Optical unit, reflector, and method for manufacturing the optical unit

Abstract

This provides a new technology that suppresses the deformation of reflectors. [Solution] The reflector 16 is a resin reflector that is positioned with its base surface portion 16a facing forward of the vehicle and fastened to a heat sink, and has an opening 16b formed in the center in the longitudinal direction through which light emitted from a light source passes, a pair of fastening portions 16c formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction and fastened to the heat sink, a lateral reflecting portion 16d formed to protrude forward from between the pair of fastening portions 16c and the opening 16b and reflects the light that has passed through the opening 16b, and a deformation transmission suppression portion formed between the fastening portion 16c and the lateral reflecting portion 16d to suppress the transmission of the effect of deformation at the fastening portion 16c to the lateral reflecting portion 16d.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a reflector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a lamp unit mainly composed of a heat sink, a substrate, a reflector unit, a projection lens, and a holder has been devised (see Patent Document 1). In this lamp unit, the reflector unit presses the substrate against the heat sink, and the substrate is fixed to the heat sink. Further, the reflector unit has an opening through which light emitted from a light-emitting element mounted on the substrate passes forward of the vehicle, and reflecting surfaces provided so as to protrude forward from both left and right sides of the opening.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=2I]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when mounting a plurality of components including optical components on a heat sink as in the above-described lamp unit, if the shape of each component, the portions where the components contact each other, the portions where the components are fastened to each other, etc. are not properly considered, the reflecting surface may be deformed when the lamp unit is assembled.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and one of its exemplary objects is to provide a new technique for suppressing deformation of the reflector.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, an optical unit according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a metal heat sink, a substrate on which a light source is mounted and placed at a predetermined position on the heat sink, a lens through which light emitted from the light source is transmitted and placed at a predetermined position on the substrate, and a resin reflector having a seating portion that sits on the substrate with the lens in between. The reflector has a pair of fastening portions formed outside the longitudinal end of the lens, with a gap between them and the heat sink when the seating portion is seated on the substrate, a reflective portion formed between the pair of fastening portions that reflects light transmitted through the lens, and a deformation transmission suppression portion formed between the fastening portion and the reflective portion that suppresses the transmission of the effect of deformation at the fastening portion to the reflective portion. The pair of fastening portions have contact surfaces that abut against the heat sink when fastened to the heat sink with screws.

[0007] According to this embodiment, the effect of deformation at the fastening point when the reflector is fastened to the heat sink can be suppressed from being transmitted to the reflective part.

[0008] The deformation transmission suppression section may be a slit formed near the fastening section. This allows the deformation transmission suppression section to be realized with a simple shape.

[0009] The reflector may have a recessed step on the contact surface side between the fastening portion and the area where the slit is formed. This reduces the gap between the fastening portion of the reflector and the heat sink before fastening.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is a reflector. This reflector is made of resin and is positioned with its main surface facing the front of the vehicle and fastened to a heat sink, and includes an opening formed in the center of its longitudinal direction through which light emitted from a light source passes, a pair of fastening parts formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction and fastened to the heat sink, a reflective part formed to protrude forward from between the pair of fastening parts and the opening and to reflect the light that has passed through the opening, and a deformation transmission suppression part formed between the fastening part and the reflective part to suppress the transmission of the effect of deformation at the fastening part to the reflective part.

[0011] According to this embodiment, the effect of deformation at the fastening point when the reflector is fastened to the heat sink can be suppressed from being transmitted to the reflective part.

[0012] A further aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical unit. This method includes the steps of: placing a substrate on which a light source is mounted in a predetermined position on a metal heat sink; placing a lens through which light emitted from the light source is transmitted in a predetermined position on the substrate; seating a resin reflector on the substrate with the lens in between; and fastening the reflector to the heat sink. The reflector has a pair of fastening parts that are located outside the lens and have a gap between them and the heat sink when seated on the substrate. The fastening step involves fastening the fastening parts to the heat sink while flexing them.

[0013] According to this embodiment, the lens can be securely fixed between the reflector and the heat sink by fastening the reflector's fastening portion to the heat sink while allowing it to flex.

[0014] The reflector may have a reflective portion between a pair of fastening portions that reflects light that has passed through the lens.

[0015] Any combination of the above components, or any conversion of the expression of the present invention between manufacturing methods, devices such as luminaires and lighting fixtures, light-emitting modules, light sources, etc., are also valid embodiments of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, deformation of the reflector can be suppressed when manufacturing an optical unit consisting of multiple components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a vehicle light fixture according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle lighting fixture. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the reflector according to this embodiment. [Figure 4]It is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an optical unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state before the fastening portion in the A region of FIG. 4 is fastened with a screw, and FIG. 5(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state after the fastening portion in the A region of FIG. 4 is fastened with a screw.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. Also, the embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle lamp shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a vehicle headlamp and is configured to be able to form both a low-beam and a high-beam light distribution pattern.

