Vehicle lighting

Abstract

This invention provides vehicle lighting fixtures that create a light emission pattern with a sense of depth, thereby enhancing the design effect. [Solution] The lamp unit 2 includes a light guide 3 that guides light from a light source 4 and emits the guided light, illuminating the front of the lamp. The light guide 3 is formed in a plate shape and has a front region 31 and a rear region 32 that are bent in the thickness direction and arranged in the front-rear direction of the lamp. Furthermore, it includes a light inlet 34 into which light from the light source 4 is incident, and a light outlet 36 provided on multiple surfaces that emit the guided light from the surface of each surface. The light emitted from the front region 31 and the rear region 32 is combined to form the required light emission pattern.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp with enhanced design effect of the light emission pattern during lighting.

Background Art

[0002] As a vehicle lamp (lamp) used as an indicator lamp or signal lamp such as a tail lamp or turn signal lamp of an automobile, a lamp with enhanced design effect when viewed from the outside, particularly the design effect of the light emission pattern during lighting, has been proposed. For example, the lamp of Patent Document 1 arranges a plurality of light guide plates formed with torsion in the plate thickness direction and emits light from the main surface (plate surface) of each light guide plate, thereby forming a light emission pattern with a sense of depth and enhancing the design effect.

[0003] The lamp of Patent Document 1 requires, as lamp components, a plurality of light guide plates that function as light emission surfaces and a plurality of light sources for making light incident on each light guide plate. Therefore, if the number of light guide plates is increased to further enhance the design effect, the number of parts will increase accordingly, and there is room for improvement in terms of structure and cost.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for forming multiple light emission patterns on a single light guide by a lens step formed on the light guide plate, and this technique makes it possible to reduce the number of light sources and light guide plates. However, the light emission pattern formed by a single light guide plate is planar along the surface of the light guide plate, and there is room for improvement in creating a light emission pattern with a sense of depth to enhance the design effect.

[0006] The objective of this invention is to provide a vehicle light fixture that can create a light emission pattern with a sense of depth using fewer parts, thereby enhancing the design effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises a lamp unit having a light source and a light guide of a required length that guides the light from the light source and emits the guided light to illuminate the front of the lamp. The light guide is formed in a plate shape and is bent in the thickness direction of the plate to form a plurality of regions arranged in the front-rear direction of the lamp, a light incidence section that causes the light from the light source to be incident on the end faces of each of the plurality of regions, and a light emission section provided in the plurality of regions that causes the guided light to be emitted from the surface of each region. In this configuration, the light emitted from the surfaces of the plurality of regions is combined to illuminate in a required light emission pattern.

[0008] In the present invention, the multiple regions of the light guide include a front region located in front of the bent portion and a rear region located behind the front region, and light-emitting portions are formed in the front region and the rear region, and the configuration is such that a light emission pattern is formed when light emitted from the light-emitting portion of the front region and light emitted from the light-emitting portion of the rear region are combined.

