Vehicle lighting
The vehicle lamp design addresses the issue of color mismatch by using a reflector with light-diffusing surfaces and a lens member to ensure uniform light emission and aesthetic consistency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ICHIKOH IND LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-08
AI Technical Summary
The portion of the lens member that transmits light in vehicle lamps can appear to be a different color from the intended light source, affecting the aesthetic appeal.
A vehicle lamp design featuring a reflector with reflective surfaces spaced apart from the light source, a lens member with a light-transmitting portion, and a light-diffusing portion on the reflective surface to diffuse light, ensuring the lens member appears white and matches the light source color.
The design suppresses the appearance of a different color on the lens member, maintaining a visually appealing and uniform light emission.
Smart Images
Figure 2026093027000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle lamps.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle lamp including a semiconductor light source, a reflector disposed below the light source and irradiating downwardly emitted light radiated downward from the light source onto the front of the vehicle as a predetermined light distribution pattern, wherein a light guide member is disposed in front of the vehicle of the light source, and the frontward emitted light radiated from the light source to the front of the vehicle is guided to the reflecting surface of the reflector and reflected upward more than the downward emitted light.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] By the way, the portion of the lens member provided on the front side of the reflector that transmits light may appear to be a different color from the color of the light of the planned light source.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and one object thereof is to provide a vehicle lamp in which the color of the portion of the lens member that transmits light is suppressed from appearing to be a different color from the color of the light of the planned light source.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] The present invention is grasped by the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. The vehicle lamp of the present invention is a light source that irradiates light in the vertical direction, A reflector having reflective surfaces spaced apart in the direction of light irradiation from the light source, which irradiates light forward, The lens member having a light-transmitting portion provided on the front side of the reflector comprises The aforementioned light-transmitting portion is A lens that emits light towards the front, The lens comprises a frame portion extending rearward from the outer circumference of the lens, The reflective surface is provided in a portion of the area on the light source side from the point where it intersects with the optical axis center of the light source, and includes a light-diffusing portion that diffuses light. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to the present invention, a vehicle lighting device is provided that suppresses the appearance of the light-transmitting portion of a lens member as a different color from the intended light source. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view illustrating a reflector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Throughout the description of the embodiments, the same elements are assigned the same numbers or reference numerals.
[0010] However, please note that, for the sake of readability in the drawings, not all identical elements are assigned numbers or symbols, and some elements do not have numbers or symbols assigned. Additionally, some parts of the illustration emphasize the structure to make the explanation easier to understand, and dimensions may differ from the actual dimensions.
[0011] <<Embodiment>> The vehicle lamp 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a view schematically showing a cross-section of the vehicle lamp 100.
[0012] Note that, as will be described later, in FIG. 1, the state of light (state of light rays) is shown using solid arrows and dotted arrows, but not all light rays are shown. It should be noted that it is merely shown for ease of understanding the state.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the reflector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view mainly looking at the side of the reflecting surface 11.
[0014] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the direction in which the light reflected by the reflector 1 travels (also referred to as the reflection direction) is defined as the X direction, the front in the reflection direction (simply referred to as the front) is defined as X1, and conversely, the rear in the reflection direction (simply referred to as the rear) is defined as X2. The directions before and after the reflection direction may be simply referred to as the front-back direction.
[0015] That is, the descriptions of "front", "rear" and "front-back direction" are based on the irradiation direction of light by the reflector 1 (the direction in which the vehicle lamp 100 irradiates light).
[0016] Also, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vertical direction (up-down direction) when the vehicle lamp 100 is attached to the vehicle is defined as the Y direction, the upper side in the vertical direction (simply referred to as the upper, upper side) is defined as Y1, and the lower side in the vertical direction (simply referred to as the lower, lower side) is defined as Y2.
[0017] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction (Y direction) and the front-back direction is defined as the Z direction.
