Vehicle lighting

Abstract

To provide vehicle lighting fixtures that improve the design of the housing while maintaining good illumination performance. [Solution] The first emission surface 71a comprises a first spherical surface 71b that protrudes in the direction of light emission, and second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d positioned radially outward of the first spherical surface 71b, which emit light outward in a direction that approaches the light emitted outward from the center of the first spherical surface 71b. The light emitted outward from the second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d is brought closer in a direction that approaches the light emitted from the first spherical surface 71b, so that even if the turn signal lamp 10 is designed in the shape of a long, slender rod, interference between the light emitted from the first emission surface 71a and the light emitted from the second emission surface 62d is suppressed. Therefore, the design of the turn signal lamp 10 can be improved while its light emission state can be made good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle lamps.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes vehicle lamps such as rear combination lamps mounted on vehicles such as automobiles. The vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 includes a lamp housing, a lamp lens, a light source, a vehicle light guide member, and an inner lens. When the lamp lens is viewed from the front, the vehicle light guide member emits light in a U shape, and the inner lens surrounded by the vehicle light guide member emits light in a circular shape.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, for example, when the lamp housing and the lamp lens are designed in an elongated rod shape, a part of the vehicle light guide member is arranged near the inner lens. As a result, there is a problem that the light emitted from the inner lens and the light emitted from the vehicle light guide member interfere with each other, and the vehicle lamp does not emit light as specified.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve the designability of the housing and has a good light emission state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a substrate on which a light source is mounted, a housing for housing the substrate, and a light guide member housed in the housing, wherein the light guide member has an incident portion having an incident surface for allowing light from the light source to enter the interior, a first exit portion connected to the incident portion and having a first exit surface for causing the light incident from the incident portion to exit to the outside, a light guide portion connected to the incident portion and for allowing light different from the light incident to enter the first exit portion to enter, and a second exit portion connected to the light guide portion and having a second exit surface for causing the light incident from the light guide portion to exit to the outside, wherein the first exit surface has a first spherical surface protruding in the direction of light emission, and a second spherical surface arranged radially outward from the first spherical surface and for causing light to emit outward in a direction approaching the light emitted from the center of the first spherical surface to the outside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a vehicle lighting fixture that improves the design of the housing while also providing good light emission. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a view of the turn signal lamp from the front of the lens. [Figure 2] This is a view from arrow A in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the light guide element as seen from the lens side. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of the light guide component as seen from the substrate side. [Figure 6] This figure shows the light guide member of Figure 3 as a standalone unit. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view along the CC line in Figure 6. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the first ray and the first normal. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the second ray and the second normal. [Figure 10] This figure corresponds to Figure 7, which shows a comparative example. [Figure 11] This image data compares the light emission state of light guide members (embodiment and comparative example). [Figure 12] This is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 3, which shows a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 shows the turn signal lamp viewed from the front of the lens, Figure 2 shows the view along arrow A in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 1, Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the light guide member from the lens side, Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the light guide member from the substrate side, Figure 6 shows the light guide member from Figure 3 as a standalone unit, Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view along line CC in Figure 6, Figure 8 shows a diagram explaining the relationship between the first ray and the first normal, and Figure 9 shows a diagram explaining the relationship between the second ray and the second normal.

[0011] <Overview of turn signal lamps> The turn signal lamps 10 shown in Figures 1 to 3 are mounted on the left and right sides, respectively, at the front and rear of the motorcycle. Specifically, the turn signal lamps 10 are fixed to the cowl stays provided on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the motorcycle via support members (not shown). The turn signal lamps 10 correspond to the vehicle lighting equipment in this invention.

[0012] <Housing> As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the turn signal lamp 10 is equipped with a hollow housing 20 that forms its outer casing. The housing 20 is elongated in the width direction of the motorcycle (left-right direction in the figures) and extends in a roughly rod-like shape. The housing 20 has a housing body 30 made of an opaque black or other plastic material and a lens 40 made of a transparent and hard plastic material.

