Vehicle lighting

Abstract

We provide vehicle lighting fixtures that offer a high degree of layout flexibility. [Solution] The vehicle light fixture 1 comprises a light source 30, a non-transparent member 20 having one or more openings 21, and a plurality of light-guiding films 40 into which light from the light source 30 is incident. The exit ends 43 of the light-guiding films 40 are configured to emit light to the outside through the openings 21, and the plurality of exit ends 43 are arranged at intervals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle lamps.

Background Art

[0002] In vehicle lamps, a light guide plate may be used to realize a desired light emitting surface. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which light is emitted from a light guide plate through a gap provided in an extension. Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a light guide plate is passed through an opening of an extension and the extension is caused to emit light.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A unit using a light guide plate has a large surface light emitting surface and there is room for improvement in design. When arranging a light guide plate in a lamp, the degree of freedom in arranging a light source or the like is low, and the layout may be restricted.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle lamp with a high degree of freedom in layout.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a light source, a non-translucent member having one or more openings, a plurality of light guide films into which light from the light source is incident, and is configured such that an emission end of the light guide film emits light to the outside from the opening. ​ Multiple of the aforementioned emission ends are arranged at intervals. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide vehicle lighting fixtures with a high degree of layout flexibility. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of a vehicle light fixture according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the fixing components on the inlet end side. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the configuration of the exit end in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the configuration of the exit end in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the configuration of the incident end in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the configuration of the light-emitting surface in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows the configuration of the light-emitting surface in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows the configuration of the light-emitting surface in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows the configuration of the light-emitting surface in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A vehicle lighting device according to one embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, U represents the upward direction, D represents the downward direction, R represents the right direction, L represents the left direction, F represents the forward direction, and B represents the rear direction. The shape, dimensions, position, etc. of each component in the drawings have been appropriately modified for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual configuration.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp unit 10 and an extension 20 that covers the front surface of the vehicle lamp 1 while exposing the lamp unit 10. The vehicle lamp 1 is, for example, a headlamp mounted on a vehicle, and the lamp unit 10 includes a low beam unit 11 that emits a low beam and a high beam unit 12 that emits a high beam. The extension 20 has an opening 21, and a light emitting surface described later is formed along the opening 21. The light emitting surface provided on the extension 20 may be provided for the purpose of design, or may be provided as a light such as a daytime running light (DRL) or a sequential turn signal lamp.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of the arrow. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle lamp 1 includes a housing 2 having an opening that opens forward and an outer cover 3 made of a transparent resin. The outer cover 3 covers the opening of the housing 2 from the front, thereby forming a lamp chamber 100 between the housing 2 and the outer cover 3. In addition to the extension 20, a light source 30, a light guiding film 40, and a low beam unit 11 and a high beam unit 12 not shown in the figure are arranged in the lamp chamber 100.

[0012] The extension 20 is a member that hides the members in the lamp chamber 100 from the outside and enhances the design of the vehicle lamp 1. The extension 20 is a member that substantially does not transmit light, and is formed of a resin such as polycarbonate, for example. The extension 20 is an example of a light non-transmitting member in the present disclosure.

[0013] The light source 30 is a light source for forming a light emitting surface that emits light to the outside from the opening 21 of the extension 20. The light source 30 is, for example, a light emitting diode (LED).

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle lamp 1 includes a plurality of light guiding films 40 extending from a light source 30 to an extension 20. The light guiding film 40 is a film-like member having light guiding properties. Three light guiding films 40 are depicted in FIG. 2. Each light guiding film 40 has a planar light guiding surface 41, an incident end 42 provided at one end of the light guiding surface 41, and an exit end 43 provided at the other end of the light guiding surface. In the present disclosure, the light guiding film 40 is provided so as to extend from a light source 30 provided at the rear part in the lamp chamber 100 to an extension 20 provided at the front part in the lamp chamber 100. The light guiding film 40 has flexibility, and as shown in FIG. 2, the light guiding surface 41 is arranged in a bent state.

