lens removed. Figure 2(b) is a plan view of the illuminated emblem with both the outer and inner lenses removed. [Figure 3] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are cross-sectional views showing examples of vertical sections of the luminescent emblem cut along the cutting line AA shown in Figure 2(b), respectively. [Figure 4] Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are enlarged versions of parts of Figure 2(b), respectively, with the angle of the inner lens's reflective surface in a plan view and the path of the light emitted from the light-emitting element in the direction of the optical axis and reflected by the reflective surface added. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] [Composition of the illuminated emblem] Figure 1 is a plan view of the light-emitting emblem 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2(a) is a plan view of the light-emitting emblem 1 with the outer lens 10 removed. Figure 2(b) is a plan view of the light-emitting emblem 1 with both the outer lens 10 and the inner lens 12 removed.

[0012] The light-emitting emblem 1 includes a housing 11, a first part 101 that covers the opening of the housing 11 so as to seal the inside of the housing 11, and a second part 102 that does not overlap with the housing 11. It has an outer lens 10 with an emblem design (in the example shown in FIG. 1, a mark consisting of a combination of an oval frame and an I-shape) on its surface (the surface facing the front in FIG. 1), a light-emitting element 13 (13a to 13d) as a light source housed in a space sealed by the housing 11 and the first part 101 of the outer lens 10, and an inner lens 12 having a reflecting surface 121 inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13 on its upper surface, provided between the first part 101 of the outer lens 10 and the light-emitting element 13 in the space sealed by the housing 11 and the first part 101 of the outer lens 10.

[0013] In the light-emitting emblem l, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13 is taken out from the surface of the outer lens 10, so that the emblem design emits light.

[0014] FIGS. 3(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing examples of the vertical cross-section of the light-emitting emblem 1 cut along the cutting line A-A shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b), in the light-emitting emblem 1, the inner lens 12 reflects the light emitted upward from the light-emitting element 13 in the lateral direction (the lateral direction in FIGS. 3(a) and (b)), and guides the light in the in-plane direction inside the plate-shaped outer lens 10. Thereby, the entire surface of the outer lens 10 including the first part 101 and the second part 102, that is, the entire emblem design can be made to emit light.

[0016] More specifically, most of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13 enters the inside of the inner lens 12 from the inside of a circular groove 122 provided on the lower surface of the inner lens 12, and is reflected by the reflecting surface 121 which is the inclined upper surface of the inner lens 12, and heads toward the outer lens 10.

[0017] Furthermore, in the luminescent emblem 1, in order to efficiently illuminate the entire surface of the outer lens 10, the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element 13 a The light L is totally reflected by the reflective surface 121 of the inner lens 12, and the light L totally reflected by the reflective surface 121 a The element enters the outer lens 10 without being obstructed by the housing 11 and proceeds to the second section 102.

[0018] Here, the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13 is the axis that extends perpendicularly from the center of the light-emitting element 13 to the surface on which the light-emitting element 13 is installed. Light L is emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13. a This is the strongest light emitted from the light-emitting element 13. Therefore, in order to efficiently illuminate the entire surface of the outer lens 10, the light L emitted in the direction of the optical axis is a It is required that the element enters the outer lens 10 without being obstructed by the housing 11 and proceeds to the second part 102.

[0019] Figure 3(a) shows the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element 13 as a comparative example. a This shows a structure in which the light L is blocked by the housing 11. In the structure shown in Figure 3(a), the light L totally reflected by the reflective surface 121 of the inner lens 12 a However, it is blocked by the upper part of the side wall portion 112 of the housing 11.

[0020] On the other hand, Figure 3(b) shows the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element 13. a This shows a structure in which the light enters the outer lens 10 without being obstructed by the housing 11. As illustrated in Figure 3(b), it is preferable that the inner lens 12 has multiple reflective surfaces 121 (two in Figure 3(b)) that reflect the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13 toward the second portion 102 of the outer lens 10.

[0021] When the reflecting surface 121 is provided in multiple stages, the height of the point reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13 can be increased as a whole. For example, when the light reflected by the reflecting surface 121 travels in the horizontal direction, if the point where the reflecting surface 121 reflects the light is at a position higher than the upper end of the side wall portion 112 of the housing 11, it can enter the outer lens 10 without being blocked by the housing 11. Thus, when the reflecting surface 121 is provided in multiple stages, the light L a , including the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13, can be efficiently guided to the second portion 102 of the outer lens 10.