[0013] <Housing Body> The housing main body 30 has an opening on the side where the lens 40 is disposed (the upper side in FIGS. 2 and 3), and is formed in a substantially box shape. The housing main body 30 includes a housing bottom wall 31 facing the lens 40, and a housing side wall 32 projecting from the housing bottom wall 31 toward the lens 40 is integrally provided at the periphery of the housing bottom wall 31. An opening 33 is provided on the side of the housing side wall 32 where the lens 40 is disposed, and the opening 33 is sealed by the lens 40.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of substrate support columns 31a, a single screw fixing column 31b, and a single wiring holding column 31c are integrally provided on the housing bottom wall 31. The plurality of substrate support columns 31a support the substrate 50 so as not to rattle. A fixing screw SC for fixing the substrate 50 and the light guide member 60 to the housing main body 30 is screwed into the single screw fixing column 31b. The single wiring holding column 31c holds a wiring LN for supplying a drive current to the substrate 50.

[0015] In addition, on the housing side wall 32, a fixing cylinder portion 32a to which a support member fixed to the cowl stay is fixed, and a wiring insertion hole 32b disposed in the vicinity of the fixing cylinder portion 32a and through which the wiring LN is inserted via a grommet (not shown) are provided. These fixing cylinder portion 32a and wiring insertion hole 32b are respectively disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the housing main body 30 (the right side in FIG. 3).

[0016] <Lens> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lens 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and faces a light guide member 60 through which light from a light source 51 mounted on the substrate 50 passes. That is, the lens 40 is disposed on the light projection side of the light source 51 (the upper side in FIG. 3). Thereby, the light from the light source 51 passes through the inside of the light guide member 60 and is emitted toward the lens 40. Therefore, the light emission state of the light guide member 60 can be recognized from the outside of the lens 40.

[0017] The lens 40 comprises a flat lens body 41. A lens side wall 42 is integrally provided on the periphery of the lens body 41, protruding from the lens body 41 toward the housing body 30. Here, the tip end of the lens side wall 42 (lower side in Figure 3) is welded to the tip end of the housing side wall 32 (upper side in Figure 3) using an infrared welding machine or the like. As a result, the opening 33 is sealed by the lens 40, preventing rainwater, dust, and other contaminants from entering the inside of the housing 20.

[0018] Furthermore, the fixing of the lens 40 to the housing body 30 is not limited to welding by an infrared welding machine; other fixing methods such as fixing with adhesive or ultrasonic welding may also be used. In other words, as long as the opening 33 can be sealed by the lens 40, these fixing methods are not limited.

[0019] <Circuit board> As shown in Figure 3, a circuit board 50, which is a roughly rectangular flat plate, is housed inside the housing 20. Here, the circuit board 50 is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) with conductive wiring printed on its surface. The circuit board 50 is supported by a plurality of circuit board support pillars 31a provided on the housing body 30 to prevent it from rattling inside the housing 20.

[0020] A single light source 51 is mounted in the longitudinal center of the substrate 50, on the side where the light guide member 60 is located (upper side in Figure 3). Here, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as the light source 51. Specifically, the light source 51 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board (not shown) of the substrate 50.

[0021] Furthermore, one end of the wiring LN is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 50, and the other end of the wiring LN is electrically connected to the in-vehicle controller CU. As a result, the light source 51 emits light when a drive current is supplied from the in-vehicle controller CU.

[0022] Furthermore, a single large-diameter hole 52 is provided near the light source 51 in the substrate 50. The tip side (upper side in Figure 3) of the screw fixing column 31b is inserted through the large-diameter hole 52. In addition, the substrate 50 is provided with a pair of small-diameter holes 53 that are smaller in diameter than the large-diameter hole 52. A pair of positioning protrusions CP provided on the light guide member 60 are inserted into the pair of small-diameter holes 53, respectively. As a result, the light guide member 60 is fixed to the substrate 50 without rattling.

[0023] <Light guide component> As shown in Figures 3 to 7, a light guide member 60 is housed inside the housing 20. The light guide member 60, like the lens 40, is made of a transparent and rigid plastic material. Light from the light source 51 is incident on and passes through the inside of the light guide member 60.

[0024] The light guide member 60 is formed in a substantially rectangular, flat plate shape and is thicker than the lens 40. Specifically, when the turn signal lamp 10 is attached to the cowl stay, the light guide member 60 is formed in a tapered shape toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (left side in Figure 4). The light guide member 60 comprises a bottom wall portion 61 and a side wall portion 62 that protrudes from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 61 to the side where the lens 40 is provided at a predetermined height and is formed in a substantially U shape.