[0018] The vehicle lamp 100 of the present embodiment is a lamp that can be suitably used, for example, as a clearance lamp, daytime running lamp, etc. provided on the front side of the vehicle.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lamp 100 includes a main body BD, a light source LS provided on a substrate CB, a reflector 1, and a lens member 2 which is an inner lens and is attached to the main body BD so as to accommodate the light source LS and the reflector 1 between the main body BD and the lens member 2.
[0020] Further, the vehicle lamp 100 includes an outer lens 3 provided in front of the lens member 2 which is an inner lens and attached to the main body BD so as to cover the inner lens, and a cover 4 having an opening 41 through which light from the light source LS passes and disposed between the reflecting surface 11 of the reflector 1 and the light source LS.
[0021] (Light source LS) The light source LS irradiates light in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the light source LS is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate CB which is the upper side Y1 in the vertical direction of the space formed by the lens member 2 and the main body BD so as to irradiate light toward the lower side Y2 in the vertical direction.
[0022] Specifically, the light source LS includes a light emitting chip CP provided on the lower surface of the substrate CB of the substrate CB, and a phosphor FS provided on the light emitting chip CP.
[0023] For example, the light emitting chip CP is a blue LED chip, and the phosphor FS is a phosphor FS that emits fluorescence in yellow using a part of the light from the blue LED chip as excitation light. White light in which blue light and yellow light which is the complementary color thereof are mixed is irradiated from the light source LS.
[0024] (Reflector 1) The reflector 1 has a reflecting surface 11 disposed apart in the light irradiation direction of the light source LS, and irradiates light forward X1. In the present embodiment, the reflector 1 is provided such that the reflecting surface 11 is disposed on the lower side Y2 in the vertical direction than the light source LS.
[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the reflector 1 is equipped with side walls 12 provided at the widthwise (Z-direction) end 11E of the reflective surface 11.
[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the side wall 12 extends in the front-rear direction and is equipped with knurling 12A that diffuses streaky light aligned in the vertical direction (Y direction). The side wall 12 diffuses the light vertically and reflects it diagonally forward towards X1.
[0027] Therefore, the light from the vehicle light fixture 100 is made more uniform through diffusion and spreads horizontally, improving visibility when illuminated.
[0028] (Lens component 2) As shown in Figure 1, the lens member 2 has a light-transmitting portion 21 provided on the front X1 side of the reflector 1. Furthermore, the parts other than the light-transmitting portion 21 are colored to become opaque portions that do not transmit light. These opaque portions are formed, for example, by painting or two-color molding using colored resin.
[0029] The light-transmitting section 21 includes a lens 21A that irradiates light toward the front X1 side, and a frame section 21B that extends rearward from the outer circumference of the lens 21A.
[0030] (Outer lens 3) The outer lens 3 is almost entirely transparent, and as shown by the thick arrow in Figure 1, the entire light-transmitting portion 21 of the lens member 2 is visible. Therefore, the outer lens 3 allows the upper edge of the frame portion 21B to be seen through the outer lens 3, and the three-dimensional design of the light-transmitting portion 21 can be viewed.
[0031] (Cover 4) As mentioned earlier, cover 4 has an aperture 41 through which light from the light source LS passes, allowing light from the light source LS to illuminate the reflective surface 11 of the reflector 1 while suppressing the visibility of the light source LS.
[0032] More specifically, as can be seen in Figure 1, the cover 4 prevents the light source LS and the substrate CB from being visible through the light-transmitting section 21.
[0033] As explained earlier, since the lens component 2, which is the inner lens, is colored in all parts except the light-transmitting portion 21, the substrate CB is not visible from the upper Y1 of the outer lens 3.
[0034] In this way, the lens component 2 and the cover 4 prevent the light source LS and the substrate CB from being visible, resulting in a visually appealing design.
[0035] On the other hand, the light-emitting chip CP can be considered almost as a point light source, and as shown in Figure 2, the reflective surface 11 has a range RG to which light from the point light source LS is irradiated when the light source LS is viewed as a point light source.
[0036] As shown by the solid arrows in Figure 1, the reflective surface 11 is configured (light distribution design) so that when the light source LS is a point source, the light from the point source passes through the lens 21A.