[0009] In the present invention, it is preferable that the light-emitting portion is composed of a light-emitting step that refracts or reflects light, the light-emitting step in the front region is composed of a light-refracting step formed on the front surface of the front region, and the light-emitting step in the rear region is composed of a light-reflecting step formed on the rear surface of the rear region. Furthermore, it is preferable that the light-emitting portion is composed of a small inclined surface portion that is inclined at a relatively small angle with respect to the surfaces of the front and rear regions, and a large inclined surface portion that is inclined at a relatively large angle in the opposite direction. Moreover, it is preferable that the light-emitting portion is composed of a plurality of strip-shaped patterns that extend across the rear region and are arranged at required intervals in the longitudinal direction of the light guide, and that each strip-shaped pattern extends from the front region to the rear region in an inclined state in the longitudinal direction of the light guide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, in a light guide that guides light from a light source, light emitted from the surfaces of multiple regions is combined to illuminate in a required light emission pattern. By arranging the multiple regions in the front-to-back direction of the lamp, the light emission pattern formed by the combination of light emitted from each region is given a sense of depth or three-dimensionality, resulting in a vehicle lamp with a high design effect when lit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] An external view of an automobile equipped with a rear lamp using the vehicle lighting device of the present invention, and a schematic perspective view of the left lamp section. [Figure 2] Vertical cross-sectional view of the left ramp section in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Horizontal cross-sectional view of the left ramp section in Figure 1. [Figure 4] A schematic perspective view of the lamp unit as seen from the front. [Figure 5] A schematic perspective view of the lamp unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 6] A schematic perspective view of the light incidence section. [Figure 7] A schematic plan view showing the light guidance and emission state in a lamp unit. [Figure 8]A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the light guidance and emission state in a lamp unit. [Figure 9] A longitudinal section and a schematic perspective view of the modified example 1. [Figure 10] A longitudinal cross-sectional view of modified example 2 and a schematic perspective view of the auxiliary light guide. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an external view of an automobile CAR equipped with a rear lamp 1 to which the vehicle lighting device of the present invention is applied. The rear lamp (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the lamp) 1 is arranged in a line extending in the width direction of the automobile at the rear of the automobile body CAR, and consists of a left lamp section 1L and a right lamp section 1R arranged on the left and right sides in the width direction of the automobile CAR, and a central lamp section 1C sandwiched between these left and right lamp sections 1L and 1R. The central lamp section 1C is located on the trunk lid of the automobile CAR, and the left and right lamp sections 1L and 1R are located on the upper part of the left and right rear fenders of the automobile CAR, respectively.

[0013] Figure 1 shows indicator lamps and signal lamps such as backup lamps and turn signal lamps below the rear lamp 1 (the reference numerals are omitted), and each lamp section 1C, 1L, and 1R may be a rear combination lamp in which these lamps are assembled as a single unit. Here, each lamp section 1C, 1L, and 1R of the rear lamp 1 is assumed to be configured as an independent lamp.

[0014] In addition, Fig. 1 shows a schematic external view when the left lamp unit 1L is lit. When the left lamp 1L is lit, the lamp unit 2 described later emits light, and a plurality of bent strip-shaped light-emitting patterns are visually recognized as if they were dotted. These plurality of strip-shaped light-emitting patterns are arranged in the left-right direction, and adjacent strip-shaped light-emitting patterns are visually recognized as being in a continuous state, so that they can be observed as a spiral light-emitting pattern, enhancing the design effect. In the right lamp unit 1R, a light-emitting pattern symmetrical left and right to that of the left lamp unit 1L is observed. The central lamp unit 1C has a spiral light-emitting pattern at both left and right end portions, but as a whole, it has a narrow line-shaped light-emitting pattern extending in the left-right direction.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the left lamp unit 1L includes a lamp housing 100, and the lamp unit 2 is disposed within this lamp housing 100. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the left lamp unit 1L, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view. The lamp housing 100 is composed of a lamp body 101 opened along a region from the rear to the left side of the left rear fender of the automobile CAR, and a translucent colorless outer lens 102 attached so as to close the opening of this lamp body 101. The outer lens 102 is formed in a curved surface shape that curves so as to follow the curved shape of the surface of the left rear fender. And the lamp unit 2 is disposed within this lamp housing 100. Hereinafter, in the front-rear direction, the direction in which light is emitted from the lamp unit 2, in other words, the side with the outer lens 102 is referred to as the front.

[0016] The lamp unit 2 is configured as a lamp unit that functions as a tail lamp that lights up with red light, and includes one light guide (light guide) 3 that functions as an inner lens and a light source 4 that emits light into the light guide 3. In the lamp unit 2, the light emitted from the light source 4 is incident on the light guide 3, guided by the light guide 3, and then emitted from the surface of the light guide 3 and irradiated with the required light distribution after passing through the outer lens 102. Further, a decorative member and an extension 103 as a pseudo light reflection member are disposed in the lamp housing 100, covering a part of the light source 4 and the lamp unit 2.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the lamp unit 2 as viewed from the front of the lamp, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the lamp unit 2 as viewed from the rear of the lamp. The light guide 3 is formed of a translucent member such as a transparent resin having a plate shape with a required length dimension and width dimension, extends along the inner surface of the outer lens 102, and is curved in a curved shape in the length direction along the curved shape of the outer lens 102. Further, in the width direction, the central portion in the width direction is formed in an inverted U-shaped cross-sectional shape bent in a direction of approximately 180 degrees in the plate thickness direction. Here, the region on the front side of the lamp in the width direction directed toward the outer lens 102 with respect to the central portion which is the bent portion of the light guide 3 is referred to as the front side region 31, and the opposite region on the rear side of the lamp is referred to as the rear side region 32.