[0025] The bottom wall portion 61 is formed in a flat plate shape and has a front surface portion 61a on the side where the lens 40 is provided and a back surface portion 61b on the side where the substrate 50 is provided. A screw insertion hole HL is provided in the bottom wall portion 61. Fixing screws SC for fixing the substrate 50 and the light guide member 60 to the housing body 30 are inserted through the screw insertion hole HL. In addition, a pair of positioning protrusions CP are provided on the back surface portion 61b of the bottom wall portion 61. These positioning protrusions CP are inserted into small diameter holes 53 in the substrate 50, thereby positioning the light guide member 60 relative to the substrate 50.

[0026] Furthermore, an inner lens portion 63 is provided in the longitudinal center of the bottom wall portion 61, facing the light source 51 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the substrate 50. That is, the light guide member 60 is positioned on the light-emitting side (lens 40 side) of the light source 51, and light from the light source 51 is incident on the inside of the light guide member 60 from the inner lens portion 63. The inner lens portion 63 is positioned to straddle the front surface portion 61a and the back surface portion 61b of the bottom wall portion 61.

[0027] The inner lens section 63 comprises an incident section 70 and a first output section 71. Specifically, the incident section 70 and the first output section 71 are connected to each other via a first boundary line BL1 (dashed line in Figures 6 and 7). In the axial direction of the optical axis OA passing through the center of the first output section 71, the incident section 70 is positioned on the side where the light source 51 is provided (incident side), and the first output section 71 is positioned on the side where the lens 40 is provided (output side). The first boundary line BL1 is positioned in the axial direction of the optical axis OA at the same position as the back surface 61b of the bottom wall section 61.

[0028] The incident portion 70 has the function of directing light from the light source 51 into the interior of the inner lens portion 63, that is, into the interior of the light guide member 60. The incident portion 70 has an incident surface 70a that faces the light source 51 in the axial direction of the optical axis OA. Here, the incident portion 70 protrudes from the back surface 61b of the bottom wall portion 61 at a predetermined height and is formed in the shape of a frustocone. As a result, the incident surface 70a is positioned near the light source 51, and light from the light source 51 is efficiently incident into the interior of the inner lens portion 63 via the incident surface 70a.

[0029] Furthermore, the incident section 70 is integrated with the bottom wall section 61 via an annular second boundary line BL2 (dashed line in Figures 6 and 7) located on the outer periphery of the first boundary line BL1. That is, the central portion of the incident section 70 is connected to the first output section 71 via the first boundary line BL1, and the outer periphery of the incident section 70 is connected to the bottom wall section 61 via the second boundary line BL2. As a result, a portion of the light from the light source 51 that enters the incident section 70 from the incident surface 70a is incident on the first output section 71 from the first boundary line BL1. In addition, light different from the light incident on the first output section 71 is incident on the bottom wall section 61 from the second boundary line BL2.

[0030] Furthermore, the outer periphery and bottom wall portion 61 of the first ejection portion 71 are integrated with each other via an annular third boundary line BL3 (dashed line in Figures 6 and 7). In other words, the outer periphery of the first ejection portion 71 is connected to the bottom wall portion 61 via the third boundary line BL3. Thus, annular second and third boundary lines BL2 and BL3 are positioned at the boundary between the inner lens portion 63 and the bottom wall portion 61, respectively.

[0031] Here, the first emission section 71 has the function of directly emitting light from the light source 51, which is incident on the incidence section 70, to the outside without passing through the bottom wall section 61. Specifically, in the axial direction of the optical axis OA, a first emission surface 71a is provided on the side of the first emission section 71 opposite to the incidence section 70, which emits light incident on the first emission section 71 to the outside.

[0032] As shown in Figure 7, the first emission surface 71a comprises a single first spherical surface 71b and a pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d. The first spherical surface 71b is located at the center of the first emission surface 71a and protrudes in the direction of light emission (upward in the figure). The optical axis OA, which extends in the direction of light projection of the light source 51, is located at the center of the first spherical surface 71b. On the other hand, the pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d are located radially outward from the first spherical surface 71b. Specifically, the pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d are positioned opposite each other, sandwiching the single first spherical surface 71b.