[0037] However, the light source LS is not actually a perfect point light source; for example, the light emission spreads over an area such as the phosphor FS provided on the light-emitting chip CP.
[0038] Furthermore, in this spread-out light-emitting area, the proportion of light emitted by fluorescence from the phosphor FS tends to be higher, and as shown by the dotted arrow in Figure 1, when the light source LS on the reflective surface 11 is viewed as a point source, the irradiation angle of the light when it is irradiated with respect to the area RG irradiated by the light from the point source is different from the irradiation angle of the light from the point source shown by the solid arrow.
[0039] Thus, because the angle at which light from fluorescence is irradiated onto the reflective surface 11 is different from the angle at which light from a point source is irradiated, as can be seen in Figure 1, the angle of reflection by the reflective surface 11 is also different from that of light from a point source, as indicated by the solid arrow.
[0040] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, some of the light from the fluorescent emission reflected by the reflective surface 11 is directed towards the upper edge of the frame portion 21B.
[0041] However, as explained earlier, the light considered as a point source is reflected by the reflective surface 11 and heads almost entirely towards the lens 21A. Therefore, the blue light that was not used to excite the fluorescence emission also heads almost entirely towards the lens 21A.
[0042] Therefore, while white light, which is a mixture of blue light and its complementary color, yellow light, is directed towards lens 21A, the light directed towards frame 21B is mainly yellow light, causing frame 21B to emit a yellowish light.
[0043] Therefore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the reflective surface 11 is provided on a part of the light source LS side from the position PT where it intersects with the optical axis center OA of the light source LS, and is equipped with a light diffusion section 11A that diffuses light. Furthermore, the optical axis center OA of the light source LS is also the optical axis center of the light-emitting chip CP.
[0044] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the light-diffusing portion 11A is a texture (fine irregularities) that extends in the width direction (Z direction) of the reflective surface 11, and the light-diffusing portion 11A is provided from one end 11E to the other 11E in the width direction of the reflective surface 11. Furthermore, the light diffusing section 11A is not limited to a textured surface, but can be any material capable of diffusing light at least vertically, and the light diffusing section 11A may be, for example, a fisheye prism.
[0045] When the light source LS is a point source, the light diffusion section 11A is located within the range RG of the reflective surface 11 that is illuminated by light from the point source, and as shown in Figure 1, its height in the vertical direction (Y direction) corresponds to a position near the upper end of the lens 21A.
[0046] In other words, within the range of the reflective surface 11 to which the blue light not used for excitation is irradiated, the light diffusion section 11A is provided on the side of the light source LS from the position PT that intersects with the optical axis center OA of the light source LS.
[0047] By providing such a light-diffusing section 11A, the following effects can be obtained, and the yellowish light emission state of the frame section 21B described earlier can be improved to a white light emission state.
[0048] First, at position PT, where the optical axis center OA of the light source LS intersects, the proportion of blue light that was not used for excitation is high. Therefore, diffusing the light at this point may affect the white light emission state of lens 21A.
[0049] However, in this embodiment, in order to avoid such a position, the light diffusion section 11A is provided on the light source LS side of the position PT that intersects with the optical axis center OA of the light source LS.
[0050] Furthermore, on the side of the point PT that intersects the optical axis center OA of the light source LS, the proportion of blue light tends to decrease. Therefore, even if a light diffusion section 11A is provided, it is difficult to efficiently direct the blue light towards the frame section 21B.
[0051] However, since the light diffusion section 11A is located on the light source LS side of position PT, which intersects with the optical axis center OA of the light source LS, which contains a relatively high proportion of blue light, the blue light can be efficiently directed towards the frame section 21B.
[0052] On the other hand, since the addition of the light diffusion section 11A must not affect the basic light distribution design, it is desirable that the light diffusion section 11A have a textured surface with minute irregularities that do not affect the basic light distribution design.
