Lighting fixtures

Abstract

This lighting fixture not only performs its intended function of emitting light, but also enables the creation of highly aesthetically pleasing animated light effects. [Solution] The lamp comprises a light source 21 and a light guide 22 of a required length into which the light from the light source 21 is incident and which emits the incident light. The light guide 22 is divided into a plurality of segments in the longitudinal direction and emits light from each segment. The light source 21 has a plurality of light-emitting elements 212, 213 in each segment that emit light of a different color, and the light guide 22 has a reflective section 221 in each segment that has a plurality of reflective cell surfaces 223a, 223b corresponding to the plurality of light-emitting elements, and an emission section 222 that has a linear emission surface that controls the light reflected from the plurality of reflective cell surfaces to the required light distribution and emits it.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting fixture having a linear light emitting surface, and particularly to a lighting fixture suitable for application to vehicles such as automobiles.

Background Art

[0002] [ As a lighting fixture for automobiles, a lamp having an elongated linear light emitting surface is provided. In Patent Document 1, a narrow linear lamp extending in the vehicle width direction between the left and right headlamps is proposed. This type of lamp is configured as an auxiliary lamp for display or signal, such as a clearance lamp, a DRL (Daytime Running Lamp), or a turn signal lamp. Such a lamp having a linear light emitting surface is often composed of a rod-shaped (bar-shaped) translucent member (light guide, light guide), and in Patent Document 1, a rod-shaped light guide is also arranged to extend in the vehicle width direction, and the light of the light source is incident from its end and guided, and the guided light is emitted from the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide to form a linear light emitting surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, it has been proposed that auxiliary lamps in automobiles not only emit light for their intended purpose, but also perform communication or animation lighting to enhance the practical or aesthetic effect of the lamp or the automobile. For example, when the automobile is stationary, the light-emitting surface of the lamp can be illuminated with different colors and brightnesses over time. For example, in the case of a linear lamp, the light-emitting surface can be illuminated with different colors in the direction of the line, or sequentially with different colors in the direction of the line. However, with a linear lamp composed of a rod-shaped light guide, such as in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to emit different colors in the direction of the line, making it difficult to realize such communication or animation lighting.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a light fixture having a linear light-emitting surface that can not only perform its intended function of emitting light, but also realize communication lighting and animation lighting with high aesthetic effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a luminaire comprising a light source and a light guide of a required length into which light from the light source is incident and which is emitted. The light guide is divided into a plurality of segments in the longitudinal direction, and light is emitted from each segment. Furthermore, the light source is equipped with a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit different colored light in each segment, and the light guide is equipped with a reflective section having a plurality of reflective cell surfaces corresponding to the plurality of light-emitting elements in each segment, and an emission section having a linear emission surface that controls the light reflected from the plurality of reflective cell surfaces to an incident light distribution and emits it.

[0008] In the present invention, preferably, each of the multiple light-emitting elements in each segment is arranged in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the light guide, and the light emitted from each light-emitting element is reflected toward the emission surface by each reflective cell surface of the reflective section. Furthermore, preferably, the emission surface of the emission section is directed toward the front of the lamp, and the lamp is formed to be narrow in the vertical direction, with the multiple light-emitting elements arranged in the front-to-back direction of the lamp.

[0009] In the present invention, more preferably, among the plurality of reflective cells in the reflective section, some reflective cells reflect the light of some of the plurality of light-emitting elements forward, and other reflective cells reflect the light of other of the plurality of light-emitting elements forward. Also preferably, the emission section has a plurality of bent faceplates arranged in the front-to-back direction, and lens steps are formed on the front and rear surfaces of each of these faceplates to control the light emitted.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of light-emitting elements include at least one light-emitting element that emits white light and one light-emitting elements that emit chromatic light. Furthermore, the light-emitting element that emits chromatic light is configured to include at least three light-emitting elements that emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively, and these three light-emitting elements are independently controlled to emit light.

