Vehicle lighting

Abstract

In vehicle lighting fixtures equipped with a light guide, the design effect is enhanced both when the light is off and when it is on. [Solution] The lamp unit 1 comprises a light source 2 and a light guide 3 that guides the light from the light source and emits the guided light, illuminating the front of the lamp. The light guide 3 includes an emitted light guide portion 32 that emits the light guided from the light source 2. The emitted light guide portion 32 is formed in a plate shape and includes a plate surface portion 321 that internally reflects the guided light and an end surface portion 322 that emits the guided light. A design film 4 is formed on the surface of the plate surface portion 321 to enhance the internal reflection of the guided light.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp that lights up in a required light emission pattern using a light guide, and particularly to a vehicle lamp that enhances the aesthetic design effect when lit and when not lit.

Background Art

[0002] As a lamp such as a tail lamp of an automobile, a lamp using a light guide has been proposed. In Patent Document 1, a rod-shaped light guide part that guides the light of a light source and a plate-shaped light emission part connected to the light guide part are integrally formed of a translucent member, and the light guided by the light guide part is emitted from an emission surface provided on the light emission part. A lamp has been proposed. In this lamp, when lit, a linear (line-shaped) light emission pattern is formed by emitting light from the end face of the light emission part. Alternatively, as a technique different from Patent Document 1, there is also a case where a light emission pattern of a desired shape is formed by emitting light from an emission step region provided on the surface (plate surface) of the light emission part. By forming such a light emission pattern, a lamp with a high aesthetic design effect when lit can be obtained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The lamp described in Patent Document 1 primarily focuses on forming a linear light emission pattern when lit, and does not specifically address enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the lamp when it is not lit. In other words, when not lit, the end faces and plate surfaces of the emission part, especially the large plate surfaces, are exposed. As a result, when not lit, external light incident on the lamp from the outside is reflected by the plate surfaces, which can give the appearance of a so-called pseudo-lit state when viewed from other vehicles, thus reducing the aesthetic appeal.

[0005] To enhance the aesthetic effect when the light is not illuminated, it is conceivable to apply a light-absorbing film or coating to the surface of the panel to form a light-absorbing layer. By providing a light-absorbing layer, it is possible to mitigate the appearance of the pseudo-illuminated state described above. However, when a light-absorbing layer is formed, a portion of the light guided inside the light guide when illuminated is absorbed by the light-absorbing layer, reducing the brightness of the linear light emission pattern emitted from the end face, and thus reducing the aesthetic effect when illuminated.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lighting fixture equipped with a light guide that enhances the aesthetic design effect in both the non-illuminated and illuminated states. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention comprises a lamp unit having a light source and a light guide that guides the light from the light source and emits the guided light, illuminating the front of the lamp. The light guide includes an emission light guide portion that emits the light guided from the light source, and the emission light guide portion is formed in the shape of a plate and includes a plate surface portion that internally reflects the guided light and an end surface portion that emits the guided light. Furthermore, a design film is formed on the surface of the plate surface portion to enhance the internal reflection of the guided light.

[0008] The design film is preferably composed of a lower film having a required light reflectance and an upper film having a required light absorptiveness. The lower film is preferably a material with a light reflectance greater than its light absorptiveness, and the upper film is preferably a material with a light absorptiveness greater than its light absorptiveness. Furthermore, the lower film may have a required pattern of highly transparent regions with higher light transmittance than its surroundings. The upper film is also preferably a material with a required color. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the reflection efficiency when light guided to the light-emitting light guide section is internally reflected by the design film is increased, the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting light guide section is increased, a brighter light emission pattern is obtained, and the design effect when lit is enhanced. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the reflection of external light is suppressed by the design film, improving the appearance when not lit and enhancing the design effect. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A conceptual perspective view of an automobile equipped with a rear lamp, which is a vehicle lighting device of the present invention. [Figure 2] A schematic perspective view showing a portion of the taillight broken off. [Figure 3] A schematic perspective view showing the main components of the rear lamp disassembled. [Figure 4] A schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the rear lamp. [Figure 5] A schematic perspective view of the lamp unit. [Figure 6] A schematic plan view of the lamp unit. [Figure 7] A vertical cross-sectional view of the lamp unit. [Figure 8] (a) A schematic diagram showing the appearance of the embodiment when the lights are off, (b) A schematic diagram showing the appearance of the embodiment when the lights are on. [Figure 9] (a) Schematic diagram showing the reflection, absorption, and transmission of light in the design film, (b) Schematic diagram showing the reflection, absorption, and transmission of light when the design film is absent. [Figure 10](a) A schematic perspective view of the design film of the modified example, (b) A schematic diagram showing the appearance of the modified example when lit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an external view of a car CAR equipped with a rear lamp (tail light) RL to which the present invention is applied. The rear lamp RL is provided on the left and right rear sides of the rear of the car body of the car CAR as the left rear lamp L-RL and the right rear lamp R-RL, and each consists of a fixed rear lamp S provided on a part of the rear fender of the car body and a movable rear lamp M provided on the trunk lid.

