Vehicle lighting

Abstract

In a vehicle lamp configured to form a light distribution pattern with a cutoff line at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from a light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp using a reflector, the configuration allows for brightening of the area near the lower part of the cutoff line even if the vertical width of the reflector is narrow. [Solution] A lens member 32 is positioned between the light-emitting element 30 and the reflector 40B, configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 to be incident on the reflective surface 40B of the reflector 40B as light that diffuses in the front-to-back direction of the lamp. This makes the forward-to-back angle θ of the lamp when viewing the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30 from point A located in the region 40Ba1 near the front edge of the reflective surface 40Ba smaller than the forward-to-back angle θ' when this is not present. As a result, even if the vertical width of the reflector 40B is narrow, the area near the bottom of the cutoff line can be brightly illuminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp equipped with a reflector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a configuration of a vehicle lamp, a lamp is known that is configured to form a lamp light distribution pattern having a cut-off line at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from a light emitting element forward of the lamp by a reflector.

[0003] In "Patent Document 1", as a configuration of such a vehicle lamp, a light emitting surface of a light emitting element is arranged downward and a reflecting surface of a reflector is arranged on a lower side with respect to the light emitting surface of the light emitting element. This vehicle lamp is configured to form a region near the lower side of the cut-off line by reflected light from a region near the front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] If a configuration is adopted in which a region near the lower side of the cut-off line is formed by reflected light from a region near the front edge of the reflecting surface of the reflector as in the vehicle lamp described in the above "Patent Document 1", it is possible to form the lamp light distribution pattern such that the region near the lower side of the cut-off line is a relatively bright light distribution pattern, and thereby it is possible to improve the long-distance visibility of the road surface in front of the lamp.

[0006] **Note**: In the translation of "特開2016 - 72017号公報", it is translated as "Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2016-72017" which is a more accurate way to represent the Japanese patent publication number in English. However, if there are specific requirements or conventions in your actual use scenario, you may adjust it accordingly.In recent years, vehicle lighting fixtures have tended to have a narrower vertical width. Consequently, the vertical width of the reflector also narrows, resulting in the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface being positioned in close proximity to the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element. This increases the angle of view from the region near the front edge of the reflecting surface to the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element, making it difficult to form a collection of small, bright light source images in the region below the cutoff line. Therefore, it also becomes difficult to form a lighting pattern in which the region below the cutoff line is relatively bright.

[0007] In the vehicle lighting device described in "Patent Document 1" above, a lens member is placed between the light-emitting element and the reflector to diffuse the light emitted from the light-emitting element in the left-right direction and cause it to enter the reflector. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to form a horizontally elongated light distribution pattern even if the vertical width of the reflector is narrow, but it is difficult to brighten the area near the bottom of the cutoff line.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that can brighten the area near the lower part of the cutoff line even if the vertical width of the reflector is narrow, by reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp with a reflector to form a light distribution pattern of the lamp having a cutoff line at the upper end. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention aims to achieve the above objective by arranging a lens member between a light-emitting element and a reflector, and by making improvements to the configuration of this lens member.

[0010] In other words, the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention is In a vehicle lamp configured to form a light distribution pattern having a cutoff line at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from a light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp by a reflector, The above-mentioned light-emitting element is positioned with its light-emitting surface facing a required direction intersecting the front-to-back direction of the lamp. The reflector is positioned such that its reflective surface is located on the front side in the required direction relative to the light-emitting element. The reflector described above is configured such that the region below the cutoff line in the light distribution pattern of the lamp is formed by reflected light from the region near the front edge of the reflective surface. The present invention is characterized in that a lens member is positioned between the light-emitting element and the reflector, configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element to be incident on the reflector as light that diffuses in the front-to-back direction of the lamp.

[0011] The above-mentioned "light distribution pattern" is not particularly limited in its application as long as it has a cutoff line at the upper end; for example, a light distribution pattern for low beams or a light distribution pattern for fog lamps can be used.

[0012] The above-mentioned "region near the cutoff line" refers to the upper region that extends along the cutoff line in the luminaire's light distribution pattern.

[0013] The "required direction" mentioned above may be any direction that intersects with the front-to-back direction of the light fixture, or it may be a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction of the light fixture, or it may be a direction that is inclined with respect to it.