[0011] The present invention is configured, for example, as an auxiliary lamp for an automobile. This auxiliary lamp is configured as side lamps arranged on the left and right sides of the automobile body and a center lamp arranged in the center of the automobile body between these side lamps, with these lamps arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, it is equipped with a control means for selectively controlling the emission of multiple light sources of the auxiliary lamp, and this control means is configured to control the emission of the auxiliary lamp as an indicator light or signal light when the automobile is in motion, and to control the emission of the auxiliary lamp for communication or animation when the automobile is stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, the light guide is divided into multiple segments in the longitudinal direction, and each segment emits different colored light emitted by multiple light-emitting elements. Each colored light is reflected by multiple reflective cell surfaces of the reflective section and controlled to the required light distribution at the emission section, thereby enabling the emission of any colored light with appropriate light distribution. This makes it possible to not only perform the original function of a light fixture having a linear light-emitting surface along the longitudinal direction, but also to realize communication light and animation light with high design effect. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] A front view of an automobile equipped with a lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing a disassembled portion of the headlamp and center lamp. [Figure 3] A vertical cross-section of the center lamp. [Figure 4] A schematic exploded perspective view of the center lamp unit. [Figure 5] A cross-sectional perspective view, enlarged from a portion of Figure 4. [Figure 6] (a) is a view of the light source of the center lamp unit from below, and (b) is a view of the light source of the side lamp unit from below. [Figure 7A] (a) A partial view of a part of the light guide seen from the front, and (b) a magnified view of a further part of it. [Figure 7B] (a) A partial view of a part of the light guide seen from behind in perspective, and (b) a magnified view of a further part of that part. [Figure 8] Schematic longitudinal section of a headlamp HL [Figure 9] A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the optical path in the center lamp unit. [Figure 10] A schematic plan view showing the optical path in the center lamp unit. [Figure 11] Block diagram of the light emission control circuit. [Figure 12] Schematic perspective views of two different variations. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of an automobile equipped with the lighting fixture of the present invention. Headlamps HL for lighting are disposed on the left and right in the vehicle width direction at the front part of the vehicle body of the automobile CAR. In the left and right headlamps HL, horizontally long linear, here straight, lamps 1 that function as clearance lamps and turn signal lamps are incorporated respectively. Further, a linear lamp 2 configured as a clearance lamp is disposed at the center of the front part of the vehicle body sandwiched between the left and right headlamps HL. Hereinafter, each of the left and right linear lamps will be referred to as side lamp 1, and the linear lamp at the center part will be referred to as center lamp 2. These left and right side lamps 1 and center lamp 2 are arranged in a horizontal row so as to have a single narrow linear appearance continuous in the left and right direction, and as will be described later, it is possible to perform required communication light emission and animation light emission when the automobile CAR stops.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the left and right headlamps HL including side lamp 1 and a part of center lamp 2 disassembled. Since the left and right headlamps HL have a symmetric configuration, the right headlamp is not shown in the disassembled view. Each of the left and right headlamps HL has a lamp housing 30 composed of a lamp body 31 with an opening on the lamp front side and a colorless translucent cover 32 attached to the front opening of the lamp body 31. Inside this lamp housing 30, a headlamp unit 33 in which a low beam lamp LoL and a high beam lamp Hil are integrated side by side in the left and right direction is disposed. Since the headlamp unit 33 has an existing configuration, the description thereof is omitted here, but the light emitting part is exposed in front of the lamp through an opening window provided in an extension 34 as a design member installed inside the lamp housing 30. Further, inside the lamp housing 30, above the headlamp unit 33, a side lamp unit 10 constituting side lamp 1 is disposed.