[0015] The incident ends 42 of the plurality of light guiding films 40 are provided in the vicinity of the light source 30, and are arranged such that light from the light source 30 enters the incident ends 42 of the respective light guiding films 40. In the present embodiment, the plurality of light guiding films 40 are bundled by a first fixing member 50 provided in the vicinity of the light source 30. The first fixing member 50 is an example of the fixing member in the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the light source 30 in FIG. 2 and shows the first fixing member 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the first fixing member 50 includes a film fixing portion 51 and a claw 52. A slit-like gap is provided in the film fixing portion 51, and the bundled light guiding films 40 are collectively sandwiched in the gap of the film fixing portion 51. The first fixing member 50 is passed through a hole in a substrate 31 on which the light source 30 is arranged, and is fixed to the substrate 31 by the claw 52 being hooked on the substrate 31. In this way, the first fixing member 50 is fixed to the substrate 31 in a state where the film fixing portion 51 sandwiches the plurality of light guiding films 40 together. Note that for the convenience of drawing, there is depicted a gap between the incident end 42 and the light source 30, but in actuality, it is preferable that there is no gap between the incident end 42 and the light source 30. For example, by adjusting the length of the claw 52 from the film fixing portion 51 and the distance between the film fixing portion 51 and the substrate 31, the incident end 42 of the light guiding film 40 can be configured to be pressed against the light source 30.

[0016] Returning to Figure 2, the exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 is exposed to the front by passing through the opening 21 provided in the extension 20. More specifically, the exit-side surface (front) of the extension 20 and the exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 are on the same plane. Light emitted from the light source 30 and incident on the incident end 42 of the light-guiding film 40 undergoes repeated total internal reflection within the light-guiding film 40 before reaching the exit end 43, and is emitted from the exit end 43 toward the front of the luminaire. In this way, each exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 is configured to emit light to the outside through a plurality of slit-shaped openings 21 provided in the extension 20. Each of the exit ends 43 of the light-guiding film 40 forms a line-shaped light-emitting surface, which is shown as the outer shape of the opening 21 in Figure 1.

[0017] To form a light-emitting surface with sufficient brightness, it is preferable that the total light transmittance of the light-guiding film 40 at a thickness of 1 mm, as measured according to JIS K 7361-1:1997, be 87% or higher. Furthermore, to withstand the temperature environment inside the vehicle lighting device 1, it is preferable that the load deflection temperature of the light-guiding film 40 at a thickness of 4 mm and a stress of 0.45 MPa, as measured according to JIS K 7191-2:2015, be 90°C or higher. Examples of materials for the light-guiding film 40 having these properties include polycarbonate or acrylic. More specifically, for the light-guiding film 40 in the vehicle lighting device 1 of this embodiment, for example, polycarbonate film (grade: PC-1152, PC-2152) manufactured by Teijin Limited can be used. From the viewpoint of flexibility and the design of the light-emitting surface, it is preferable that the thickness of the light-guiding film be 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

[0018] Traditionally, light guide plates have been used in vehicle lighting fixtures to achieve a desired light-emitting surface. However, light guide plates cannot be bent, and their large light-emitting surface limits the flexibility of the lighting fixture layout.

[0019] In the vehicle lighting device 1 according to this embodiment, a light-guiding film 40 is used instead of a light guide plate. Since the light-guiding film 40 can be freely bent, a desired light-emitting surface can be formed by using the light-guiding film 40, and the degree of freedom in the layout of the light-emitting surface is increased. Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 shown in Figure 2, the light-guiding film 40 is bent and positioned so that light incident downward from the light source 30 to the incident end 42 changes direction within the light-guiding film 40 and is emitted from the exit end 43 toward the front of the lamp. Thus, according to the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the orientation of the light source 30 can be freely designed. In other words, the degree of freedom in the layout of the optical system including the light-guiding film 40 is increased. Furthermore, other components such as the low-beam unit 11 and the high-beam unit 12 are densely arranged inside the lamp chamber 100. Since the flexible light-guiding film 40 can be installed so as to pass through the gaps between these components, the degree of freedom in the layout of other components constituting the vehicle lighting equipment is also improved.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment uses three light-guiding films 40, and the emission ends 43 of each light-guiding film 40 are arranged with a gap between them. Conventional light guide plates were thick, making it difficult to arrange multiple light guide plates in terms of layout, and it was difficult to realize a design in which multiple emission ends (light-emitting surfaces) are arranged with a gap between them. According to this embodiment, since a light-guiding film 40 that is thinner than a light guide plate is used, it is easy to arrange multiple light-emitting surfaces, and since the multiple emission ends 43, which are light-emitting surfaces, are arranged with a gap between them, it is easy to give the vehicle lamp 1 a novel design. Note that the number of light-guiding films 40 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 2 to 10.