[0033] The first spherical surface 71b and the second spherical surfaces 71c, 71d that form the first emission surface 71a are each composed of free-form surfaces with partially different curvatures. In a cross section along the short side of the light guide member 60, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first angle α° is defined as the angle between the first normal N1 at any first arbitrary point P1 forming the first spherical surface 71b and the first ray L1 guided toward the first arbitrary point P1, and the second angle β° is defined as the angle between the second normal N2 at any second arbitrary point P2 forming the second spherical surface 71c and the second ray L2 guided toward the second arbitrary point P2. The second angle β° is set to be greater than the first angle α° (β°>α°).

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the portion of the bottom wall portion 61 excluding the inner lens portion 63 is a portion through which light from the incident portion 70 can pass, and corresponds to the light guide portion in the present invention. The surface portion 61a of the bottom wall portion 61 is provided with an annular reflective surface 61c surrounding the inner lens portion 63. As shown by the dashed arrow OP3, the annular reflective surface 61c has the function of totally reflecting the light from the light source 51 that has entered the interior of the bottom wall portion 61 from the incident portion 70, and propagating the light radially inside the bottom wall portion 61.

[0035] Furthermore, multiple reflective surfaces 61d are provided on the back surface 61b of the bottom wall portion 61. Specifically, the multiple reflective surfaces 61d are arranged in a roughly U-shape, following the shape of the periphery of the bottom wall portion 61. In other words, the multiple reflective surfaces 61d face the side wall portion 62, which is formed in a roughly U-shape, in the axial direction of the optical axis OA. The multiple reflective surfaces 61d have the function of totally reflecting the light from the light source 51 passing through the inside of the bottom wall portion 61 and propagating the light into the side wall portion 62, as indicated by the dashed arrow OP3. Thus, the bottom wall portion 61 (excluding the inner lens portion 63), which serves as a light guide, is provided with an annular reflective surface 61c and multiple reflective surfaces 61d.

[0036] Furthermore, the side wall portion 62 is connected to the periphery of the bottom wall portion 61a side via the fourth boundary line BL4 (dashed line in Figures 6 and 7) so as to be integral with it. The side wall portion 62 is formed in a substantially U-shape following the shape of the periphery of the bottom wall portion 61 and includes a first upright wall 62a and a second upright wall 62b that extend in the longitudinal direction of the light guide member 60. The first and second upright walls 62a and 62b are arranged opposite each other so as to be mirror images of each other with respect to the inner lens portion 63 (first emission surface 71a) provided in the bottom wall portion 61. In addition, both the first and second upright walls 62a and 62b are arranged in the vicinity of the inner lens portion 63.

[0037] The first and second upright walls 62a and 62b are upright in the direction of light emission (the axial direction of the optical axis OA), and the outer sides of the first and second upright walls 62a and 62b in the vehicle width direction (left side in Figures 3 and 4) are connected to each other by a connecting wall 62c that is formed in a substantially U shape. The inner side of the side wall portion 62 in the vehicle width direction (right side in Figures 3 and 4) is open, and as a result the side wall portion 62 is formed in a substantially U shape.

[0038] Furthermore, a second emission surface 62d is provided on the side wall portion 62, which consists of the first and second upright walls 62a, 62b and the connecting wall 62c. The second emission surface 62d is located at the tip of the side wall portion 62 in the protruding direction, that is, on the side where the lens 40 is provided (the upper side in Figures 6 and 7). The second emission surface 62d has the function of emitting light from the light source 51, which is incident from the bottom wall portion 61, to the outside.

[0039] Furthermore, the second emission surface 62d, which is formed in a roughly U-shape, is provided with a plurality of protrusions 62e over its entire surface. The plurality of protrusions 62e have the function of diffusing the light from the light source 51 that passes through the inside of the side wall 62 toward the lens 40 and emitting it. Here, the side wall 62 on which the second emission surface 62d is provided corresponds to the second emission section in the present invention.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, in the direction of light emission (axis direction of the optical axis OA), the first emission surface 71a (first spherical surface 71b and second spherical surfaces 71c, 71d) provided on the inner lens portion 63 is positioned closer to the light source 51 (lower in the figure) than the second emission surface 62d provided on the side wall portion 62. As a result, when the turn signal lamp 10 is viewed from the outside, the brightness of the first emission surface 71a, which is closer to the light source 51, is higher than that of the second emission surface 62d, which is further from the light source 51.