[0012] When the fixed rear lamp S and the movable rear lamp M are illuminated, as shown in Figure 1, two linear light emission patterns LP are formed, positioned vertically and extending substantially horizontally (left-right). In this embodiment, the upper and lower linear light emission patterns of the fixed rear lamp S and the movable rear lamp M, i.e., the four linear light emission patterns LP, function as tail lamps TL when illuminated. The lower linear light emission pattern LP of the fixed rear lamp S is configured to function as a turn signal lamp TSL when illuminated, and the lower linear light emission pattern LP of the movable rear lamp M is configured to function as a backup lamp BL when illuminated.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view with a portion of the movable rear lamp M broken off, and Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view with the main parts disassembled. The configuration of the fixed rear lamp S is basically the same, so the movable rear lamp M will be described below. Note that both the movable rear lamp M and the fixed rear lamp S are sometimes simply referred to as rear lamp RL. Also, in the following, the front-to-back direction will be referred to as the direction in which light is emitted from the rear lamp RL.

[0014] The lamp housing 100 of the movable side rear lamp M is attached to a part of the trunk lid of the automobile CAR shown in FIG. 1, and is composed of a lamp body 101 that is opened toward the rear of the automobile CAR, and a translucent colorless outer lens 102 that is attached so as to close the opening of the lamp body 101. This outer lens 102 is formed in a curved surface shape that is curved along the outer surface of the trunk lid.

[0015] Inside this lamp housing 100, two lamp units 1 arranged vertically and an extension 103 disposed on the front side of the lamp unit 1 are arranged. FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the rear lamp RL shown in FIG. 1, and the two lamp units 1 are arranged vertically at a position closer to the rear inside the lamp housing 100. Also, an extension 103 is disposed on the front side of these lamp units 1.

[0016] Each of the upper and lower lamp units 1 has basically the same configuration. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of one lamp unit 1, and FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view. The lamp unit 1 is composed of a light source unit 2 and a light guide 3. The light guide 3 may also be referred to as an inner lens corresponding to the outer lens 102.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of one lamp unit 1. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the light guide 3 is composed of a rod-shaped light guide portion 31 having a circular cross-sectional shape with a required thickness and a required length, and a plate-shaped light guide portion 32 extending forward from the light guide portion 31. Here, the former light guide portion 31 directly guides the light of the light source 2, so it is called the light source light guide portion 31. Also, the latter light guide portion 32 guides the light from the light source light guide portion 31 and finally emits it as lamp light, so here it is called the emission light guide portion 32. These, the light source light guide portion 31 and the emission light guide portion 32 are integrally formed of a translucent resin, glass, or the like.

[0018] In the light source light guide part 31, a plurality of, here three, light incident parts 311, 312, 313 are integrally formed at required intervals along the length direction. These light incident parts 311, 312, 313 are formed in substantially the same cross-sectional shape as the light source light guide part 31, and are connected at one end in a branched shape with a required angle with respect to the extension direction of the light source light guide part 31. This required angle may be an acute angle or an angle close to a right angle. Further, the end faces of the other ends of the respective light incident parts 311, 312, 313 are formed as flat surfaces, and are each configured as an incident surface.