[0022] Also, in the light-emitting emblem 1, the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element 13 and entering the outer lens 10 a is preferably totally reflected by the side surface of the outer lens 10 that it first reaches.

[0023] Figs. 4(a) and (b) are enlarged views of a part of Fig. 2(b), showing the angle of the reflecting surface 121 of the inner lens 12 in plan view and the path of the light L emitted in the optical axis direction from the light-emitting element 13 and reflected by the reflecting surface 121 a .

[0024] Fig. 4(a) shows, as a comparative example, a structure in which a part of the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element 13 and entering the outer lens 10 a exits to the outside without being reflected by the side surface of the outer lens 10 that it first reaches. In the structure shown in Fig. 4(a), a part of the light L totally reflected by the reflecting surface 121 of the inner lens 12 a is emitted to the outside from the side surface of the second portion 102 of the inner lens 12 that it first reaches.

[0025] On the other hand, Fig. 4(b) shows a structure in which the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element 13 and entering the outer lens 10 a is totally reflected by the side surface of the outer lens 10 that it first reaches. In the structure shown in Fig. 4(b), the light L totally reflected by the reflecting surface 121 of the inner lens 12 aHowever, it is totally reflected at the first side it reaches of the second portion 102 of the inner lens 12 and propagates inside the second portion 102.

[0026] The structure shown in Figure 4(a) and the structure shown in Figure 4(b) have different angles in plan view of the reflective surface 121 of the inner lens 12. By adjusting the angle in plan view of the reflective surface 121 of the inner lens 12 in this way, the light L a The light can be totally reflected at the side of the outer lens 10, which is the first to reach it.

[0027] Figures 3(a), (b) and 4(a), (b) show the light path emitted from light-emitting element 13a of the light-emitting element 13. Similarly, for light-emitting elements 13b to 13d, the light is reflected by the reflective surface 121, which is the inclined upper surface of the inner lens 12, enters the outer lens 10, and proceeds to the second section 102.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4(b), the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13a and reflected by the reflective surface 121 mainly travels to the left in a plan view over the upper part of the annular portion of the emblem, while the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13b and reflected by the reflective surface 121 mainly travels to the right in a plan view over the upper part of the annular portion of the emblem. Furthermore, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13c and reflected by the reflective surface 121 mainly travels to the left in a plan view over the lower part of the annular portion of the emblem, and the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13d and reflected by the reflective surface 121 mainly travels to the right in a plan view over the lower part of the annular portion of the emblem.

[0029] Furthermore, the light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting elements 13b to 13d a This is the light L emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13a. a Similarly, light L emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting elements 13b to 13d a This is the light L emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element 13a. a Similarly, it is preferable that total internal reflection occurs on the side of the outer lens 10, which is the first to be reached.

[0030] The housing 11 has a bottom portion 111 facing the first portion 101 of the outer lens 10, and a side wall portion 112 extending from the side of the bottom portion 111 in the thickness direction of the light-emitting emblem 1.

[0031] Furthermore, the housing 11 may have a fixing portion on its back surface for securing it to the mounting target of the illuminated emblem 1, such as the front grille of a vehicle. For example, the housing 11 can be fixed to the mounting target of the illuminated emblem 1 by tightening screws through screw holes provided in the fixing portion. The housing 11 may also have a structure for routing cables connected to the printed circuit board 14 to the outside.

[0032] The upper surface 113 of the side wall portion 112 surrounding the opening of the housing 11 is in close contact with the lower surface of the outer lens 10 and is bonded by welding or other means. This seals the space enclosed by the housing 11 and the outer lens 10, which houses the light-emitting element 13 and other components, preventing the intrusion of moisture and other elements from the outside.

[0033] If the area on the lower surface of the outer lens 10 that is bonded to the upper surface 113 of the side wall portion 112 of the housing 11 is called the bonding surface 103, then the part of the outer lens 10 with the bonding surface 103 as its lower surface and the part inside it are the first part 101, and the part outside the part with the bonding surface 103 as its lower surface is the second part 102.

[0034] The housing 11 is made of, for example, ASA (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic acid ester), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) + PC (polycarbonate), or AES (acrylonitrile-ethylene-propylene-diene-styrene).

[0035] The light-emitting element 13 is a light-emitting element mounted on a printed circuit board 14, and typically an LED is used. The printed circuit board 14 is fixed to the bottom 111 of the housing 11 such that the side on which the light-emitting element 13 is mounted faces the outer lens 10.