[0041] Here, as shown in Figure 7, in the short direction of the light guide member 60 and on the surface portion 61a side of the bottom wall portion 61, one second spherical surface 71c is positioned between the first spherical surface 71b and the first upright wall 62a, and the other second spherical surface 71d is positioned between the first spherical surface 71b and the second upright wall 62b.

[0042] The first spherical surface 71b, as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow OP1, has the function of directing the light from the light source 51 incident on the inner lens portion 63 outwards along the optical axis OA. In contrast, the pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d, as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow OP2, have the function of refracting the light from the light source 51 incident on the inner lens portion 63 so that it approaches the direction of the light emitted from the center of the first spherical surface 71b (approaching the optical axis OA) and directing it outwards.

[0043] <Path of light passing through the inside of the light guide component> Next, the path of light from the light source 51 passing through the inside of the light guide member 60 will be explained in detail with reference to the light guide member 100 of the comparative example, using the drawings.

[0044] Figure 10 shows a diagram corresponding to Figure 7, which illustrates a comparative example, and Figure 11 shows image data comparing the light emission state of the light guide members (embodiment and comparative example).

[0045] As shown in Figure 10, the comparative example light guide member 100 differs from the light guide member 60 described above (see Figure 7) in that it does not have a pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d, but only a single first spherical surface 71b.

[0046] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in the light guide member 60 (embodiment), when the light source 51 is emitted, light enters the interior of the inner lens portion 63 from the incident surface 70a of the incident portion 70. The light that enters the interior of the incident portion 70 then enters the interior of the first output portion 71 via the first boundary line BL1, and also enters the interior of the bottom wall portion 61 via the second boundary line BL2.

[0047] Light incident inside the first emission section 71 is first emitted to the outside from the first spherical surface 71b that forms the first emission surface 71a. Specifically, as shown by the dashed arrow OP1 in Figures 6 and 7, it is emitted to the outside along the optical axis OA.

[0048] Furthermore, the light incident inside the first emission section 71 is secondly emitted to the outside from a pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d that form the first emission surface 71a. Specifically, as shown by the dashed arrow OP2 in Figures 6 and 7, the light emitted to the outside from the second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d is refracted so as to approach the direction along the optical axis OA.

[0049] In this way, the light emitted from the first emission surface 71a is focused along the optical axis OA, as shown by the dashed arrows OP1 and OP2 in Figures 6 and 7. As a result, as shown in the upper part of Figure 11 (embodiment), the brightness of the inner lens portion 63 (first emission surface 71a) can be increased (made brighter) without increasing the diameter of the first emission surface 71a. In the image data of Figure 11, the white areas indicate areas with high brightness (bright areas).

[0050] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, light incident on the interior of the bottom wall 61 is totally reflected by the annular reflective surface 61c and directed towards the multiple reflective surfaces 61d located radially outside the annular reflective surface 61c. Then, light passing through the interior of the bottom wall 61 is totally reflected by the multiple reflective surfaces 61d and incident on the interior of the side wall 62 via the fourth boundary line BL4. In other words, total reflection occurs at a total of two locations inside the bottom wall 61: the annular reflective surface 61c and the multiple reflective surfaces 61d.

[0051] Subsequently, the light incident on the interior of the side wall portion 62 is emitted toward the lens 40 via a plurality of protrusions 62e provided on the second emission surface 62d of the side wall portion 62, as shown by the dashed arrow OP3.

[0052] Here, as shown in the upper part of Figure 11 (embodiment), the second emission surface 62d of the side wall portion 62 is illuminated in a point-like manner as multiple protrusions 62e each emit light.

[0053] Furthermore, the brightness of the first emission surface 71a is higher (brighter) than that of the second emission surface 62d. This is because the inner lens portion 63 is positioned closer to the light source 51 than the side wall portion 62, and the light directed toward the pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d is refracted in a direction that approaches the optical axis OA before being emitted to the outside.