[0019] The outgoing light guide part 32 is integrally connected at a part in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface of the light source light guide part 31, extends with a required length dimension along the extension direction of the light source light guide part 31, and is formed in a flat plate shape having a required plate thickness dimension that protrudes in a direction intersecting the extension direction with a required protruding dimension. This flat plate-shaped part is configured as a plate surface part 321, and the end face at the tip in the direction in which the plate surface part 321 protrudes is configured as an end face part 322.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4, the light source part 2 and the light source light guide part 31 of each of the upper and lower lamp units 1 are arranged on the rear surface side of the extension 103. Most of the outgoing light guide part 32 is exposed in a state of protruding to the front surface side through two horizontally long windows 104 opened in the extension 103. With this configuration, when each lamp unit 1 is lit, as will be described later, a line-shaped light emission pattern is formed at the end face part 312 of the outgoing light guide part 32, and a planar light emission pattern is formed at the plate surface part 321.

[0021] Furthermore, in the light guide body 3 of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a design film 4 is formed on the surface of the plate surface part 321 facing upward, that is, the surface of the plate surface part 321 exposed to the outside through the outer lens 102. Also, on the end face part 322 exposed to the outside through the outer lens 102, although not shown in the drawing, a lens step for diverging or diffusing light, for example, a matte or cylindrical step is formed.

[0022] The decorative film 4 on the plate surface 321 is provided to enhance internal reflection on the plate surface 321 and has a two-layer structure consisting of a lower film 41 and an upper film 42. The lower film 42 and the upper film 42 are each formed of a coated film with the required paint applied, or a film with the required film attached. In this embodiment, the lower film 41 is formed of a white or nearly white film. The upper film 42 is formed of a gray or dark gray film, a film generally referred to as smoke. These lower film 41 and upper film 42 are composed of materials having the required light reflectance, light absorption, and light transmittance, as will be described later.

[0023] In this embodiment, a light control unit 5 is formed in the boundary region between the light emission guide unit 32 and the light source light guide unit 31. This light control unit 5 is composed of a plurality of control recesses 51 formed at required intervals along the extension direction of the light source light guide unit 31. Each of these control recesses 51 is formed in a required planar shape, in this case a triangular shape, and is configured as a recess recessed to a required depth from the back side of the light emission guide unit 32. With this light control unit 5, it is possible to prevent the light to be emitted from the end face 322 from exceeding the critical angle and thus reducing the light emission efficiency, thereby increasing the brightness of the line-shaped light emission pattern LP.

[0024] The light source unit 2 is equipped with a three-tiered, stepped frame 20 corresponding to the three light incident sections 311, 312, and 313 provided on the light source light guide unit 31, and the light source light guide unit 31 is supported by this frame 20. The three steps 201, 202, and 203 of the frame 20 are each positioned facing the incident surfaces of the three light incident sections 311, 312, and 313. Each step 201, 202, and 203 is equipped with an LED (light-emitting diode) 211, 212, and 213, respectively, which serves as a light source. Each LED 211, 212, and 213 is powered and emits light when the lamp unit 1 functions as a tail lamp TL, and the emitted red light is directed onto the respective incident surfaces of the light incident sections 311, 312, and 313.

[0025] Although not shown in the diagram, the light source unit 2 of the lower lamp unit 1 of the movable rear lamp M is equipped with an LED that emits white light in addition to an LED that emits red light, and is configured to light up when functioning as a backup lamp BL. Furthermore, the light source unit 2 of the lower lamp unit 1 of the fixed rear lamp S is equipped with an LED that emits amber light in addition to an LED that emits red light, and is configured to light up when functioning as a turn signal lamp TSL.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the lamp unit 1 with the above configuration is installed inside the lamp housing 100. An extension 103 is installed in front of the light source section 2 of each lamp unit 1. As described above, the extension 103 has two opening windows 104 at the top and bottom, each narrowing in the vertical direction and extending horizontally, and the light-emitting sections 32 of the light guide body 3 of each lamp unit 1 extend forward through the opening windows 104. As a result, when observing the rear lamp RL, the light-emitting sections 32 of each light guide body 3, i.e., the plate surface section 321 and the end surface section 322, are visible through the outer lens.