[0014] The "lens member" described above is not particularly limited in its specific configuration, as long as it is configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element to be incident on the reflector as light that diffuses in the front-to-back direction of the lamp. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention is configured to form a lamp light distribution pattern having a cutoff line at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp by a reflector. The light-emitting element is positioned with its light-emitting surface facing a required direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp, and the reflector is positioned so that its reflective surface is located on the front side of the light-emitting element in the above required direction, and the reflected light from the region near the front edge of the reflective surface forms the region near the lower part of the cutoff line. As a result, the lamp light distribution pattern can be formed as a light distribution pattern in which the region near the lower part of the cutoff line is relatively bright, thereby improving the long-distance visibility of the road surface in front of the lamp.

[0016] Furthermore, a lens member is positioned between the light-emitting element and the reflector, configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element to enter the reflector as light that diffuses in the front-to-back direction of the lamp. Therefore, even if the vertical width of the reflector is narrow, the lamp's light distribution pattern can be formed such that the area near the bottom of the cutoff line is relatively brighter.

[0017] In other words, when the vertical width of the reflector is narrow, the region near the front edge of its reflective surface is positioned in close proximity to the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element. In this case, the angle of view from the region near the front edge of the reflective surface to the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element is smaller in the front-to-back direction of the lamp due to the interposition of the lens member compared to when it is not interposed. Therefore, the region near the bottom of the cutoff line can be formed as a collection of small, bright light source images, thereby forming a light distribution pattern in which the region near the bottom of the cutoff line is relatively bright.

[0018] According to the invention of the present application, in a vehicle lamp configured to form a lamp light distribution pattern having a cut-off line at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from a light-emitting element forward of the lamp by a reflector, even if the vertical width of the reflector is narrow, the vicinity region below the cut-off line can be brightened, thereby enhancing the long-distance visibility of the road surface in front of the lamp.

[0019] In the above configuration, further, as the configuration of the lens member, if it is configured to make the light emitted from the light-emitting element enter the reflector as light diffused in the left-right direction, it becomes easy to form the lamp light distribution pattern as a horizontally long light distribution pattern.

[0020] In the above configuration, further, as the configuration of the vehicle lamp, if a plurality of sets of light-emitting elements and reflectors are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, a lamp light distribution pattern with a bright vicinity region below the cut-off line can be formed as an even brighter light distribution pattern.

[0021] In the above configuration, further, after setting the above required direction to the downward direction, if the reflecting surface of the reflector is configured as a curved surface having a paraboloid with the front end position of the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element as the focal point as the reference surface, the lamp light distribution pattern can be formed as a light distribution pattern with a high light-dark ratio at the cut-off line.

[0022] In the above configuration, further, after setting the above required direction to the upward direction, if the reflecting surface of the reflector is configured as a curved surface having a paraboloid with the rear end position of the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element as the focal point as the reference surface, the lamp light distribution pattern can be formed as a light distribution pattern with a high light-dark ratio at the cut-off line.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] Front view showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 [Figure 3]Sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1 [Figure 4] This diagram shows a transparent view of the low-beam light distribution pattern formed by the light emitted from the above-mentioned vehicle lighting fixture. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the above low-beam light distribution pattern broken down into three light distribution patterns. [Figure 6] A figure similar to Figure 1 shows a first modified example of the above embodiment. [Figure 7] A second modified example of the above embodiment is shown in a figure similar to Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lighting device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Figure 1.

[0026] In Figures 1 and 2, the direction indicated by X is "forward of the lamp," the direction indicated by Y is "leftward" (or "rightward" when viewed from the front of the lamp), which is perpendicular to "forward of the lamp," and the direction indicated by Z is "upward." The same applies to figures other than Figures 1 and 2.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 10 according to this embodiment is a headlamp mounted on the right front end of a vehicle, and has a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body 12 and a transparent light-transmitting cover 14 attached to the front end opening of the lamp body, in which three lamp units 20A, 20B, and 20C are incorporated. The vehicle lamp 10 is configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern (described later) by the light emitted from the three lamp units 20A to 20C.