[0016] The center lamp 2 includes a lamp housing 40 composed of a horizontally elongated lamp body 41 with an opening on the front side of the lamp and a colorless light-transmitting cover 42 attached to the front opening of the lamp body 41. And a center lamp unit 20 is disposed inside the lamp housing 40. The side lamp 1 and the center lamp 2 have different lengths in the longitudinal direction, that is, the line direction, which extends linearly in the left-right direction, but their basic configurations are substantially the same. Hereinafter, the front-back direction and the left-right direction are based on the front-back direction and the left-right direction of each lamp 1, 2, and in the embodiment, the line direction is the left-right direction.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the center lamp 2. The center lamp unit 20 includes a unit case 24 installed inside the lamp housing 40. A light source unit 21, a light guide 22 that emits the light emitted by the light source unit 21 toward the front of the lamp, and a design lens 23 that functions as a light emitting surface of the center lamp unit 2 are assembled to the unit case 24. This center lamp unit 2 has a configuration in which a plurality of, for example, 40 to 50 segments (unit parts) are arranged at a required interval dimension (pitch dimension) in the line direction as shown in FIG. 2. By each segment emitting light simultaneously or selectively, the center lamp 2 emits light in an arbitrary form.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the center lamp unit 20, and FIG. 5 is a broken perspective view of a part thereof enlarged. The unit case 24 is formed in a flat horizontally long frame shape that is long in the front-back dimension compared to the up-down dimension and has an opening with a required dimension in the left-right direction. This unit case 24 may be configured as an extension for enhancing the appearance of the center lamp 2. And the light guide 22 is disposed inside the unit case 24, the design lens 23 is disposed on the front side thereof, and the light source unit 21 is disposed above the light guide 22, and each is supported by the case unit and configured as an integrated lamp unit 20.

[0019] The light source unit 21 has a narrow circuit board 210 with a length corresponding to the linear length dimension of the center lamp unit. Multiple light sources 211 corresponding to multiple segments of the light guide 22 are mounted on the downward-facing surface of this circuit board 210, that is, the surface facing the light guide 22, at a required pitch dimension in the linear direction. As shown in Figure 6(a), which shows one light source 21 viewed from the downward side of the circuit board 210, the light source 211 is composed of two light-emitting elements: a light-emitting element 212 that emits white light and a light-emitting element 213 that emits chromatic light.

[0020] One light-emitting element 212 is a white LED (light-emitting diode) composed of a blue LED that emits blue light and a yellow phosphor, while the other light-emitting element 213 is a tricolor LED in which a red LED that emits red light, a green LED that emits green light, and a blue LED that emits blue light are packaged together. This tricolor LED 213 can emit each color of light by selectively illuminating each of the color LEDs. The white LED 212 and the tricolor LED 213 are mounted on the circuit board 210 with their light-emitting surfaces facing downwards. Furthermore, both LEDs 212 and 213 are arranged in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the length direction of the circuit board 210, i.e., the line direction, with the white LED 212 positioned at the front of the lamp and the tricolor LED 213 positioned at the rear.

[0021] The light guide 22 has required front-to-back and up-to-down dimensions and is composed of a light-transmitting member having a required length extending along the line direction. The rear portion of the light guide 22 in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the line direction is configured as a reflecting portion 221, and the front portion is configured as an emitting portion 222. The reflecting portion 221 is divided in the line direction so as to correspond to each of the multiple segmented light sources 211. The upper surface of the light guide 22 is flat, but an incident surface 223 is formed in the portion facing the white LED 212 and the tricolor LED 213 of the light source 211. The incident surface 223 is composed of a first incident surface 223a and a second incident surface 223b, which are formed side by side in the front-to-back direction facing the white LED 212 and the tricolor LED 213, respectively, and these first incident surface 223a and second incident surface 223b are each composed of spherical recesses.

[0022] Figures 7A and 7B(a) are perspective views of a part of the light guide 22, with Figure 7A being a perspective view from the front and Figure 7B being a view from the rear. Figures (b) of these figures are enlarged views of further parts of each. The rear surface of the reflective section 221 is divided into multiple regions in the linear direction corresponding to the multiple light sources 211, and each divided region is formed as a reflective surface 224 based on a paraboloid of revolution that protrudes rearward from the bottom surface to the top surface. The reflective surface 224 is composed of multiple grid-like reflective cell surfaces divided into multiple sections in the vertical and linear directions, respectively.