[0027] In the embodiment, when the rear lamp RL is not illuminated, the light from the light source unit 2 is not guided to the light emission guide unit 32, so no light is emitted from the end face portion 322, and no light is emitted in a line-shaped emission pattern LP. Therefore, as schematically shown in Figure 8(a), the appearance of the rear lamp RL is such that only the plate surface portion 321 and the end face portion 322 are visible.

[0028] The upper layer 42 on the surface side of the design film 4 is made of a material with low light reflectivity and high light absorption. Therefore, when external light is projected toward the plate surface 321, the external light is absorbed by the upper layer 42, reflected light is suppressed, and false illumination caused by light reflection on the plate surface 321 is prevented. By preventing this false illumination, the plate surface 321 takes on the appearance of the upper layer 42's color, in this case a smoke-colored planar pattern Fp, achieving a blackout effect that makes the presence of the rear lamp RL unnoticeable, thereby enhancing the design effect. Since the plate surface 321 has a larger area than the end surface 322, the planar pattern Fp made of the design film 4 provided on the plate surface 321 is clearly visible. In Figure 8(a), the shaded area is the area that is visible in color.

[0029] On the other hand, when the rear lamp RL is illuminated, the light emitted from each LED 211-213 is incident on the respective incident surfaces of the opposing light incident sections 311-313. The light incident on each of the light incident sections 311-313 is guided in an extending direction within the light source light guide section 31. Then, it is guided to the output light guide section 32 which is connected to the light source light guide section 31. Figure 6 schematically shows the optical path of the light incident on the light incident section 311. The guided light is guided through the inside of the output light guide section 32 toward the tip, and is finally guided to the end face section 322. The light guided to the end face section 322 is internally reflected at the plate surface section 321, but some of the light that is not internally reflected is incident on the design film 4 from the end face section 321.

[0030] Light guided to the end face portion 322 is emitted from the end face portion 322. As a result, the rear lamp RL is lit with a line-shaped light emission pattern LP extending in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, light emission occurs at the end face portion 322 in both the upper and lower lamp units 1. As a result, as schematically shown in Figure 8(b), two line-shaped light emission patterns LP are emitted vertically. At this time, the light is diverged or diffused by the lens step formed on the end face portion 322, resulting in a light distribution characteristic directed over a wide area. In addition, a planar pattern FP may be formed on the surface of the plate portion 321, i.e., the surface of the design film 4, which emits light with a slight brightness. Note that in Figure 8(b), the pointillist area is the area that appears bright.

[0031] When light is guided from the light source light guide section 31 to the light output light guide section 32, the light control unit 6 ensures that the guided light is guided with a substantially uniform light intensity across the entire area of ​​the light output light guide section 32. The light control of this light control unit 6 is as described in Patent Document 1, but to put it simply, the guided light is internally reflected in various angular directions at the three sides of the triangular control recess 61. This has the effect of making the light intensity (brightness) uniform at the plate surface 321 and end surface 322 of the light output light guide section 32.

[0032] Light guided by the light-emitting light guide section 32 is internally reflected at the plate surface section 321 along its path. Since the design film 4 is formed on the plate surface section 321, light that is not internally reflected at the surface of the plate surface section 321, for example, light projected onto the plate surface section 321 at an angle smaller than the critical angle, is reflected by the underlying film 41 of the design film 4. This enhances internal reflection at the plate surface section 321, increasing the amount of reflected light compared to when the design film 4 is not formed on the plate surface section 321. Therefore, the guided light is efficiently guided to the end surface section 322, increasing the brightness of the line-shaped light emission pattern LP formed at the end surface section 322 compared to when the design film 4 is not formed, and enhancing the design effect when lit.

[0033] Some of the light that is not reflected by the plate surface 321 is incident on the lower layer 41 of the design film 4 from the plate surface 321, and some of it is absorbed by the lower layer 41. The remaining light that is not absorbed passes through the lower layer 41 and is incident on the upper layer 42, where it is absorbed. In this case, the plate surface 321 has an appearance similar to when it is not lit. However, some of the light incident on the upper layer 42 may pass through the upper layer 42 and be emitted from its surface. In this case, the emitted light gives the plate surface 321 a somewhat brighter appearance, that is, a bright smoke appearance based on the color of the upper layer 42. In this case, it is considered a surface light emission pattern FP with slight brightness, but the plate surface 321 does not appear noticeably bright, and the design effect when lit is not impaired.