[0028] The three luminaire units 20A to 20C are arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction, and the units located further outwards in the vehicle width direction are positioned further back towards the rear of the luminaire. These three luminaire units 20A to 20C are configured to reflect the light emitted from their light-emitting elements 30 toward the front of the luminaire by reflectors 40A, 40B, and 40C.

[0029] The vehicle lighting fixture 10 is configured as a lighting fixture with a small vertical width, and the reflectors 40A to 40C of the three lighting units 20A to 20C housed within its lighting chamber also have a small vertical width.

[0030] The light-emitting elements 30 of the three lighting units 20A to 20C are mounted on the underside of a common heat sink 50 that extends horizontally in a plate-like shape, with their light-emitting surfaces 30a facing directly downwards. The three reflectors 40A to 40C are all positioned below the light-emitting elements 30 and are supported at their upper ends by the heat sink 50.

[0031] In the three lighting units 20A to 20C, a lens member 32 is positioned between the light-emitting element 30 and the reflector 40A to 40C. This lens member 32 is supported by the heat sink 50 via a lens support member 14.

[0032] The three lighting units 20A to 20C all have roughly the same configuration, but the reflectors 40A to 40C differ slightly in their configurations. Therefore, we will first explain the specific configuration of the central lighting unit 20B.

[0033] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 1.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, in the lighting unit 20B, the lens member 32 is configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 to be incident on the reflector 40B as light that is diffused in the front-rear direction of the lighting unit (i.e., in the front-rear direction of the vehicle).

[0035] To achieve this, the lens member 32 has a vertical cross-sectional shape along the front-to-rear direction of the lamp that is set to a biconcave lens shape. That is, the upper surface 32a and lower surface 32b of this lens member 32 both have a concave arc-shaped vertical cross-sectional shape, and are composed of a concave cylindrical curved surface that extends in the left-to-right direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction) while maintaining this cross-sectional shape.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1-3, the reflector 40B of the lighting unit 20B is composed of multiple reflective elements 40Bs whose reflective surface 40Ba is divided into vertical and horizontal grid sections.

[0037] The multiple reflective elements 40Bs are composed of multiple concave surfaces with a reference plane that is a paraboloid of revolution P with the axis Ax extending in the front-to-back direction of the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30 as its central focal point F. Each of these multiple reflective elements 40Bs has its concave surface orientation and curvature appropriately adjusted with respect to the reference plane, thereby controlling the reflection direction and diffusion angle of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30.

[0038] In this case, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 is diffused in the front-to-back direction of the lamp due to the interposition of the lens member 32 and reaches the reflective surface 40Ba of the reflector 40B. Therefore, the angle of view from the reflective surface 40Ba to the light-emitting surface 30a will be different from that when the lens member 32B is not present.

[0039] In other words, as shown in Figure 3, the forward-backward angle θ of the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30, when viewed from point A located in the region 40Ba1 near the front edge of the reflective surface 40Ba, is smaller than the forward-backward angle θ' when the lens member 32 is not present, due to the presence of the lens member 32.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the lamp unit 20A located on the outside in the vehicle width direction and the lamp unit 20C located on the inside in the vehicle width direction, the configuration is the same as in the lamp unit 20B, in which the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 is incident on the reflectors 40A and 40C as light that is diffused in the front-rear direction of the lamp through the lens member 32.

[0041] The reflectors 40A and 40C of these luminaire units 20A and 20C, like the reflector 40B of the luminaire unit 20B, are composed of multiple reflective elements 40As and 40Cs whose reflective surfaces 40Aa and 40Ca are divided into vertical and horizontal grids. However, the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surfaces constituting these multiple reflective elements 40As and 40Cs are different from those of the reflector 40B.

[0042] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the low-beam light distribution pattern PL formed on a virtual vertical screen located 25 m in front of the vehicle light fixture 10 by the light emitted from the fixture.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, the low beam light distribution pattern PL is a left-facing low beam light distribution pattern, and has horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 at its upper edge. The horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 are formed such that the portion to the right of the VV line, which passes vertically through the vanishing point HV in the direction of the front of the lamp, is formed on the opposing lane side, and the portion to the left of the VV line, which is formed on the in-lane side, is formed on the diagonal cutoff line CL2. The elbow point E, which is the intersection of the two, is located approximately 0.5 to 0.6° below HV.