[0020] The vehicle lamp 10 includes a projection lens 12, a lens holder 14, a reflector 16, a circuit board 18, and a heat sink 20. The projection lens 12 is attached to a predetermined position of the lens holder 14. Also, the projection lens 12 is manufactured by injection molding using a resin material with high transparency and high heat resistance, such as acrylic or polycarbonate. The lens holder 14 is fastened to the heat sink 20 with screws 22.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a front view of the reflector according to this embodiment. The reflector 16 is made of a resin material. The reflector 16 has a horizontally long base surface portion 16a facing the front-rear direction, an opening 16b formed in the center of the reflector 16, and side reflection portions 16d provided so as to protrude forward from both left and right sides of the opening 16b.

[0022] A shade 24, which is a plate-like member, is attached to the lower surface of the side reflection part 16d and protrudes forward from the opening 16b. The shade 24 is held by the reflector 16 such that the plate surface is along the horizontal direction of the vehicle.

[0023] The circuit board 18 includes a first light source 30a in which a plurality of light emitting elements 28a for forming a low beam light distribution pattern are arranged in a horizontal row, a second light source 30b in which a plurality of light emitting elements 28b for forming a high beam light distribution pattern are arranged in a horizontal row, and a drive circuit (not shown) for driving each light emitting element.

[0024] The second light source 30b is arranged adjacent to the first light source 30a. The first light source 30a is located on the upper stage side, and the second light source 30b is located on the lower stage side. The drive circuit is a combination of passive elements such as capacitors and coils, active elements such as transistors and diodes, an IC chip, a memory, etc., and functions as a control unit for controlling the lighting and extinguishing of the first light source 30a and the second light source 30b. The circuit board 18 is a mounting part on which each light source is mounted and is fixed at a predetermined position of the heat sink 20.

[0025] In front of the first light source 30a and the second light source 30b, a resin plate 32 that functions as a lens for deflecting the light emitted from the first light source 30a and the second light source 30b is arranged. Specifically, on the resin plate 32, lens parts corresponding to the number of each light source of the first light source 30a and the second light source 30b are formed side by side in the horizontal direction to deflect the light of the light source in a predetermined direction. The light transmitted through the resin plate 32 forms a light distribution pattern of the vehicle lamp by a component that directly enters the projection lens 12 and a component that enters the projection lens after being reflected by the shade 24 or the side reflection part 16d. The resin plate 32 is sandwiched between the reflector 16 and the circuit board 18. In this state, the position relationship of each member is determined by fastening the reflector 16 to the heat sink 20 with screws 36.

[0026] The optical unit 40 according to this embodiment comprises, among the components constituting the above-described vehicle lighting device 10, a metal heat sink 20, a circuit board 18 on which a first light source 30a and a second light source 30b are mounted and placed at a predetermined position on the heat sink 20, a resin plate 32 on the circuit board 18 which serves as a lens through which light emitted from each light source is transmitted, and a resin reflector 16 which has a seating portion that sits on the circuit board 18 with the resin plate 32 in between.

[0027] Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the optical unit according to this embodiment. Figure 5(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state of the fastening portion in area A of Figure 4 before it is fastened with screws, and Figure 5(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state of the fastening portion in area A of Figure 4 after it has been fastened with screws.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the reflector 16 has a seating portion 16e on the side opposite to the side on which the lateral reflecting portion 16d is provided. The seating portion 16e is seated on the upper surface of the circuit board 18. The reflector 16 also has a pair of fastening portions 16c formed outside the longitudinal end (left-right direction in Figure 4) of the resin plate 32. In other words, the lateral reflecting portion 16d is formed between the pair of fastening portions 16c and reflects light that has passed through the resin plate 32.

[0029] Next, the fastening portion 16c will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 5(a), each of the pair of fastening portions 16c is configured to have a gap G between it and the heat sink 20 when the seating portion 16e is seated on the circuit board 18 and before fastening with the screws 36. When such fastening portions 16c are fastened to the heat sink 20 with screws 36 (see Figure 5(b)), the contact surface 16f on the back side of the fastening portion 16c comes into contact with the heat sink 20. At that time, the fastening portion 16c deforms in the direction of arrow B, so the lateral reflecting portion 16d in the center of the reflector 16 may be displaced in the direction of arrow C. If the lateral reflecting portion 16d is displaced in the direction of arrow C, the light reflected by the lateral reflecting portion 16d will be deviated from the desired direction, which may cause glare to pedestrians or oncoming vehicles.

[0030] Therefore, in the reflector 16 according to this embodiment, a deformation transmission suppression section is formed between the fastening section 16c and the lateral reflective section 16d to suppress the transmission of the deformation effect at the fastening section 16c to the lateral reflective section 16d. This suppresses the transmission of the deformation effect at the fastening section 16c when the reflector 16 is fastened to the heat sink 20 to the lateral reflective section 16d, and suppresses the influence of the shift in the direction of light reflected by the lateral reflective surface 16d on the light distribution pattern. Specifically, the deformation transmission suppression section according to this embodiment is a slit 16g formed near the fastening section 16c. This allows the deformation transmission suppression section to be realized with a simple shape. The deformation transmission suppression section can also be realized by providing a thin-walled section or a hollowed-out section between the fastening section 16c and the lateral reflective section 16d.