[0034] Here, by appropriately setting the reflectance, absorptive rate, and transmittance of light in the lower layer 41 and upper layer 42 that constitute the design film 4, the design effect can be further enhanced both when the light is off and when it is on. For example, looking at the lower layer 41, if the incident light incident on the lower layer 41 is I, then the relationship is I = R (reflectance) + A (absorptive rate) + T (transmittance).

[0035] When the rear lamp RL is not illuminated, it is important to suppress the reflection of external light in the upper layer film 42, and it is also important to absorb the light so that external light that has passed through the upper layer film 42 does not pass through the lower layer film 41 and then pass through the inside of the light emission guide section 32 and be emitted. Therefore, it is preferable to select a material for the upper layer film 42 that has the relationship absorption rate > transmittance > reflectance.

[0036] Furthermore, when the rear lamp RL is illuminated, it is important that the lower layer film 41 reflects light so that it does not escape to the outside from the plate surface portion 321 of the light-emitting guide portion 32. Therefore, it is preferable that the lower layer film 41 be made of a material with the characteristics of reflectance > transmittance > absorptiveness.

[0037] Incidentally, Figure 9(b) schematically shows the state of light reflection, transmission, etc., at the plate surface portion 321 without the design film 4. In this figure, the thickness of the arrows schematically indicates the magnitude of the light intensity. External light Lo, indicated by the shaded arrow, is reflected by the surface of the plate surface portion 321, so the amount of reflected light is large. Also, light Li guided by the output light guide portion 32, indicated by the white arrow, is easily transmitted from the surface of the plate surface portion 321, so the amount of reflected light reflected from the inside is suppressed, and the amount of light guided to the end surface portion 322 is suppressed.

[0038] In contrast, Figure 9(a) is a schematic diagram of a configuration with a design film 4. External light Lo is absorbed by the upper film 42 (marked with × in the figure) or transmitted, but the amount of reflected light is suppressed due to its low reflectivity. Also, the amount of reflected light Li that is guided is increased due to the reflectivity of the lower film 41, which reflects light from the inside. In other words, the amount of reflected light is increased compared to a configuration in which a light-absorbing film or coating is applied to the plate surface 321.

[0039] In this way, by selecting materials with the above-described suitable characteristics for the lower layer 41 and upper layer 42 of the design film 4, it becomes possible to enhance the aesthetic effect of the rear lamp RL both when it is not lit and when it is lit. This aesthetic effect when the rear lamp RL is lit can also be obtained when the lower lamp unit 1 of the movable rear lamp M is lit as a backup lamp BL and its end face portion 322 is lit as a white line-shaped light emission pattern Lp, and when the lower lamp unit 1 of the fixed rear lamp S is lit as a turn signal lamp TSL and its end face portion 322 is flashed as an amber line-shaped light emission pattern LP.

[0040] Figure 10(a) is a schematic perspective view of a modified design film 4 of the embodiment. In this design film 4, a high-transmittance region 411 is formed in the lower layer film 41, where the light transmittance is higher than in other areas. For example, a thin film with low transmittance is laminated in the surrounding area of ​​the lower layer film 41, excluding the high-transmittance region 411, by a printing method. Alternatively, the thickness of the high-transmittance region 411 of the lower layer film 41 is made thinner than in other parts to increase transmittance. Here, using the latter method, a high-transmittance region 411 is formed in multiple line-shaped regions extending diagonally when viewed from the front, by thinning the film thickness of the lower layer film 41. Alternatively, the transmittance of the high-transmittance region 411 may be increased by providing many small holes (perforations) where the lower layer film 41 has been removed.

[0041] According to this modified example, as shown in Figure 10(b), when the rear lamp RL is lit, a bright, linear light emission pattern LP is obtained from the light that is guided to the end face portion 322 from the light guiding the light emission portion 32. In addition, a portion of the guided light is emitted from the plate surface portion 321 and incident on the lower layer film 41, and further transmitted through the upper layer film 42 to obtain a planar light emission pattern FP similar to that of the embodiment.