[0044] In this low-beam light distribution pattern PL, a high-luminosity region HZ is formed surrounding the elbow point E. This high-luminosity region HZ is formed to extend slightly larger towards the vehicle's lane along the horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2. By illuminating with low beams using this low-beam light distribution pattern PL, sufficient forward visibility for the vehicle's driver is ensured while preventing glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 2.

[0045] This low-beam light distribution pattern PL is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of the three light distribution patterns PA, PB, and PC shown in Figure 5.

[0046] The light distribution pattern PA shown in Figure 5(a) is formed by the light emitted from the luminaire unit 20A, the light distribution pattern PB shown in Figure 5(b) is formed by the light emitted from the luminaire unit 20B, and the light distribution pattern PC shown in Figure 5(c) is formed by the light emitted from the luminaire unit 20C.

[0047] The light distribution pattern PB shown in Figure 5(b) is a light distribution pattern that constitutes the central region of the low beam light distribution pattern PL, and is formed as a bright light distribution pattern with a relatively small left-right diffusion angle. This light distribution pattern PB forms the main parts of the high-luminosity region HZ and the horizontal and oblique cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

[0048] The formation of this light distribution pattern PB is achieved by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surface that constitutes each of the multiple reflective elements 40Bs that make up the reflective surface 40Ba of the reflector 40B. In this light distribution pattern PB, the lower vicinity regions PBa of the horizontal and oblique cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 are formed as high-luminosity regions surrounding the elbow point E, and these lower vicinity regions PBa are formed by reflected light from the front edge vicinity region 40Ba1 of the reflective surface 40Ba of the reflector 40B.

[0049] The light distribution pattern PA shown in Figure 5(a) is a light distribution pattern that constitutes the diffusion region of the low beam light distribution pattern PL, and this light distribution pattern PA forms the left-side diffusion region of the low beam light distribution pattern PL.

[0050] This light distribution pattern PA is formed as a light distribution pattern with a large left-right diffusion angle, which is achieved by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surface that constitutes each of the multiple reflective elements 40As that make up the reflective surface 40Aa of the reflector 40A. In this light distribution pattern PA, the lower vicinity region PAa along the horizontal cutoff line CL1 is formed as a high-luminosity region, and this lower vicinity region PAa is formed by reflected light from the front edge vicinity region 40Aa1 of the reflective surface 40Aa of the reflector 40A.

[0051] The light distribution pattern PC shown in Figure 5(c) is a light distribution pattern that constitutes the diffusion region of the low beam light distribution pattern PL, and this light distribution pattern PC forms the right-side diffusion region of the low beam light distribution pattern PL.

[0052] This light distribution pattern PC is formed as a light distribution pattern with a large left-right diffusion angle, which is achieved by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surface that constitutes each of the multiple reflective elements 40Cs that make up the reflective surface 40Ca of the reflector 40C. In this light distribution pattern PC, the lower vicinity region PCa along the horizontal cutoff line CL1 is formed as a high-luminosity region, and this lower vicinity region PCa is formed by reflected light from the front edge vicinity region 40Ca1 of the reflective surface 40Ca of the reflector 40C.

[0053] Next, the effects and advantages of this embodiment will be described.

[0054] The vehicle lamp 10 according to this embodiment comprises three lamp units 20A, 20B, and 20C. In these lamp units 20A to 20C, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 is reflected forward by the reflectors 40A, 40B, and 40C, thereby forming a low-beam light distribution pattern PL (lamp light distribution pattern) having horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 at the upper end. The light-emitting element 30 is positioned with its light-emitting surface 30a facing directly downward (facing in a required direction intersecting the front-to-back direction of the lamp), and the reflectors 40A to 40C are connected to the light-emitting element 3 The reflective surfaces 40Aa, 40Ba, and 40Ca are positioned below 0 (forward in the required direction relative to the light-emitting element 30), and the reflected light from the front edge vicinity regions 40Aa1, 40Ba1, and 40Ca1 of the reflective surfaces 40Aa to 40Ca forms the lower vicinity regions PAa, PBa, and PCa of the horizontal and oblique cutoff lines CL1 and CL2. As a result, the low beam light distribution pattern PL can be formed as a light distribution pattern with a bright high-luminosity region HZ formed by the lower vicinity regions PAa to PCa, thereby improving the long-distance visibility of the road surface in front of the luminaire.