[0021] Furthermore, the vehicle light fixture 1 according to this embodiment includes a first fixing member 50 that secures multiple light-guiding films 40 together. In particular, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the first fixing member 50 that secures multiple light-guiding films 40 together is attached to and fixed to the light source 30. As in this embodiment, by attaching the first fixing member 50 that secures multiple light-guiding films 40 together to the light source 30, light can be incident on multiple light-guiding films 40 from a single light source 30. The first fixing member 50 may be used not only to secure the incident ends of the light-guiding films 40, but also to secure intermediate parts of the light-guiding films 40 as they are routed.

[0022] Next, an example of a configuration according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the embodiments shown below, components identical to those already described will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted. First, another example of a configuration at the exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing a configuration including a second fixing member 60 that fixes the light-guiding film 40 to the extension 220. The second fixing member 60 is an example of a fixing member in the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the second fixing member 60 has a gap 61 for the light-guiding film 40 to pass through and a claw 62. The extension 220 also has an opening 221, and a projection 222 is provided on the rear surface of the extension 220. As shown in Figure 4, with a part of the second fixing member 60 passing through the opening 221 of the extension 220, the second fixing member 60 and the extension 220 are fixed together by the engagement of the claw 62 of the second fixing member 60 and the projection 222 of the extension 220.

[0023] As a means of fixing the light-guiding film 40 to the second fixing member 60, for example, the light-guiding film 40 may be fixed by pressing it so as to sandwich it from both sides in the gap 61, or it may be fixed by making holes in the left and right edges of the light-guiding film 40 and passing a pin through the holes. It is preferable that the holes made in the light-guiding film 40 be formed at a position that is far enough away from the emission end 43 in the longitudinal and width directions so as not to affect the light emission of the emission end 43. By fixing the light-guiding film 40 to the extension 220 via the second fixing member 60, the position of the emission end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 is stabilized, and the shape of the desired light-emitting surface can be stably maintained. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, multiple light-guiding films are fixed together by one second fixing member 60, but when fixing the extension and the light-guiding film, each light-guiding film may be fixed by a separate fixing member.

[0024] As described in the embodiments above, the second fixing member 60 for fixing the light-guiding film 40 in this disclosure is preferably a structure that is fixed using mechanical or structural means such as pins or claws, rather than adhesive. If adhesive is used, the light-guiding film 40 may melt or sufficient adhesion may not be obtained. By using the second fixing member 60 as described above, the light-guiding film 40 can be fixed without damaging it.

[0025] Furthermore, unlike the extension 20 in Figure 2, which has multiple openings 21, the extension 220 shown in Figure 4 has only one opening 221. In the extension 220, a second fixing member 60 that fixes multiple light-guiding films 40 together is fixed to the opening 221, thereby realizing light-emitting surfaces arranged at intervals. Thus, the extension in this disclosure may have a configuration in which multiple openings 21 are provided, each with an exposed emission end 43, as in the extension 20 in Figure 2, or it may have a configuration in which multiple emission ends 43 are exposed from a single opening 221, as in the extension 220 in Figure 4.

[0026] Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, a semi-permeable film 70 is provided to cover the output-side surface (front) of the extension 220 and the output end 43 of the light-guiding film 40. The semi-permeable film 70 has the property that the output end 43 can be seen from the outside when it emits light, but cannot be seen from the outside when it does not emit light. In other words, it can be seen only when the light-guiding film 40 is emitting light, and when the light-guiding film 40 is not emitting light, the light-guiding film 40 is not visible, making it appear as if the extension 220 has no opening. By providing the semi-permeable film 70 in this way, the design of the light-emitting surface can be improved. The semi-permeable film 70 is formed by, for example, half-deposition of a metal such as aluminum. A clear layer may also be provided between the semi-permeable film 70 and the output end 43.