[0023] The multiple reflective cell surfaces are configured as first reflective cell surfaces 224a and second reflective cell surfaces 224b, which are arranged alternately in the vertical and linear directions in a grid-like arrangement. For convenience, the first reflective cell surface 224a is shown as a dotted line in Figures 7A and 7B. The first reflective cell surface 224a is composed of a part of a paraboloid of revolution with the light-emitting surface of the white LED 212 as the approximate focal point, and the second reflective cell surface 224b is composed of a part of a paraboloid of revolution with the light-emitting surface of the tricolor LED 213 as the approximate focal point. That is, the first reflective cell surface 224a corresponds to the first incident surface 223a, and the second reflective cell surface 224b corresponds to the second incident surface 223b. In addition, although not shown in the figures, the outer surface of the reflective surface 224 is coated with a metal vapor deposition such as aluminum, and is configured to internally reflect the light guided through the interior of the light-transmitting body 22 at each of the first reflective cell surface 224a and second reflective cell surface 224b.

[0024] The ejection section 222 is configured as a bent plate protruding forward from a part of the vertical front surface of the reflecting section 221. As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the ejection section 222 is bent downward from the upper edge of the front surface of the reflecting section 221, and then bent upward by a required distance, forming a trough-like shape with a rectangular vertical cross-section overall. With this configuration, the ejection section 222 has a rear plate 225 bent downward and a front plate 226 of the upward bent portion overlapping in the front-rear direction. Since the rear plate 225 is inclined at a small angle with respect to the vertical direction, a draft angle can be secured when molding the light guide 22, making demolding easier.

[0025] Then, if the rear and front surfaces of the rear plate 225 are designated as the first surface f1 and the second surface f2, and the rear and front surfaces of the front plate 226 are designated as the third surface f3 and the fourth surface f4, then the required light refraction steps are formed on each of the first surface f1 to the fourth surface f4. In this embodiment, the first surface f1 to the fourth surface f4 are each configured with a plurality of concave cylindrical surfaces extending in the vertical direction arranged in a line direction. The cylindrical surfaces of each surface may have the same curvature, angle in the extension direction, and cylindrical surface width in the arrangement direction, or they may have different configurations. In this emission section 222, the foremost fourth surface f4 is configured as a narrow emission surface extending in the line direction from which light is emitted from the light guide 22.

[0026] The decorative lens 23 is made of a translucent plate-like member having the required plate thickness and approximately the same vertical and vertical dimensions and length as the light guide 22, and is mounted so as to close the opening of the unit case 24. The decorative lens 23 transmits light emitted from the emission section 222 of the light guide 22 and emits it with the required light distribution, and a required lens step for forming this light distribution is formed on its front surface 231. In this case, the lens step is made of a diagonally inclined grid-like microprism, and is configured to emit light in the required angular range in the vertical and horizontal directions. Note that if a lens step made of this type of microprism is formed on the fourth surface f4 of the emission section 222 of the light guide 22, the decorative lens 23 may be omitted.

[0027] Figure 8 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the headlamp HL shown in Figures 1 and 2, and in particular, it shows the longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the side lamp unit 10 arranged within the lamp housing 30. The configuration of the side lamp unit 1 is basically the same as that of the center lamp unit 2, with a light source unit 11, a light guide 12 that emits the light emitted by the light source unit 11 toward the front of the lamp, and a decorative lens 13 that functions as the light-emitting surface of the side lamp 1 assembled in the unit case 14. Also, like the center lamp unit 2, the side lamp unit 10 has a configuration in which multiple segments are arranged in the line direction with a required pitch dimension, and the side lamp 1 is emitted in various forms by the simultaneous or selective emission of the light source 11 of each segment. The side lamp unit 10 has, for example, about 20 segments arranged.