[0054] In contrast, the comparative example light guide member 100 (see Figure 10) does not have a pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d. Therefore, the light emitted to the outside from the first emission surface 71a is emitted radially at a wide angle from the first spherical surface 71b, as shown by the dashed arrow OP1 in Figure 10. In other words, the light guide member 100 cannot focus the light emitted to the outside from the first emission surface 71a along the optical axis OA, as it does with the light guide member 60. Consequently, as shown in the lower part of Figure 11 (comparative example), the brightness of the first emission surface 71a forming the inner lens portion 63 is lower (darker) compared to the upper part of Figure 11 (embodiment). That is, the area of ​​the white portion is smaller in the lower part of Figure 11 than in the upper part.

[0055] Thus, in the light guide member 60 (embodiment), as shown by the dashed arrow OP1 (see Figure 10) of the light guide member 100 (comparative example), a portion of the light that would otherwise be emitted toward the first and second upright walls 62a and 62b can be emitted as refracted light that approaches the direction along the optical axis OA, as shown by the dashed arrow OP2 in Figure 7. Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, the area of ​​the white portion is larger in the upper [embodiment] than in the lower [comparative example].

[0056] In the image data for both the [Embodiment] and [Comparative Example] shown in Figure 11, the light source 51 is emitted with the same power consumption. Therefore, in the image data for both the [Embodiment] and [Comparative Example], the emission state of the second emission surface 62d is substantially the same. On the other hand, despite having the same power consumption, the brightness of the inner lens portion 63 of the light guide member 60 (Embodiment) is higher (brighter) than the brightness of the inner lens portion 63 of the light guide member 100 (Comparative Example). Thus, it can be seen that the light guide member 60 of the [Embodiment] has better visibility than the light guide member 100 of the [Comparative Example].

[0057] <Variation> The turn signal lamp 10 described above can also employ a structure as shown in Figure 12. A modified example of the turn signal lamp 110 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0058] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 3, which shows a modified example. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those used for the turn signal lamp 10 described above, and their detailed explanations are omitted.

[0059] As shown in Figure 12, in the modified turn signal lamp 110, a pair of light sources 111 and 112 (both LEDs) are mounted on the substrate 50, and a pair of inner lens portions 114 and 115 are provided on the light guide member 113 corresponding to the pair of light sources 111 and 112. This results in higher brightness than the turn signal lamp 10 described above (see Figure 3), and further improves visibility.

[0060] Specifically, a pair of inner lens sections 114 and 115 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the light guide member 113, corresponding to the spacing between the pair of light sources 111 and 112 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the substrate 50. The pair of inner lens sections 114 and 115 are positioned close to each other and are integrated so as to partially overlap each other, as shown in Figure 12. As a result, the optical axis OA1 passing through the center of one inner lens section 114 and the optical axis OA2 passing through the center of the other inner lens section 115 are also positioned close to each other.

[0061] Furthermore, the modified turn signal lamp 110 can also emit light in the same way as the turn signal lamp 10 described above (see the upper part of Figure 11).

[0062] As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, the first emission surface 71a comprises a first spherical surface 71b that protrudes in the direction of light emission, and second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d that are arranged radially outward of the first spherical surface 71b and emit light outward in a direction that approaches the direction along the light emitted outward from the center of the first spherical surface 71b.

[0063] As a result, the light emitted from the second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d is directed closer to the direction of the light emitted from the first spherical surface 71b, so that even if the turn signal lamp 10 is designed in a long, slender rod shape, interference between the light emitted from the first emission surface 71a and the light emitted from the second emission surface 62d is suppressed. Therefore, the design of the turn signal lamp 10 can be improved while its light emission performance can be improved.

[0064] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the first angle α° is defined as the angle between the first normal N1 at any first arbitrary point P1 forming the first spherical surface 71b and the first ray L1 guided toward the first arbitrary point P1, and the second angle β° is defined as the angle between the second normal N2 at any second arbitrary point P2 forming the second spherical surfaces 71c, 71d and the second ray L2 guided toward the second arbitrary point P2, then the second angle β° is greater than the first angle α° (β°>α°).

[0065] This allows the light from the light source 51 emitted from the pair of second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d to be refracted (focused) so that it approaches the direction along the optical axis OA without increasing the diameter of the first emission surface 71a.

[0066] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first emission surface 71a is positioned closer to the light source 51 than the second emission surface 62d in the direction of light emission.

[0067] As a result, when the turn signal lamp 10 is viewed from the outside, the brightness of the first emission surface 71a, which is closer to the light source 51, can be made higher (brighter) than the brightness of the second emission surface 62d, which is further away from the light source 51.