[0036] The first portion 101 and the second portion 102 of the outer lens 10 are continuous, and light propagating through the interior of both can travel back and forth between them. In the example shown in Figure 1, the I-shaped portion passing through the center of the emblem is the first portion 101, and the portion of the ring-shaped portion including the outer edge of the emblem that does not overlap with the I-shape is the second portion 102.

[0037] The outer lens 10 has irregularities (for example, dot-shaped depressions) on its lower surface, that is, the surface opposite to the surface with the emblem design, for reflecting light towards the surface side.

[0038] The outer lens 10 is made of a resin such as PMMA (methyl methacrylate) or PC that transmits light emitted from the light-emitting element 13. The outer lens 10 may also contain a diffusing material such as TiO2 particles to improve the uniformity of the light extracted from its surface.

[0039] The inner lens 12 is made of a resin such as PMMA or PC that transmits light emitted from the light-emitting element 13.

[0040] The inner lens 12 has a reflective surface 121 in a portion 123 located above the light-emitting element 13, for reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element 13 towards the outer lens 10.

[0041] In the luminous emblem 1, the reflective surface 121 reflects light in the lateral direction (lateral direction in Figures 3(a) and (b)) and enters the outer lens 10. Therefore, the height of the upper end of the reflective surface 121, relative to the bottom 111 of the housing 11, is usually higher than the height of the upper end of the housing 11 (upper end of the side wall portion 112) and the height of the lower surface 104 of the plate-shaped second portion 102 of the outer lens 10.

[0042] As described above, the inner lens 12, in the portion 123 located above the light-emitting element 13, captures light from the light-emitting element 13 and reflects it towards the second portion 102 of the outer lens 10 via the reflective surface 121.

[0043] On the other hand, some of the light taken in by the inner lens 12 does not go towards the second portion 102 of the outer lens 10, but propagates inside the inner lens 12, is emitted from the upper surface of the inner lens 12 (the surface facing the outer lens 10), passes through the first portion 101 of the outer lens 10 and is taken out to the outside. As a result, the first portion 101 of the outer lens 10 (the I-shaped portion in Figure 1) emits light.

[0044] The inner lens 12 has irregularities (for example, linear depressions) on the lower surface of the portion 124 other than the portion 123 that takes in light from the light-emitting element 13, i.e., on the surface on the bottom 111 side of the housing 11, for reflecting light towards the first portion 101 of the outer lens 10.

[0045] (Effects of the embodiment) In the light-emitting emblem 1 according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting element 13, reflected by the inner lens 12, and directed toward the second portion 102 of the outer lens 10 that is blocked by the side wall portion 112 of the housing 11 is reduced, and the light is efficiently delivered to the second portion 102, thereby suppressing a decrease in the light emission intensity of the second portion 102.

[0046] In other words, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a light-emitting emblem 1 in which an outer lens 10 having an emblem design on its surface extends to the outside of the housing 11, and the entire emblem design can be efficiently illuminated.

[0047] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined without departing from the spirit of the invention. Moreover, the above embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. It should also be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential for solving the problem of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0048] 1. Illuminated Emblem 10 Outer Lenses 101 Part 1 102 Part 2 11 Housing 111 Bottom 112 Side wall section 12 Inner Lenses 121 Reflective surface 13 Light-emitting element 14 Printed circuit boards

Claims

1. Housing and An outer lens having an emblem design on its surface, having a first portion that covers the opening of the housing so as to seal the inside of the housing, and a second portion that does not overlap with the housing, A light-emitting element, which serves as a light source, is housed in a space sealed by the housing and the first portion of the outer lens. An inner lens is provided in the space between the first portion of the outer lens and the light-emitting element, having a reflective surface on its upper surface that is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light-emitting element. Equipped with, Light emitted in the optical axis direction of the light-emitting element and totally reflected by the reflective surface of the inner lens enters the outer lens without being obstructed by the housing and proceeds to the second portion. The light emitted from the light-emitting element is extracted from the surface of the outer lens, causing the design of the emblem to light up. Illuminated emblem.

2. In the aforementioned inner lens, the reflective surface is provided in multiple stages. The light-emitting emblem according to claim 1.

3. Light emitted in the direction of the optical axis of the light-emitting element and entering the outer lens is totally reflected at the side surface of the outer lens upon first arrival. The light-emitting emblem according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The height of the upper end of the reflective surface, relative to the bottom of the housing, is higher than the height of the upper end of the housing and the height of the lower surface of the second portion of the outer lens. The light-emitting emblem according to claim 1 or 2.

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