[0018] A flange-shaped support piece 33 is integrally formed at the edge in the width direction of the rear side region 32 of the light guide 3. A plurality of screw insertion holes 331 are formed in the support piece 33, and the support piece 33 is fixed to the bottom surface of the lamp body 101 by screws 332 inserted through the screw insertion holes 331, and the light guide 3 is supported in the lamp housing 100. In a state where the light guide 3 is supported in the lamp housing 100, the front side region 31 extends along the inner surface of the outer lens 102. As shown in FIG. 2, the boundary portion between the rear side region 32 and the support piece 33 is bent in an arc shape in the plate thickness direction.

[0019] The light guide 3 has one end in its longitudinal direction, in this case the end facing the front of the automobile CAR, which is configured as a light incident section 34. This light incident section 34 is tapered, with the dimensions in the front-to-back direction and the height of the central part gradually decreasing towards one end. As a result, the light incident section 34 has an inverted U-shape, with its length and width dimensions reduced compared to other parts of the light guide 3. The end faces of the light incident section 34, i.e., one end face each of the front region 31 and the rear region 32, are configured as light incident surfaces 341.

[0020] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the light source 4 comprises a light source substrate 40 and two LEDs (light-emitting diodes), in this case chip-type LEDs 41, that emit red light and are mounted on the light source substrate 40. The light source substrate 40 is supported by the lamp body 101 at one end of the lamp housing 100, that is, at the end facing the front of the automobile CAR. The two LEDs 41 have their light-emitting surfaces facing the other end of the lamp housing 100 and are mounted on the light source substrate 40 at a required distance from each other in the left-right direction. The two LEDs 41 are positioned opposite the light incident surface 341 of the light incident portion 34 of the light guide 3. That is, the two LEDs 41 are positioned opposite each other at one end surface of the front region 31 and the rear region 32 of the light guide 3, respectively, and as will be described later, the light emitted from each LED 41 is incident from the light incident surface 341 toward the interior of the light guide 3. The light source substrate 40 is electrically connected to a lighting circuit (not shown in the figure), which supplies power to the LED 41 and causes the LED 41 to emit light.

[0021] To further explain the light guide 3, as shown in Figure 6, the light incident portion 34 of the light guide 3 has light control steps 35 formed on both the outer surface facing outwards and the inner surface facing inwards, which are bent in an inverted U shape. These light control steps 35 diffuse the light incident surface 341 from the LED 41 within the light guide 3 to guide it evenly. Here, the light guide 3 is composed of cylindrical steps with an arc-shaped cross-section that are directed at a required angle along the length of the light guide 3, and multiple cylindrical steps are arranged in parallel.

[0022] Furthermore, in the front region 31 and rear region 32 of the light guide 3, on the other end side of the light incident portion 34, a plurality of light-emitting portions 36 with a required pattern shape are arranged at appropriate intervals along the length of the light guide 3. Each light-emitting portion 36 is formed as a strip-shaped pattern having a required width dimension in the length direction of the light guide 3. The strip-shaped pattern of each light-emitting portion 36 extends from the front region 31 to the rear region 32 of the light guide 3. In addition, the positions of the front end and rear end of each light-emitting portion 36 are offset by a required dimension in the length direction of the light guide 3, so that each light-emitting portion 36 is inclined at a required angle with respect to the length direction of the light guide 3.