[0028] The unit case 14 of the side lamp unit 10 may be part of an extension 34 housed in the lamp housing 30, and is formed in the shape of a flat frame with an opening of the required dimensions in the linear direction. A light guide 12 is disposed inside the unit case 14, a decorative lens 13 is disposed in front of it, and a light source unit 11 is disposed above the light guide 12, and each is supported by the case unit 14 to form an integrated lamp unit 10. The configuration of the light guide 12 and decorative lens 13 of the side lamp unit 10 is substantially the same as that of the light guide 22 and decorative lens 23 of the center lamp unit 20. The light guide 12 also has a reflecting part 121 and an emitting part 122. The reflecting part 121 has an incident surface 123 and a reflective surface 124, and the emitting part 122 has a rear plate 125 and a front plate 126.

[0029] Furthermore, some of the configurations of the light source section 11 of the sub-lamp unit 10 are the same as those of the center lamp unit 20. Specifically, the light source section 11 has an elongated circuit board 110 with a length corresponding to the line length of the side lamp unit 10, and multiple light sources 111 are mounted on the side of this circuit board 110 facing the light guide 12 at the required pitch in the line direction, corresponding to multiple segments.

[0030] On the other hand, in the light source unit 11, the multiple light sources 111 are composed of a total of three light-emitting elements, as shown in Figure 6(b), consisting of a light-emitting element that emits white light and two light-emitting elements that emit chromatic light, which is different from the center lamp unit 20. One of the light-emitting elements is a white LED 112 composed of a blue LED that emits blue light and a yellow phosphor. One of the two light-emitting elements that emit chromatic light is a tricolor LED 113 in which a red LED that emits red light, a green LED that emits green light, and a blue LED that emits blue light are packaged together. The other is an amber LED 114 that emits amber light. These white LED 112, tricolor LED 113, and amber LED 114 are each mounted on the circuit board 110 with their light-emitting surfaces facing downwards. Furthermore, while the white LED 112 and amber LED 114 are arranged in a line direction, the tricolor LED 113 is arranged in a front-to-back direction perpendicular to the line direction, with the white LED 112 and amber LED 114 positioned towards the front of the lamp and the tricolor LED 113 positioned towards the rear.

[0031] Furthermore, in the sub-lamp unit 10, similar to the center lamp unit 2 shown in Figures 7A and 7B, a first incident surface 123a and a second incident surface 123b are formed on the upper surface of the light guide 12. The first incident surface 123a is positioned opposite two LEDs, a white LED 112 and an amber LED 114, and the second incident surface 123b is positioned opposite a tricolor LED 113. In addition, similar to the center lamp unit 20, the first reflective cell surface 122a formed on the reflective portion 122 of the light guide 12 corresponds to the white LED 112 and the amber LED 114, and the second reflective cell surface 122b corresponds to the tricolor LED 113.

[0032] In the side lamp unit 10 and center lamp unit 20 configured as described above, light emitted from light sources 111 and 211 in each of the multiple segments arranged in the linear direction is incident on the light guides 12 and 22. Inside the light guides 12 and 22, the direction of light guidance is controlled to the forward, and the light is emitted forward before passing through the design lenses 13 and 23. As a result, the side lamp 1 and center lamp 2 are illuminated with the front surface of the design lenses 13 and 23 acting as the light-emitting surface.

[0033] Figure 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the optical path in the center lamp unit 20, and Figure 10 is a plan view. When the white LED 212 of the light source unit 21 emits light, the light emitted from its light-emitting surface in a divergent state within a required angular range is incident on the first incident surface 223a, where it is somewhat focused on its concave spherical surface and guided into the light guide body 22. Of the guided light, the light that reaches the first reflective cell surface 224a is reflected by the parabolic shape of this first reflective cell surface 224a, becoming a nearly parallel luminous beam, and is emitted from the front of the reflective section 22 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the line direction of the light guide body 22, i.e., towards the front. The light that does not reach the first reflective cell surface 224a is reflected by the second reflective cell surface 224b, a portion of which is emitted from the front in a direction deflected relative to the straight-ahead direction, and another portion is shielded by the unit case 24 and is not emitted from the front.