[0055] Furthermore, a lens member 32 is positioned between the light-emitting element 30 and the reflectors 40A to 40C in the three luminaire units 20A to 20C, configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 to be incident on the reflectors 40A to 40C as light that diffuses in the front-to-back direction of the luminaire. As a result, even though the vertical width of the reflectors 40A to 40C is narrow, the low-beam light distribution pattern PL can be formed as a light distribution pattern in which its high-luminosity region HZ is relatively bright.

[0056] In other words, when the vertical width of the reflectors 40A to 40C is narrow, the regions 40Aa1 to 40Ca1 near the front edges of the reflective surfaces 40Aa to 40Ca are positioned in close proximity to the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30. In this case, the angle θ of the reflection from the regions 40Aa1 to 40Ca near the front edges of the reflective surfaces 40Aa to 40Ca to the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30 is smaller in the front-to-back direction of the lamp due to the interposition of the lens member 32 compared to the case without the lens member. Therefore, the lower regions PAa to PCa of the horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 can be formed as a collection of small, bright light source images, thereby enabling the low-beam light distribution pattern PL to be formed as a light distribution pattern in which its high-luminosity region HZ is relatively bright.

[0057] As described above, in this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 10 is configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern PL having horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 toward the front of the lamp by the reflectors 40A to 40C, and despite the narrow vertical width of the reflectors 40A to 40C, the high-luminosity region HZ can be made brighter, thereby improving the long-distance visibility of the road surface in front of the lamp.

[0058] Furthermore, since the vehicle lighting fixture 10 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which three lighting units 20A to 20C are arranged in a left-right direction, even though its vertical width is narrow, it is possible to form an even brighter light distribution pattern PL for the low beam, which has a bright high-luminosity region HZ.

[0059] Furthermore, the three luminaire units 20A to 20C are configured such that their reflectors 40A to 40C are positioned below the light-emitting element 30. Since the reflective surfaces 40Aa to 40Ca of these reflectors 40A to 40C are curved surfaces formed with a parabolic surface P of revolution as the reference plane, with the front end position of the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30 as the focal point F, the low-beam light distribution pattern PL can be formed as a light distribution pattern with a high light-dark ratio between the horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the vertical cross-sectional shape of the lens member 32 along the front-rear direction of the lamp was described as being set to a biconcave lens shape. However, it is also possible to configure this vertical cross-sectional shape to be a plano-concave lens shape or a meniscus concave lens shape.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the vehicle lighting fixture 10 was described as having three lighting units 20A, 20B, and 20C, but it is also possible to have a configuration with two or fewer lighting units or four or more lighting units.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the vehicle lamp 10 was described as having a configuration that forms a low beam light distribution pattern PL with leftward light distribution. However, by reversing the lamp configuration left and right, it is also possible to configure it to form a low beam light distribution pattern with rightward light distribution.

[0063] Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described.

[0064] First, a first modified example of the above embodiment will be described.

[0065] Figure 6 is a diagram similar to Figure 1, showing a vehicle lighting device 110 according to this modified example.

[0066] As shown in Figure 6, the basic configuration of this vehicle lighting device 110 is the same as that of the vehicle lighting device 10 according to the above embodiment, but the configuration of two of the three lighting units 120A, 120B, and 120C, 120A and 120C, differs in part from that of the above embodiment.

[0067] In other words, in this modified example, the configuration of the lens members 132A and 132C in the two luminaire units 120A and 120C differs from that of the above embodiment.

[0068] Specifically, in the lighting unit 120A located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, the lower surface 132Ab of its lens member 132A is formed to curve downward toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the lens member 132A is configured to direct the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction and diffuse the light in the left-right direction before it enters the reflector 140A.

[0069] Furthermore, in the lighting unit 120C located on the inside in the vehicle width direction, the lower surface 132Cb of the lens member 132C is formed to curve downward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the lens member 132C is configured to direct the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction and diffuse it in the left-right direction before it enters the reflector 140C.