[0023] The multiple light-emitting sections 36 are composed of light-emitting steps 37 formed on the outer surfaces of the front region 31 and the rear region 32 of the light guide 3, respectively, as shown in enlarged views in Figures 4 and 5. Specifically, the light-emitting steps 37 are formed by convex grooves formed on the front surface of the front region 31 and the rear surface of the rear region 32. The cross-sectional shape of these convex grooves is such that small inclined surfaces 371 and large inclined surfaces 372, whose inclination gradients with respect to the length direction of the surface of the light guide 3 are oriented in opposite directions, are alternately arranged along the length direction of the light guide 3. The small inclined surfaces 371 are surfaces whose inclination angle with respect to the surface of the light guide 3 is smaller than that of the large inclined surfaces 372. Here, the cross-sectional shape of these light-emitting steps 37 is referred to as a sawtooth shape.

[0024] Furthermore, the configuration of the light emission step 37, that is, the orientation of the sawtooth shape, is reversed in the front region 31 and the rear region 32. As can be seen by referring to Figures 4 and 5, in the front region 31, the inclination of the small inclined surface portion 371 is directed toward one end, that is, toward the light incident portion 34, while in the rear region 32, the inclination of the large inclined surface portion 372 is directed toward the light incident portion 34. With this configuration, as will be described later, the light emission step 37 in the front region 31 functions as a light refraction step, and the light emission step 37 in the rear region 32 functions as a light reflection step.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lamp unit 2 with the above configuration is housed in the lamp housing 100. The light source 4 of the lamp unit 2 has a light source substrate 40 supported by the lamp body 101, and the light guide 3 is supported by the lamp body 101 by a support piece 33. In the lamp unit 2 housed in the lamp housing 100 in this way, the front region 31 of the light guide 3 is positioned in a forward position close to the inner surface of the outer lens 102, and the rear region 32 is positioned behind the front region 31. The light source 4 and the support piece 33 are covered by the extension 103 and are not visible from the outside through the outer lens 102. Therefore, the front region 31 and the rear region 32 of the light guide 3 are visible from the outside through the outer lens 102, overlapping in the front-to-back direction of the lamp 1.

[0026] The light emission pattern observed from the outside when the left lamp unit 1L, which has the lamp unit 2 configured as described above, is lit will be explained. As mentioned above, the right lamp unit 1R has a symmetrical configuration, so the light emission pattern is also symmetrical. Hereafter, these lamp units 1L and 1R will be collectively referred to as lamp unit 1.

[0027] When the lamp unit 1 is lit and the two LEDs 41 emit light, the light emitted from each LED 41 is incident on the light incident surface 341, i.e., one end face of the front region 31 and the rear region 32, respectively, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, which illustrate a portion of the light path that is guided. The light incident on the light incident surface 341 is internally reflected and diffused by the cylindrical surface of the light control step 35 formed in the light incident section 34. As a result, the incident light is guided uniformly in the longitudinal direction toward the other end within the front region 31 and the rear region 32.

[0028] Light guided to the front region 31 and the rear region 32 is internally reflected at the front and rear surfaces of each region 31 and 32, respectively, and guided toward the other end. When the light is guided to the light emission sections 36 of the front region 31 and the rear region 32, it is refracted or reflected by the respective light emission steps 37 and emitted from the front surfaces of the front region 31 and the rear region 32. This emitted light passes through the outer lens 102 and illuminates the outside, that is, the area from the rear to the side of the automobile CAR.

[0029] The left side of Figure 7 shows the light emission state at the light emission section 36 of the front region 31. In this light emission section 36, the small inclined surface 371 of the light emission step 37 is not facing the direction of the light incidence section 34. Therefore, it is difficult for guided light to be incident on the small inclined surface 371, and even if light is incident, it is incident at an angle larger than the critical angle and is internally reflected. On the other hand, the large inclined surface 371 is facing the light incidence section 34, so the light guided from the light incidence section 34 is refracted and transmitted at the large inclined surface 372 and emitted to the outside of the light guide 3. In this way, the light emission step 37 of the front region 31 functions as a light refraction step that refracts and emits the guided light. The light emitted from the front surface of the light emission section 36 of the front region 31 forms a band-shaped emission pattern by the aggregation of line-shaped light corresponding to the large inclined surface 372.