[0027] Figure 5 shows the configuration of the exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 according to yet another embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 may protrude from the design surface of the extension 20. By making the exit end 43 protrude from the extension 20, a three-dimensional effect can be given to the light-emitting surface. Furthermore, the length to which the light-guiding film 40 protrudes from the design surface of the extension 20 may be the same for all light-guiding films 40, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, or it may differ for each light-guiding film 40. For example, the length to which the exit end 43 protrudes from the light-guiding film 40 positioned above toward the light-guiding film 40 positioned below may be configured to be longer or shorter in a stepped manner.

[0028] Next, another configuration example of the incident end 42 of the light-guiding film 40 will be described. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the incident end 42 of the light-guiding film 40 in another embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, two light sources 30A and 30B are provided as light sources. For explanatory purposes, the two light sources will be referred to as the first light source 30A and the second light source 30B, respectively. The first light source 30A and the second light source 30B have different emission colors. As shown in Figure 6, light from light source 30A is incident on the incident ends 42a and 42b of two of the three light-guiding films 40a and 40b, and light from light source 30B is incident on the incident end 42c of one of the light-guiding films 40c. Light-guiding films 40a and 40b are examples of the first light-guiding film of this disclosure, and light-guiding film 40c is an example of the second light-guiding film of this disclosure. According to this embodiment, since an emission surface can be formed using two types of light sources with different emission colors, the design can be further improved. In Figure 6, the first light source 30A and the second light source 30B are arranged adjacent to each other, but they may be arranged separately. Also, in Figure 6, all the light-guiding films with different emission colors are fixed together by a single first fixing member 50, but different fixing members may be used for each emission color to fix the light-guiding films. The types of light sources used are not limited to two, but may be three or more.

[0029] Next, an example of the design of the light-emitting surface of the extension 20 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 10. The emission end 43 shown in Figures 7 to 10 is exposed to the front of the lamp through an opening appropriately provided in the extension 20, and forms a light-emitting surface. Figure 7 is a front view of a vehicle lamp 301 according to another embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the light-emitting surface formed by the emission end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 may be curved. In this embodiment, all emission ends 43 are curved, but at least one emission end 43 may be curved. It was difficult to form a curved light-emitting surface with a light guide plate that does not have flexibility, but according to this disclosure, since the light-guiding film 40 is flexible, it is easy to realize a curved light-emitting surface like the one in this embodiment. The light-guiding film 40 is flexible in the routing direction from the incident end 42 to the emission end 43, and is also flexible in the direction intersecting the routing direction, thus increasing the degree of freedom in the layout of the light-emitting surface.

[0030] Figure 8 is a front view of a vehicle light fixture 401 according to another embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the light-emitting surface formed by the exit end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 may be wavy. A wavy shape is an example of a curved shape. Shapes such as a wavy shape with many curved portions have been particularly difficult to obtain with conventional light guide plates. Therefore, a light-emitting surface like that of this embodiment can only be realized by using a flexible light-guiding film 40.

[0031] Figure 9 is a front view of a vehicle light fixture 501 according to another embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the light-emitting surface formed by the emission end 43 of the light-guiding film 40 may be circular. A circular shape is an example of a curved shape. In this embodiment, circular light-emitting surfaces are provided around the low-beam unit 11 and the high-beam unit 12.

[0032] Figure 10 is a front view of a vehicle light fixture 601 according to another embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, in this embodiment, the emission ends 43 of a plurality of light-guiding films 40 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting surface. That is, in this disclosure, as shown in Figure 1, the emission ends of a plurality of light-guiding films may be arranged in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting surface to create a striped light-emitting pattern, or, as in this embodiment, the emission ends of a plurality of light-guiding films may be arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting surface to create a linear light-emitting pattern. In addition, although a plurality of linear light-emitting surfaces are arranged in this embodiment, curved light-emitting surfaces may be arranged along the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, all of the emission ends 43 are the same shape, but the light-guiding films 40 may have emission ends 43 of different shapes.