[0034] Similarly, when the three-color LED 213 of the light source 211 emits light, a portion of the light emitted from its light-emitting surface is incident on the second incident surface 223b, where it is somewhat focused on its concave spherical surface and guided into the light guide 22. Of the guided light, the light that reaches the second reflective cell surface 224b is reflected by the parabolic shape of the second reflective cell surface 224b, becoming a nearly parallel luminous beam, and is emitted from the front of the reflective section 22 toward the front of the light guide 22. The light that does not reach the second reflective cell surface 224b is reflected by the first cell surface 224a, a portion of which is emitted from the front in a direction deflected relative to the straight-line direction, and another portion is shielded by the unit case 24 and is not emitted from the front.

[0035] Light emitted from the reflecting section 221 is made into a nearly parallel beam by the first reflecting cell surface 224a or the second reflecting cell surface 224b, directed forward perpendicular to the line direction, and then sequentially transmitted through the rear plate 225 and front plate 226 of the emitting section 222. The transmitted light is diffused in the line direction at the optical refraction steps of the first and second surfaces f1 and f2 of the rear plate 225, and the third and fourth surfaces f4 of the front plate 226, and is emitted forward while being directed to the required angular range in the left-right direction. In this way, the light transmitted forward through the emitting section 222 is sequentially transmitted through the four optical refraction steps from the first surface f1 to the fourth surface f4, and the light transmitted through the emitting section 222 has a uniform brightness over a sufficient angular range in the left-right direction. Light emitted from the emission section 222 is passed through the design lens 23 and, by the lens step of the fine prism on the front surface 231 of the design lens 23, is emitted in the vertical and horizontal directions toward a required angular region, i.e., a required light distribution region.

[0036] Although the white LED 212 and the tricolor LED 213 of the light source 211 are misaligned on the circuit board 210, causing some misalignment in the light emitted from the design lens 23, this misalignment can be suppressed by appropriately designing the first reflective cell surface 224a and the second reflective cell surface 224b. Furthermore, since this misalignment is in the front-to-back direction on the circuit board 210, the light emitted from the design lens 23 will be misaligned in the vertical direction. The design lens 23, which functions as the light-emitting surface of the center lamp 2, has a smaller vertical dimension than its linear dimension, so the vertical misalignment of the emitted light has almost no effect on the light distribution.

[0037] In this way, when the white LEDs 212 and tricolor LEDs 213 of the multiple segments arranged in the center lamp unit 20 are illuminated, the center lamp 2 emits white or chromatic light across the entire area in the line direction of the design lens 23, resulting in a lighting state with a single continuous line-shaped light-emitting surface in the line direction. Furthermore, when the LEDs of some of the multiple segments are selectively illuminated, light is emitted only from the design lens 23 corresponding to those segments, resulting in a partially illuminated state in the line direction. In particular, in this embodiment, some of the multiple tricolor LEDs 213 are selectively illuminated, and furthermore, each of the LEDs constituting the tricolor LEDs 213 is configured to be selectively illuminated, so that different parts in the line direction emit different colored light.

[0038] The same applies to the side lamp unit 10. The white LEDs 112, tricolor LEDs 113, and amber LEDs 114 of the multiple segments arranged in the side lamp unit 10 are illuminated simultaneously or selectively, so that the side lamp 1 is illuminated in a way that illuminates the entire or partial portion in the line direction. In particular, in this embodiment, the amber light emitted by the amber LED 114 is incident on the first incident surface 123a of the light guide 12, reflected by the first reflective surface 124a, and emitted forward.

[0039] Figure 11 is a conceptual diagram of the light emission control circuit that controls the light emission of the lamp units 10 and 20 of the side lamp 1 and center lamp 2. The control circuits for controlling the light emission of the head lamp units 33 of the left and right head lamps HL are omitted. The center lamp unit and the side lamp unit are provided with driver circuits 51 for emitting light from the white LEDs, tricolor LEDs, and amber LEDs that constitute the light sources, respectively. These driver circuits 51 are built on the circuit boards 110 and 210 of the light source sections 11 and 21 of the lamp units 10 and 20. Each driver circuit 51 is connected to a light emission ECU (electronic control unit) 50, which controls the light emission of each light source section 11 and 21 of the lamp units 10 and 20, that is, the LEDs that constitute each light source 111 and 211 can be controlled individually.