[0030] On the other hand, the right side of Figure 7 shows the light emission state at the light emission section 36 of the rear region 32. In this light emission section 36, the inclined surface of the small inclined surface section 371 of the light emission step 37 faces the light incidence section 34, so guided light is incident on it. However, since the inclination angle of the small inclined surface section 371 with respect to the light incidence section 34 is small, the guided light incident on the small inclined surface section 371 is internally reflected at an angle greater than the critical angle. This internally reflected light is incident on the front surface of the rear region 32 at a small angle of incidence, so this light is refracted and transmitted at the front surface and emitted to the outside of the light guide 3. Note that the large inclined surface section 372 does not face the light incidence section 34, so guided light is rarely incident on it and it hardly contributes to light emission. From this, the light emission step 37 of the rear region 32 functions as a light reflection step. The light emitted from the front surface of this rear region 32 is combined with line-shaped light corresponding to the small inclined surface portion 371 of the light emission step 37 to form a band-shaped light emission pattern.

[0031] Thus, in the light guide 3, a band-shaped light emission pattern is formed by the light emitted from the light-emitting portions 36 of the front region 31 and the rear region 32. Therefore, when the lamp 1 is lit and the light guide is observed from outside the outer lens 102, multiple inverted U-shaped band-shaped light emission patterns arranged in the left-right direction of the front region 31 and the rear region 32 are observed overlapping. Furthermore, since these multiple band-shaped light emission patterns are inclined in the length direction of the light guide 3, i.e., in the left-right direction of the lamp 1, the lower ends of adjacent multiple light emission patterns are visible as a continuous sequence, and are observed as multiple spirally continuous light emission patterns, resulting in a lamp with a highly aesthetic design.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light emitted from the light-emitting section 36 of the rear region 32 undergoes a slight decrease in light intensity (light quantity) as it passes through the front region 31. Therefore, the light emitted from the light-emitting section 36 of the rear region 32 has a lower light intensity compared to the light emitted from the light-emitting section 36 of the front region 31. Consequently, the spiral light emission pattern formed by the combined light emitted from the respective light-emitting sections 36 of the rear region 32 and the front region 31 exhibits a pronounced contrast between light and dark, creating a sense of depth or three-dimensionality, and further enhancing the design effect of the lamp section 1.

[0033] In this embodiment, by appropriately setting the sawtooth-shaped cross-sectional shape constituting the light emission step 37, that is, the width dimensions (dimensions along the length direction of the light guide) of the small inclined surface portion 371 and the large inclined surface portion 372, and the inclination angles of each inclined surface 371, 372, the direction of the light emitted from the light emission step 37 can be controlled, and the light distribution required for the lamp portion 1 can be controlled.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a flange-shaped support piece 33 is formed on the edge of the rear region 31 of the light guide 3. However, since the boundary between the rear region 32 and the support piece 33 is bent in an arc shape in the thickness direction, the support piece 33 is not visible from the outside of the lamp unit 1 through the boundary due to internal reflection of light within the boundary, thus preventing a decrease in the design effect.

[0035] In the present invention, although not shown in the figures, a light emission step 37 that functions as a light reflection step may be formed on the rear surface of the front region 31 as the light emission section 36 of the front region 31, and the light reflected by this light emission step 37 may be emitted from the front surface. Alternatively, a light emission step 37 that functions as a light refraction step may be formed on the front surface of the rear region 32 as the light emission section 36 of the rear region 32, and the light transmitted through this light emission step 37 may be emitted from the front surface.

[0036] In this embodiment, the light-emitting portion 36 formed on the light guide 3 is formed in a continuous band-shaped pattern extending from the front region 31 to the rear region 32, and when lit, it is shown to form a continuous spiral light emission pattern in the left-right direction of the lamp. However, the light-emitting portion may be formed in a different pattern to form a different light emission pattern. For example, the light-emitting portion 36 may be formed as independent patterns of any shape in the front region 31 and the rear region 32, and the light emitted from each light-emitting portion 36 may be combined to form a light emission pattern.