[0031] Furthermore, the reflector 16 is provided with an arc-shaped step 16h recessed on the contact surface 16f side between the fastening portion 16c and the region where the slit 16g is formed. This reduces the gap G between the fastening portion 16c of the reflector 16 and the heat sink 20 before fastening. In other words, it reduces the amount of deflection of the reflector 16 in the B direction when fastened.

[0032] Furthermore, the reflector 16 can also be considered as a component having the following characteristics. For example, the reflector 16 according to this embodiment is a resin component fastened to the heat sink 20, with its main surface, the base surface portion 16a, positioned to face forward of the vehicle, and having an opening 16b formed in the center of the longitudinal direction through which light emitted from each light source passes, a pair of fastening portions 16c formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction and fastened to the heat sink 20, a lateral reflecting portion 16d formed to protrude forward from between the pair of fastening portions 16c and the opening 16b and reflect light that has passed through the opening 16b, and a slit 16g formed between the fastening portion 16c and the lateral reflecting portion 16d to suppress the transmission of the effect of deformation at the fastening portion 16c to the lateral reflecting portion 16d.

[0033] It can also be considered as a method for manufacturing the optical unit 40 equipped with the reflector described above. For example, the method for manufacturing the optical unit 40 according to this embodiment includes the steps of: placing a circuit board 18 on which each light source is mounted in a predetermined position on a metal heat sink 20; placing a resin plate 32 through which light emitted from each light source is transmitted in a predetermined position on the circuit board 18; seating a resin reflector 16 on the circuit board 18 with the resin plate 32 in between; and fastening the reflector 16 to the heat sink 20 with screws 36. The fastening step involves fastening the reflector 16 to the heat sink 20 while bending the fastening portion 16c toward the heat sink. By doing so, the resin plate 32 can be firmly fixed between the reflector 16 and the heat sink 20 by fastening the reflector 16 to the heat sink 20 while bending the fastening portion 16c of the reflector 16.

[0034] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the present invention also includes combinations and substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments as appropriate. Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately rearrange the combinations and processing order in the embodiments or to make various design changes and other modifications to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such modified embodiments may also be included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 10 Vehicle lighting fixture, 12 Projection lens, 14 Lens holder, 16 Reflector, 16a Base surface, 16b Opening, 16c Fastening part, 16d Side reflector, 16e Seat part, 16f Contact surface, 16g Slit, 16h Step, 18 Circuit board, 20 Heat sink, 30a First light source, 30b Second light source, 32 Resin plate, 36 Screw, 40 Optical unit.

Claims

1. A metal heatsink, A substrate on which a light source is mounted is placed in a predetermined position on the heat sink, A lens, through which light emitted from the light source is transmitted, is placed at a predetermined position on the substrate. A resin reflector having a seating portion that sits on the substrate with the lens in between, The aforementioned reflector is A pair of fastening portions formed outside the longitudinal end of the lens, wherein the seating portion is seated on the substrate and there is a gap between it and the heat sink, A reflective portion formed between the pair of fastening portions, which reflects light that has passed through the lens, It has a deformation transmission suppression part formed between the fastening part and the reflecting part, which suppresses the transmission of the effect of deformation at the fastening part to the reflecting part, The optical unit is characterized in that the pair of fastening parts have contact surfaces that come into contact with the heat sink when fastened to the heat sink with screws.

2. The optical unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the deformation transmission suppression portion is a slit formed near the fastening portion.

3. The optical unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the reflector has a recessed step on the contact surface side between the fastening portion and the region where the slit is formed.

4. A resin reflector positioned with its main surface facing the front of the vehicle and fastened to a heat sink, An opening is formed in the center of the longitudinal direction, through which light emitted from the light source passes, A pair of fastening parts formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction and fastened to the heat sink, A reflective portion is formed to protrude forward from between the pair of fastening portions and the opening, and reflects light that has passed through the opening, A deformation transmission suppression part is formed between the fastening part and the reflecting part to suppress the transmission of the effect of deformation at the fastening part to the reflecting part, A reflector characterized by having the following features.

5. The process involves placing a substrate on which a light source is mounted in a predetermined position on a metal heat sink, A step of placing a lens through which light emitted from the light source passes at a predetermined position on the substrate, A step of placing a resin reflector on the substrate with the lens in between, The process includes fastening the reflector to the heat sink, The reflector has a pair of fastening portions located outside the lens, which are seated on the substrate and have a gap between them and the heat sink. The method for manufacturing an optical unit is characterized in that the fastening step involves fastening the fastening portion to the heat sink while allowing it to flex.

6. The method for manufacturing the optical unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the reflector has a reflective portion between the pair of fastening portions that reflects light transmitted through the lens.

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