[0040] The light-emitting ECU 50 is connected to the vehicle ECU 60, which controls the entire vehicle. When an occupant operates a required switch or other device, or when a remote signal is sent from the occupant, a predetermined signal is output from the vehicle ECU 60 to the light-emitting ECU 50, and the light-emitting ECU 50 drives the driver circuit 51 to control the illumination of each light source 111, 211. For example, although not shown in the diagram, the light-emitting ECU 50 stores an illumination map for controlling the illumination pattern of each LED of the corresponding light source 111, 211 when performing indicator illumination, signal illumination, communication illumination, or animation illumination. The configuration is such that the illumination of each LED is controlled by referring to the illumination map based on the input signal.

[0041] For example, when the clearance lamps are turned on while the vehicle is in motion, the light-emitting ECU 50 causes all the white LEDs 112 and 212 in the side lamp unit 10 and the center lamp unit 20 to light up. As a result, the side lamps 1 light up in a horizontal line above the left and right head lamps HL of the car CAR shown in Figure 1. At the same time, the center lamp 2 lights up in a single horizontal line in the center of the vehicle body, continuous with the left and right side lamps 1, and together they function as clearance lamps that light up in a single line across the entire width of the vehicle body.

[0042] When the clearance lamps are illuminated, the illumination ECU 50 may also cause the three-color LEDs 113 and 213 of the side lamp unit 10 and the center lamp unit 20 to illuminate together. For example, by illuminating the blue LEDs of the three-color LEDs 113 and 213, the clearance lamps will emit a bluish-white light within the limits permitted by law. Alternatively, by illuminating the red LEDs, they will emit a reddish-white light. This can enhance the aesthetic effect of the clearance lamps. Alternatively, the three-color LEDs 113 and 213 may be dimly illuminated in any color, and the chromaticity of the light emitted from the side lamps 1 and center lamps 2 may be changed according to the driving conditions of the vehicle and the surrounding environment.

[0043] When the vehicle is in motion or stopped, and the turn signals or hazard lights are activated, the light-emitting ECU 50 causes the amber LED 114 of the side lamp unit 10 to flash. As a result, the side lamp 1 emits amber light and functions as a turn signal lamp. At this time, the amber LED 114 may be made to flash and extinguish sequentially in the direction of the line, so that it functions as a sequentially flashing turn signal lamp. Furthermore, even when the amber LED 114 of the side lamp unit 10 is flashing, the three-color LED 113 may be made to emit a weak light of any color, so that the chromaticity of the light emitted from the side lamp 1 can be changed according to the vehicle's driving state and the surrounding environment.

[0044] When the vehicle is stopped, the side lamp 1 and center lamp 2 can emit communication or animation lights. The light emission ECU 50 controls the illumination of the three-color LEDs 113 and 213 in particular, based on a light emission map using signals from the vehicle ECU 60. In this illumination control, the red, green, and blue light LEDs that make up the three-color LEDs 113 and 213 of multiple segments arranged in the line direction are individually controlled. During illumination control, the brightness and timing of illumination of each LED are controlled. In addition, the white LEDs 112 and 212 of each segment may also be individually controlled accordingly.

[0045] By performing this light emission control, the linear light-emitting surfaces of the side lamp 1 and center lamp 2 can emit different colored light in the direction of the line, namely white, red, green, and blue light. By controlling the timing of the emission of these colored lights, communication-oriented illumination can be achieved. Furthermore, by mixing the colored lights of adjacent segments, it is possible to emit a mixed colored light of red, green, and blue, and by controlling the timing of these emission, animated illumination can be achieved. Therefore, in addition to performing the original function of emitting light in a linear pattern, the side lamp 1 and center lamp 2 can also realize highly effective communication-oriented illumination and animated illumination.