[0037] In the present invention, the bending shape of the light guide 3 is not limited to an inverted U-shape, but may be various bending shapes such as an arc shape or a shape close to a polygon. Furthermore, although the light guide 3 is configured as a bi-fold structure in this embodiment, it may also be configured as a tri-fold structure with three overlapping regions in the front-to-back direction of the lamp, and the light emission pattern may be configured by combining the light emitted from the light emission portions of these three regions.

[0038] In the configuration of the lamp unit 2 of the above embodiment, if it is difficult to meet the required light distribution, particularly light intensity, for the lamp 1, or to further enhance the design effect, an auxiliary lamp unit 2A may be added, as shown in Modification 1 in Figure 9. Figure 9(a) is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view, and Figure 9(b) is a schematic perspective view thereof. Parts equivalent to those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0039] In this modified example 1, the auxiliary lamp unit 2A is made of a circular rod-shaped translucent material and includes an auxiliary light guide 5 which is a translucent rod curved along the curved shape of the light guide. This auxiliary light guide, i.e., the translucent rod 5, extends between the front and rear regions 31 and 32 of the light guide 3 of the lamp unit 2. An auxiliary light source 4A, composed of LEDs, is positioned opposite one end of the translucent rod 5. In addition, a light reflection step 51 is formed on the rear surface of the translucent rod 5 along the length of the translucent rod 5. Although not shown in the illustration, one end of the translucent rod 5 and the auxiliary light source 4A are covered by an extension 103.

[0040] When the lamp section 1 is lit, the auxiliary light source 4A is illuminated along with the light source 4 (LED 41) of the lamp unit 2. The light from the auxiliary light source 4A enters from one end of the light-transmitting rod 5, is guided lengthwise through the interior of the light-transmitting rod 5, is reflected by the light reflection step 51, and is emitted from the circumferential surface facing forward of the light-transmitting rod 5. The light emitted from the light-transmitting rod 5 is combined with the light emitted from the light guide 3, thereby increasing the amount of light emitted from the lamp section 1 when it is lit. In addition, when lit, a design effect is created by combining the spiral light emission pattern from the lamp unit 2 with the linear light emission pattern from the auxiliary lamp unit 2A.

[0041] In this auxiliary lamp unit 2A, the light guided through the translucent rod 5 may be guided in any direction along its length. Therefore, although not shown in the illustration, by arranging another auxiliary light source emitting a different color of light at the other end of the translucent rod 5 and selectively emitting these auxiliary light sources, the translucent rod 5 of the auxiliary lamp unit 2A can be illuminated with different colored light. For example, one auxiliary light source may be configured with a red LED to function as a stop lamp, and the other auxiliary light source may be configured with an amber LED to function as a turn signal lamp.

[0042] Alternatively, an auxiliary lamp unit 2B equipped with an auxiliary light guide 6 may be provided, as shown in Modification 2 of Figure 10. The auxiliary light guide 6 of this auxiliary lamp unit 2B is composed of a rod portion 61 made of a circular rod-shaped translucent material and curved along the curved shape of the light guide, and a plate-shaped board portion 62 extending from the side surface of the rod portion 61. The board portion 62 is formed in a substantially L-shape with the boundary portion 63 with the rod portion 61 bent in the thickness direction, and the tip surface 621 of the board portion 62 has a tapered cross-section.

[0043] Furthermore, a light guide control unit 64 is formed in the boundary portion 63 for controlling the light guided from the rod portion 61 to the board portion 62. This light guide control unit 64 consists of control steps formed on the surface of the board portion, and in this case, it is composed of a plurality of triangular prism-shaped recesses. The control steps of this light guide control unit 64 have a configuration similar to the control grooves described in, for example, WO2023 / 157585.

[0044] The rod portion 61 and the boundary portion 63 are covered by the extension 103. In addition, auxiliary light sources 4B, which consist of LEDs or the like, are positioned opposite one end or both ends of the rod portion 61, so that the light from the LEDs is incident on the rod portion 61.