[0042] At this time, of the light incident on the lower layer 41, the light from the high-transmittance region 411 of the lower layer 41, which has high transmittance, is transmitted through the lower layer 41 and incident on the upper layer 42 with a greater amount of light than the surrounding area. This greater amount of light then forms multiple diagonal line-shaped light emission patterns LPi on the plate surface 321 that emit light relatively brighter than the surrounding area. This enhances the aesthetic effect of the plate surface 321 when lit. In this case, it is preferable to select a material for the upper layer 42 that has a somewhat lower absorption rate and a somewhat higher transmittance rate than that of the embodiment.

[0043] In this modified example as well, when the lights are off, even if external light is projected onto the design film (panel surface) 4, the light absorption effect of the upper film 42 is large, so the regions 411 with different transmittances formed in the lower film 41 are hardly visible as a pattern, thereby enhancing the design effect.

[0044] The configuration of the design film in the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments and modified versions. For example, the upper layer film is not limited to the black or gray smoke of the embodiments, but may be a color similar to the vehicle body color, for example. In the case of a tail lamp that emits red light as in the embodiments, the design film may be a reddish smoke. Furthermore, the lower layer film is not limited to white or a similar color as in the embodiments. In particular, in the case of a configuration in which the design pattern is visually formed when the light is turned on, as in the modified version, a chromatic color can be used for the lower layer film to form a design pattern that mixes the color of the light source and the color of the lower layer film.

[0045] The light source light guide and the light output light guide that constitute the light guide of the present invention are not limited to the shapes and structures described in the embodiments. In particular, it is preferable that the light output light guide has an end face portion for forming a line-shaped light emission pattern and a plate surface portion with a relatively large area.

[0046] In this embodiment, the lamp is composed of two lamp units, an upper and a lower one, but it may also be composed of one lamp unit or three or more lamp units. Furthermore, the lamps to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the tail lamp described in this embodiment, but can also be applied to indicator lights such as position lamps and marker lamps, illumination lights such as the backup lamps described in this embodiment, or signal lights such as turn signal lamps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Lamp Unit 2 Light source section 3. Light guide 4. Design film 5. Optical Control Unit 31 Light source light guide section 32 Output light guide section 41 Lower layer membrane 42 Upper layer 100 Lamp Housing 101 Lamp Body 102 Outer Lens 103 Extension 211~213 LED (light source) 311 Light incidence part 321 Plate surface part 322 End section 411 High transmission area RL (L-RL, R-RL) Rear Lamp (Vehicle Lighting) CAR (automobile / vehicle)

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising a lamp unit having a light source and a light guide that guides the light from the light source and emits the guided light, illuminating the front of the lamp, wherein the light guide includes an emission light guide portion that emits the light guided from the light source, the emission light guide portion is formed in the shape of a plate and includes a plate surface portion that internally reflects the guided light and an end surface portion that emits the guided light, and a design film that enhances the internal reflection of the guided light is formed on the surface of the plate surface portion.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the design film comprises a lower film having a required light reflectance and an upper film having a required light absorption rate, the lower film being a member whose light reflectance is greater than its light absorption rate, and the upper film being a member whose light absorption rate is greater than its light absorption rate.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the lower layer film has high-transmittance regions with higher light transmittance than the surrounding areas formed in a required pattern.

4. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 2, wherein the upper layer film is a member having the required color.

5. The light guide body includes a light source light guide section that guides light incident from the light source in the longitudinal direction, the output light guide section is connected to the light source light guide section along the longitudinal direction of the light source light guide section, and the light guided by the light source light guide section is guided to the output light guide section, as described in claim 1.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the light-emitting light guide unit includes a light control unit in a boundary region connected to the light source light guide unit, which controls the light guided from the light source light guide unit toward the light-emitting light guide unit, and the light control unit includes a plurality of control recesses spaced apart along the length of the light source light guide unit and recessed to a required depth from the surface of the light-emitting light guide unit, and a portion of the light guided from the light source light guide unit toward the light-emitting light guide unit is internally reflected at the side surface of the control recesses.

7. A vehicle light fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 6, configured as an indicator light or signal light for an automobile.

Images