[0053] However, the amount of light scattered by such minute irregularities and textures is naturally reduced. In this embodiment, the light diffusion section 11A is provided from one end 11E to the other 11E in the width direction (Z direction) of the reflective surface 11, so that the blue light necessary for the surface to appear to emit white light is directed towards the frame section 21B.
[0054] Therefore, since blue light is applied to the frame 21B, the light emitted from the frame 21B also becomes white light, which is a mixture of blue light and its complementary color, yellow light, and the light emission state of the frame 21B becomes a white light emission state.
[0055] As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the light diffusion portion 11A is provided from one end 11E to the other 11E in the width direction (Z direction) of the reflective surface 11. However, it is not necessary for the light diffusion portion 11A to extend completely from one end 11E to the other 11E in the width direction (Z direction) of the reflective surface 11.
[0056] Furthermore, the light-diffusing portion 11A may have alternating textured and untextured sections appearing from one end 11E to the other 11E in the width direction (Z direction) of the reflective surface 11.
[0057] Although the present invention has been described above based on specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.
[0058] In the above embodiment, the light source LS was positioned to irradiate light to the vertically downward Y2, and the reflector 1 was provided such that its reflective surface 11 was positioned vertically downward Y2 from the light source LS. However, a configuration in which this relationship is reversed is also possible.
[0059] In other words, the vehicle lighting fixture 100 is inverted, with the light source LS positioned to emit light vertically upward Y1, and the reflector 1 is provided such that its reflective surface 11 is positioned vertically upward Y1 above the light source LS.
[0060] However, if the vehicle light fixture 100 is inverted, the light source LS becomes more easily visible through the opening 41 that allows light from the light source LS to pass through the cover 4. Therefore, from an aesthetic standpoint, it is preferable that the light source LS is positioned to irradiate light to the lower vertical side Y2, as in the above embodiment, and that the reflector 1 is provided such that the reflective surface 11 is positioned to the lower vertical side Y2 than the light source LS.
[0061] Furthermore, although the above explanation described a case where the light-emitting chip CP is a blue LED chip and the phosphor FS emits yellow fluorescence as its complementary color, any phosphor that emits fluorescence as a complementary color to the light-emitting color of the light-emitting chip CP will suffice, and it is not limited to a combination of a blue LED and a yellow fluorescent phosphor.
[0062] Furthermore, the light-emitting chip CP may be replaced with an LD chip (laser diode chip) or the like instead of an LED chip.
[0063] Furthermore, if the vehicle lighting fixture 100 has an elongated form, the light source LS, reflector 1, and light-transmitting part 21 may be provided as a set, with multiple such sets spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 100.
[0064] In other words, the vehicle lighting fixture 100 may comprise a plurality of light sources LS spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 100, reflectors 1 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 100 and corresponding to each light source LS, and light-transmitting portions 21 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 100, with lens members 2 having light-transmitting portions 21 corresponding to each reflector 1.
[0065] Furthermore, the above embodiment shows the case where the reflective surface 11 has an area (size) corresponding to the light emitted from the light-emitting chip CP of the light source LS, that is, the light emitted from a point source when considered as a point source. However, the reflective surface 11 may have a larger area.
[0066] As explained earlier, the light source LS is not a perfect point light source, but rather emits light that spreads over an area such as the phosphor FS provided on the light-emitting chip CP. Therefore, if the area of the reflective surface 11 is increased, a portion of the area within the range illuminated by the light source LS onto the reflective surface 11 becomes the range RG that would be illuminated by light from a point light source if it were considered a point light source.
[0067] Thus, even when the area of the reflective surface 11 is increased, the light diffusion section 11A is positioned within the range RG of the reflective surface 11 that is illuminated by light from the point source LS, and its height in the vertical direction (Y direction) corresponds to the vicinity of the upper end of the lens 21A.
[0068] Thus, the present invention also includes modifications and improvements to the above embodiments, which will be clear to those skilled in the art from the claims.