[0070] Furthermore, the vehicle lighting fixture 110 according to this modified example is configured to form three light distribution patterns PA, PB, and PC as shown in Figure 5, using the light emitted from the three lighting units 120A, 120B, and 120C, and to form a low beam light distribution pattern PL as shown in Figure 4 as a composite light distribution pattern.

[0071] In other words, in this modified example as well, the light distribution pattern PB is formed by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surface constituting each of the multiple reflective elements 140Bs that constitute the reflective surface 140Ba of the reflector 140B, the light distribution pattern PA is formed by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surface constituting each of the multiple reflective elements 140As that constitute the reflective surface 140Aa of the reflector 140A, and the light distribution pattern PC is formed by appropriately adjusting the orientation and curvature of the concave curved surface constituting each of the multiple reflective elements 140Cs that constitute the reflective surface 140Ca of the reflector 140C.

[0072] In this case, the reflective surface 140Aa of the reflector 140A is configured such that the lens member 132A directs the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 towards the inside in the vehicle width direction and causes the light to diffuse in the left-right direction before entering the reflector 140A. Therefore, the multiple reflective elements 140As are composed of curved surfaces with less unevenness than the multiple reflective elements 40As that constitute the reflective surface 40Aa of the reflector 40A in the above embodiment.

[0073] Furthermore, the reflective surface 140Ca of the reflector 140C is configured such that the lens member 132C directs the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 towards the outside in the vehicle width direction, and the light is diffused in the left-right direction before being incident on the reflector 140C. Therefore, the multiple reflective elements 140Cs are composed of curved surfaces with less unevenness than the multiple reflective elements 40Cs that constitute the reflective surface 40Ca of the reflector 40C in the above embodiment.

[0074] On the other hand, with respect to the lighting unit 120B, as in the above embodiment, the lower surface 132Bb of the lens member 132B is composed of a concave cylindrical curved surface with a concave arc-shaped cross-section extending in the vehicle width direction, and the reflective surface 140Ba of the reflector 140B also has the same configuration as in the above embodiment.

[0075] As a result, in this modified example as well, the reflected light from the front edge vicinity regions 140Aa1, 140Ba1, and 140Ca1 of the reflective surfaces 140Aa to 140Ca of the three reflectors 140A to 140C forms the lower vicinity regions PAa, PBa, and PCa of the horizontal and oblique cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

[0076] Even when adopting the configuration of this modified example, the same effects and advantages as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0077] Furthermore, in this modified example, the lens member 132A of the lamp unit 120A is formed such that its lower surface 132Ab curves downward toward the inward direction in the vehicle width direction, thereby causing the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 to be incident on the reflector 140A as light that is diffused left and right toward the inward direction in the vehicle width direction. Similarly, the lens member 132C of the lamp unit 120C is formed such that its lower surface 132Cb curves downward toward the outward direction in the vehicle width direction, thereby causing the light emitted from the light-emitting element 30 to be incident on the reflector 140C as light that is diffused left and right toward the outward direction in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the reflective surfaces 140Aa and 140Ca of the reflectors 140A and 140C can have a surface shape with fewer irregularities.

[0078] Furthermore, in this modified example, the lighting unit 120A located on the outside in the vehicle width direction reflects the reflected light from the reflector 140A toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the lighting unit 120C located on the inside in the vehicle width direction reflects the reflected light from the reflector 140C toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. This configuration prevents the reflected light from these reflectors 140A and 140C from being unintentionally blocked by the lamp body 12, etc.

[0079] In the first modified example described above, the lower surface 132Ab of the lens member 132A is formed to curve downward toward the inward direction in the vehicle width direction, and the lower surface 132Cb of the lens member 132C is formed to curve downward toward the outward direction in the vehicle width direction. However, it is also possible to have a configuration in which multiple diffusion lens elements are formed on the lower surfaces 132Ab and 132Cb of these lens members 132A and 132C.

[0080] Next, a second modified example of the above embodiment will be described.

[0081] Figure 7 is a diagram similar to Figure 3, showing a vehicle lighting fixture 210 according to this modified example.