[0068] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the side wall portion 62 is arranged facing each other with respect to the first emission surface 71a and has a first upright wall 62a and a second upright wall 62b that stand upright in the direction of light emission, and the second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d are arranged between the first spherical surface 71b and the first upright wall 62a and between the first spherical surface 71b and the second upright wall 62b, respectively.

[0069] As a result, even if the housing 20 is designed in a long, slender rod shape, the first emission section 71 (first emission surface 71a) and the side wall section 62 (second emission surface 62d) can be made to emit light as specified, and the brightness of the first emission surface 71a can be increased to improve the visibility of the turn signal lamp 10.

[0070] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the light from the light source 51 emitted to the outside from the second spherical surfaces 71c and 71d can be focused onto the optical axis OA, thereby increasing the brightness of the light source 51 without increasing its power consumption.

[0071] This will make it possible to achieve two of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all) and Goal 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts).

[0072] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the embodiments described above, turn signal lamps 10 and 110 applied to motorcycles were shown, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to other vehicles such as small mobility vehicles that can be driven on public roads. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to turn signal lamps 10 and 110, but also to rear combination lamps and the like.

[0073] Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, and installation location of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited to the embodiments described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Turn signal lamp (vehicle light fixture), 20: Housing, 30: Housing body, 31: Housing bottom wall, 31a: Substrate support column, 31b: Screw fixing column, 31c: Wiring holding column, 32: Housing side wall, 32a: Fixing cylinder part, 32b: Wiring insertion hole, 33: Opening, 40: Lens, 41: Lens body, 42: Lens side wall, 50: Substrate, 51: Light source, 52: Large diameter hole, 53: Small diameter hole, 60: Light guide member, 61: Bottom wall part (light guide part), 61a: Surface part, 61b: Back part, 61c: Annular reflective surface, 61d: Reflective surface, 62: Side wall part (second emission part), 62a: First upright wall, 62b: Second upright wall, 62c: Connecting wall, 62d: Second emission surface, 62e: Convex part, 63: Inner - Lens section, 70: Incident section, 70a: Incident surface, 71: First emission section, 71a: First emission surface, 71b: First spherical surface, 71c, 71d: Second spherical surface, 100: Light guide member, 110: Turn signal lamp, 111, 112: Light source, 113: Light guide member, 114, 115: Inner lens section, BL1: First boundary line, BL2: Second boundary line, BL3: Third boundary line, BL4: Fourth boundary line, CP: Positioning protrusion, CU: On-board controller, HL: Screw insertion hole, LN: Wiring, L1: First ray, L2: Second ray, N1: First normal, N2: Second normal, OA, OA1, OA2: Optical axis, P1: First arbitrary point, P2: Second arbitrary point, SC: Fixing screw, α°: First angle, β°: Second angle

Claims

1. A substrate on which a light source is mounted, A housing for housing the aforementioned substrate, A light guide member housed in the aforementioned housing, Equipped with, The light guide member is An incident section having an incident surface into which light from the light source is introduced, A first emission unit connected to the incident unit and having a first emission surface that emits light incident from the incident unit to the outside, A light guide unit connected to the inlet unit, into which light different from the light incident on the first outlet unit is incident, A second emission unit connected to the light guide unit and having a second emission surface that emits light incident from the light guide unit to the outside, It has, The first ejection surface is, A first spherical surface projecting in the direction of light emission, A second spherical surface is positioned radially outward from the first spherical surface and emits light outward in a direction that approaches the light emitted outward from the center of the first spherical surface, Equipped with, Vehicle lighting fixtures.

2. In the vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, The first angle is defined as the angle between the first normal to any first arbitrary point forming the first spherical surface and the first ray guided toward the first arbitrary point. When the second angle is defined as the angle between the second normal at any second arbitrary point forming the second spherical surface and the second ray guided toward the second arbitrary point, The second angle is greater than the first angle. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

3. The first emission surface is positioned closer to the light source than the second emission surface in the direction of light emission. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. In the vehicle lighting device described in claim 3, The second emission section has a first upright wall and a second upright wall that are arranged opposite to each other with respect to the first emission surface and are upright in the direction of light emission, The second spherical surface is positioned between the first spherical surface and the first upright wall and between the first spherical surface and the second upright wall, respectively. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

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