[0069] Furthermore, the following additional information is disclosed regarding the above embodiments. [Note 1] Vehicle lighting fixtures, The aforementioned vehicle lighting fixture is, A light source that emits light in a vertical direction, A reflector having reflective surfaces spaced apart in the direction of light irradiation from the light source, which irradiates light forward, The lens member having a light-transmitting portion provided on the front side of the reflector comprises The aforementioned light-transmitting portion is A lens that emits light towards the front, The lens comprises a frame portion extending rearward from the outer circumference of the lens, The vehicle lighting device is characterized in that the reflective surface is provided on a part of the light source side from a position intersecting the optical axis center of the light source, and is equipped with a light diffusing part that diffuses light. [Note 2] The vehicle lighting device according to Appendix 1, characterized in that the light diffusing portion extends in the width direction of the reflective surface. [Note 3] The vehicle lighting device according to Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, characterized in that the light diffusing portion is provided from one end to the other in the width direction of the reflective surface. [Note 4] The reflector comprises side walls provided at the widthwise ends of the reflective surface, The vehicle lighting device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, wherein the side wall extends in the front-rear direction and has knurling that diffuses vertically aligned streaks of light. [Note 5] The light source is provided to emit light in a direction downward in the vertical direction. The reflector is provided such that the reflective surface is positioned vertically below the light source. The reflective surface is configured such that, when the light source is a point source, light from the point source passes through the lens. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, characterized in that the light diffusing portion is provided at a vertical height position corresponding to the vicinity of the upper end of the lens. [Note 6] The aforementioned lens member is an inner lens, The vehicle light fixture described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle light fixture is provided in front of the inner lens and has a visible outer lens on the upper edge of the frame. [Note 7] The vehicle light fixture includes a cover positioned between the reflective surface and the light source to suppress visibility of the light source. The vehicle lighting device according to Appendix 1 to Appendix 6, characterized in that the cover has an opening through which light from the light source passes. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0070] 1...Reflector, 11...Reflective surface, 11A...Light diffusion part, 11E...End, 12...Side wall, 12A...Knurling, 2...Lens component, 21...Light transmission part, 21A...Lens, 21B...Frame part, 3...Outer lens, 4...Cover, 41...Opening, 100...Vehicle lighting fixture, BD...Main body, CB...Substrate, CP...Light-emitting chip, FS...Phosphor, LS...Light source, OA...Center of optical axis, PT...Position, RG...Range, Reflection direction...X, X1...Forward, X2...Rearward, Y...Vertical direction, Y1...Upper side in vertical direction, Y2...Lower side in vertical direction, Z...Width direction
Claims
1. Vehicle lighting fixtures, The aforementioned vehicle lighting fixture is, A light source that emits light in a vertical direction, A reflector having reflective surfaces spaced apart in the direction of light irradiation from the light source, which irradiates light forward, The lens member having a light-transmitting portion provided on the front side of the reflector comprises The aforementioned light-transmitting portion is A lens that emits light towards the front, The lens comprises a frame portion extending rearward from the outer circumference of the lens, The vehicle lighting device is characterized in that the reflective surface is provided on a part of the light source side from a position intersecting the optical axis center of the light source, and is equipped with a light diffusing part that diffuses light.
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the light diffusing portion extends in the width direction of the reflective surface.
3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, characterized in that the light diffusing portion is provided from one end to the other in the width direction of the reflective surface.
4. The reflector comprises side walls provided at the widthwise ends of the reflective surface, The vehicle light fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the side wall is provided with knurling that extends in the front-rear direction and diffuses vertically aligned streaks of light.
5. The light source is provided to emit light in a direction downward in the vertical direction. The reflector is provided such that the reflective surface is positioned vertically below the light source. The reflective surface is configured such that, when the light source is a point source, light from the point source passes through the lens. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the light diffusing portion is provided at a vertical height position corresponding to the vicinity of the upper end of the lens.
6. The aforementioned lens member is an inner lens, The vehicle light fixture according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle light fixture is provided in front of the inner lens and includes a visible outer lens on the upper edge of the frame.
7. The vehicle light fixture includes a cover positioned between the reflective surface and the light source to suppress visibility of the light source. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that the cover has an opening through which light from the light source passes.