[0046] In this embodiment, the light guides 12 and 22 constituting the side lamp unit 10 and the center lamp unit 20 are formed integrally in the line direction, but they may also be configured in a divided manner. For example, Figure 12(a) shows an example of the center lamp unit 20, in which the light guide 22 is divided in the line direction into multiple segments of light guides 22A, 22B, while keeping the reflective portion 221 and the emitting portion 222 of the light guide 22 integral. Figure 12(b) shows an example of a configuration in which the reflective portion 221 and the emitting portion 222 are divided while maintaining the length of the light guide 22 in the line direction. By dividing the light guide in this way, the manufacturing of the light guide becomes easier. Furthermore, in the configuration example of Figure 12(a), by selecting the number of segments of the light guide to divide, it can be applied to lamp units with different lengths in the line direction, thereby reducing the number of component types and standardizing the components.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to lamps mounted on the front of an automobile, but can also be applied to rear combination lamps arranged on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle, and to a rear center lamp arranged in the center of the vehicle between these lamps. In this case, LEDs with different luminescent colors than those in the embodiment are used as light sources in each lamp unit, and the light emitted from the light guide and design lens is designed to have a light distribution suitable for rear lamps. Furthermore, the lamps of the present invention are not limited to vehicle lamps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Side lamp 2 Center Lamp 10,20 Lamp Units 11,21 Light source section 12,22 Light guide 13,23 Design Lenses 14,24 Unit Case 30, 40 Lamp Housing 111,211 light source 112,212 white LED 113,213 tricolor LED 114 Amber LEDs 121,221 Reflector 122,222 ejection section 123,223 Incidence plane 124,224 reflective surface 125,225 Rear plate 126,226 Front plate HL Headlamp CAR (automobile)

Claims

1. A luminaire comprising a light source and a light guide of a required length into which light from the light source is incident and which emits the incident light, wherein the light guide is divided into a plurality of segments in the longitudinal direction and light is emitted from each segment, the light source is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit different colored light in each of the segments, and the light guide is characterized in that each of the segments has a reflective section having a plurality of reflective cell surfaces corresponding to the plurality of light-emitting elements and an emitting section having a linear emitting surface that controls the light reflected from the plurality of reflective cell surfaces to a required light distribution and emits it.

2. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in each segment is arranged in a direction that intersects the length direction of the light guide, and the light emitted from each light-emitting element is reflected toward the emission surface by each reflective cell surface of the reflective part.

3. The lamp according to claim 2, wherein the emission surface of the emission part is directed forward of the lamp and the vertical direction of the lamp is narrow, and the plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in the front-to-back direction of the lamp.

4. The lamp according to claim 3, wherein, among the plurality of reflective cells of the reflective portion, some reflective cells reflect the light of some of the light-emitting elements forward, and other reflective cells reflect the light of other of the light-emitting elements forward.

5. The luminaire according to claim 1, wherein the emission section has a plurality of bent face plates arranged in the front-to-back direction, and lens steps for controlling the emitted light are formed on the front and rear surfaces of each of these face plates.

6. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements include at least one light-emitting element that emits white light and one light-emitting element that emits chromatic light.

7. The luminaire according to claim 6, wherein the light-emitting element that emits chromatic light comprises at least three light-emitting elements that emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively, and the three light-emitting elements are independently controlled to emit light.

8. A lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, configured as an auxiliary lamp for an automobile, wherein the auxiliary lamp is configured as side lamps arranged on the left and right sides of the automobile body and a center lamp arranged in the center of the automobile body between the side lamps, and these lamps are arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction.

9. The lighting device according to claim 8, further comprising control means for selectively controlling the emission of multiple light sources of the auxiliary lamp, wherein the control means controls the emission of the auxiliary lamp as an indicator light or signal light when the vehicle is in motion, and controls the emission of the auxiliary lamp for communication or animation when the vehicle is stopped.

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