[0033] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0034] In the above embodiment, an extension was used as an example of a non-transmitting member, but the non-transmitting member is not particularly limited as long as it is a member that does not transmit light and is used in vehicle lighting equipment, for example, a reflector, housing, or lens holder.

[0035] In the above embodiment, a light-guiding film was used as a light guide to direct light from the light source to the light-emitting surface, but the applications of light-guiding films in vehicle lighting are not limited to this. For example, when sunlight enters a lens component, it may be focused onto components such as extensions, causing melting damage. In such cases, a light-guiding film may be installed on the surface of the extension or other components that are at risk of melting damage. Since light that enters the light-guiding surface of the light-guiding film undergoes total internal reflection within the film and is dispersed within the surface, the amount of sunlight entering components such as extensions can be attenuated compared to when a light-guiding film is not installed, making it easier to avoid melting damage to the components.

[0036] This disclosure includes the following aspects: (1) Light source and A non-transparent member having one or more openings, The system comprises a plurality of light-guiding films into which light from the aforementioned light source is incident, The light-guiding film is configured such that the exit end emits light to the outside through the opening. A vehicle light fixture in which multiple emission terminals are arranged at intervals. (2) The vehicle lamp according to (1), further comprising a fixing member for fixing the light-guiding film to the non-transparent member. (3) The vehicle lamp according to (1) or (2), further comprising a fixing member for fixing a plurality of the light-guiding films together. (4) The vehicle lighting device as described in (3), wherein the fixing member is attached to the light source. (5) The vehicle lamp according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the exit-side surface of the non-transparent member and the exit end of the light-guiding film are on the same plane. (6) The vehicle lamp according to (5), wherein a semi-transparent film is provided to cover the output-side surface of the non-transparent member and the output end of the light-guiding film. (7) A vehicle lamp according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the exit end of the light-guiding film protrudes from the exit-side surface of the non-transparent member. (8) The light source comprises a first light source and a second light source having a different emission color from the first light source. The vehicle lamp according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the plurality of light-guiding films include a first light-guiding film into which light emitted from the first light source is incident, and a second light-guiding film into which light emitted from the second light source is incident. (9) A vehicle light fixture according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein at least one of the aforementioned emission ends is curved. (10) A vehicle lamp according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the thickness of the light-guiding film is 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1,301,401,501,601 Vehicle lighting fixtures 2 Housing 3 Outer cover 10 Lighting Units 11 Low beam unit 12 High beam unit 20,220 Extensions 21,221 openings 222 Protrusion 30 light source 30A first light source 30B Second light source 31 circuit boards 40, 40a, 40b, 40c Light-guiding film 41 Light guide surface 42,42a,42b,42c Input end 43 Output end 50 First fixing member 51 Film fixing part 52 claws 60 Second fixing member 61 gap 62 claws 70 Semi-permeable membrane 100 light room

Claims

1. Light source and A non-transparent member having one or more openings, The system comprises a plurality of light-guiding films into which light from the aforementioned light source is incident, The light-guiding film is configured such that the exit end emits light to the outside through the opening. A vehicle light fixture in which multiple emission terminals are arranged at intervals.

2. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing member for fixing the light-guiding film to the non-transparent member.

3. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing member for fixing a plurality of the light-guiding films together.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the fixing member is attached to the light source.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the emission-side surface of the non-transparent member and the emission end of the light-guiding film are on the same plane.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein a semi-transparent film is provided to cover the output-side surface of the non-transparent member and the output end of the light-guiding film.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the output end of the light-guiding film protrudes from the output-side surface of the non-transparent member.

8. The light source comprises a first light source and a second light source having a different emission color from the first light source. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light-guiding films include a first light-guiding film into which light emitted from the first light source is incident, and a second light-guiding film into which light emitted from the second light source is incident.

9. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the emission ends is curved.

10. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the light-guiding film is 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

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