[0045] In this auxiliary light guide 6, the light from the light source 4B input to one or both ends of the rod portion 61 is guided along the length of the rod portion 61 and then guided toward the board portion 62. In the board portion 62, the guided light is guided toward the tip, reflected at the tip surface 621, and emitted toward the front of the lamp 1. The emitted light is transmitted through the front region 31 of the light guide 3 and illuminated by the outer lens 102. As a result, the light emitted from the auxiliary light guide 6 forms a linear emission pattern corresponding to the shape of the tip surface 621 of the board portion 62, and when combined with the spiral emission pattern from the lamp unit 2, a design effect is produced.

[0046] Here, the light guided from the rod portion 61 toward the board portion 62 is deflected by the light guide control unit 64 and efficiently guided toward the board portion 62. Although a detailed explanation is omitted, the light guided from the rod portion 61 is reflected or refracted and deflected by the three inner surfaces of the triangular prism-shaped recess, which is configured as a control step of the light guide control unit 64. Due to this deflection of light, the guided light is guided uniformly and efficiently toward the tip of the board portion 62. This makes it possible to make the line-shaped pattern on the tip surface 621 emit light uniformly and brightly. In this modified example 2, a lens step for forming a required pattern such as characters or designs may be formed on the board portion 62, and the light guided from the board portion 61 may be reflected by the lens step to emit the required pattern.

[0047] The lamps to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the tail lamps described in the embodiments, but can also be applied to indicator lights such as position lamps and marker lamps, and signal lights such as stop lamps and turn signal lamps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Rear lamp (vehicle lighting fixture) 1L, 1R Lamp section 2 Lamp Units 2A, 2B Auxiliary Lamp Unit 3. Light guide 4 light source 4A,4B Auxiliary light source 5. Auxiliary light guide (translucent rod) 6. Auxiliary light guide (plate-shaped light guide) 31 Anterior area 32 Posterior area 33 Support piece 34 Light incidence part 35 Light control step 36 Light Emitting Section 37 Light emission step 40 Light source substrate 41 LED 100 Lamp Housing 101 Lamp Body 102 Outer Lens 103 Extension 371 Small slope section 372 Large slope section CAR (automobile / vehicle)

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising a lamp unit having a light source and a light guide of a required length that guides the light from the light source and emits the guided light to illuminate the front of the lamp, wherein the light guide is formed in a plate shape and bent in the thickness direction of the plate to form a plurality of regions arranged in the front-rear direction of the lamp, a light incidence section that causes the light from the light source to be incident on the end faces of each of the plurality of regions, and a light emission section provided in the plurality of regions that causes the guided light to be emitted from the surface of each region, and the light emitted from the surfaces of the plurality of regions is combined to illuminate in a required light emission pattern.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions of the light guide include a front region located in front of the bent portion and a rear region located behind the front region, the light emitting portion is formed in the front region and the rear region, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the front region and the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the rear region are combined to form a light emission pattern.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting section is composed of a light emitting step that refracts or reflects light, the light emitting step in the front region is composed of a light refraction step formed on the front surface of the front region, and the light emitting step in the rear region is composed of a light reflection step formed on the rear surface of the rear region.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light emission step comprises a small inclined surface portion tilted at a relatively small angle with respect to the surfaces of the front region and the rear region, and a large inclined surface portion tilted at a relatively large angle in the opposite direction.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting portion is configured as a plurality of strip-shaped patterns extending from the front region to the rear region and arranged at required intervals in the longitudinal direction of the light guide, and each of the plurality of strip-shaped patterns extends from the front region to the rear region in an inclined state in the longitudinal direction of the light guide.

6. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 2, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged at positions opposite to the light-incident portion of the light guide, and each light-emitting element is arranged opposite to the respective end faces of the front region and the rear region.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light incident portion has a light control step that internally reflects the incident light in a diffuse state.

8. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 2, wherein an auxiliary light guide that emits light in a line along the length direction of the light guide is disposed between the front region and the rear region.

9. A vehicle light fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 8, configured as an indicator light or signal light for an automobile.

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