[0082] As shown in Figure 7, the basic configuration of this vehicle light fixture 210 is the same as that of the vehicle light fixture 10 according to the above embodiment, but it differs from the above embodiment in that the light fixture unit 220B is arranged inside the light chamber in a state in which the light fixture unit 20B of the above embodiment is inverted vertically.

[0083] In other words, in the lamp unit 220B of this modified example, the light-emitting element 30 is mounted on the upper surface of a common heat sink 50 that extends in a plate shape along a horizontal plane, with its light-emitting surface 30a facing directly upwards, and a reflector 240B is positioned above the light-emitting element 30. However, the configuration of this reflector 240B differs from that of the above embodiment.

[0084] Specifically, the reflector 240B of this modified example, like the embodiment described above, is composed of a plurality of reflective elements 240Bs whose reflective surface 240Ba is divided into vertical and horizontal grids. However, this reflective surface 240Ba is a curved surface formed with a paraboloid of revolution P as the reference plane, with the rear end position of the light-emitting surface 30a of the light-emitting element 30 as the focal point F.

[0085] In this modified example as well, the reflected light from the region 240Ba1 near the front edge of the reflective surface 240Ba of the reflector 240B forms the lower region PBa of the horizontal and oblique cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

[0086] In addition, in the vehicle lighting device 210 according to this modified example, the two lighting units (not shown) other than lighting unit 220B are also arranged in a manner similar to the lighting units 20A and 20C of the above embodiment, but inverted vertically.

[0087] Even when this modified configuration is adopted, the low beam light distribution pattern PL shown in Figure 4 can be formed as a light distribution pattern with a high light-dark ratio between the horizontal and diagonal cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

[0088] The numerical values ​​shown as specifications in the above embodiments and their modified forms are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these may be set to different values ​​as appropriate.

[0089] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments and their modifications, and various other modified configurations can be adopted. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 2. Oncoming car 10, 110, 210 Vehicle lighting fixtures 12 Lamp body 14 Translucent cover 20A, 20B, 20C, 120A, 120B, 120C, 220B lighting units 30 light-emitting elements 30a Light-emitting surface 32, 132A, 132B, 132C Lens components 32a top surface 32b, 132Ab, 132Bb, 132Cb bottom surface 34 Lens support member 40A, 40B, 40C, 140A, 140B, 140C, 240B reflector 40Aa, 40Ba, 40Ca, 140Aa, 140Ba, 140Ca, 240Ba reflective surface 40As, 40Bs, 40Cs, 140As, 140Bs, 140Cs, 240Bs Reflector 40Aa1, 40Ba1, 40Ca1, 140Aa1, 140Ba1, 140Ca1, 240Ba1 Front edge vicinity region 50 Heatsink Point A Ax axis CL1 Horizontal Cutoff Line CL2 Diagonal Cut Offline E Elbow point F focus HZ high luminosity region P paraboloid of rotation PA, PB, PC light distribution patterns PAa, PBa, PCa lower neighbor region PL low beam light distribution pattern (light fixture light distribution pattern) θ, θ' Expected angle

Claims

1. In a vehicle lamp configured to form a light distribution pattern having a cutoff line at the upper end by reflecting the light emitted from a light-emitting element toward the front of the lamp by a reflector, The above-mentioned light-emitting element is positioned with its light-emitting surface facing a required direction intersecting the front-to-back direction of the lamp. The reflector is positioned such that its reflective surface is located on the front side in the required direction relative to the light-emitting element. The reflector described above is configured such that the region below the cutoff line in the light distribution pattern of the lamp is formed by reflected light from the region near the front edge of the reflective surface. A vehicle lamp characterized in that a lens member is arranged between the light-emitting element and the reflector, configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element to be incident on the reflector as light that diffuses in the front-rear direction of the lamp.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the lens member is configured to cause the light emitted from the light-emitting element to be incident on the reflector as light that diffuses in the left-right direction.

3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that multiple sets of the above-mentioned light-emitting elements and reflectors are arranged in a left-right direction.

4. The required direction mentioned above is set to the downward direction. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reflective surface of the reflector is a curved surface whose reference plane is a parabolic surface whose focal point is the front end position of the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element.

5. The required direction mentioned above is set to the upward direction. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reflective surface of the reflector is a curved surface whose reference plane is a parabolic surface whose focal point is the rear end position of the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element.

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