Vehicle lighting

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle lighting fixture that enhances the aesthetic effect by varying the distribution of light brightness on the light-emitting surface within a range that satisfies the required light distribution characteristics. [Solution] The device comprises a light source 6, a light guide 5 into which light from the light source 6 is incident from one end and guided through its interior toward the other end, and a reflector 4 that reflects the light emitted from the light guide 5. The light guide 5 comprises a plurality of light guide steps 56 that emit the guided light toward the reflector 4, and the reflector 4 comprises a plurality of reflector steps 42. The light guide steps 56 on one end side are configured to have a higher light reflection efficiency than those on the other end side. The reflector steps 42 on one end side are configured to have a higher light reflection efficiency than those on the other end side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp applied to vehicles such as automobiles, and particularly to a vehicular lamp using a light guide.

Background Art

[0002] As vehicular lamps such as front lamps and rear lamps equipped in automobiles, lamps using a plate-shaped or rod-shaped light guide have been proposed. In this type of lamp, a configuration is adopted in which light from a light source is incident from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the light guide, the incident light is guided toward the other end side while being internally reflected inside the light guide, and is emitted from the front surface of the light guide oriented toward the front direction of the lamp. In order to emit light from the front surface of the light guide, a configuration is adopted in which a reflection step is formed on the front surface or the rear surface of the light guide, and the guided light is reflected by the reflection step and emitted from the front surface of the light guide. For example, in Patent Document 1, a reflection step is formed on the rear surface of the light guide, and the light reflected by this reflection step is emitted from the front surface.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this type of lamp, optical steps are typically formed so that the brightness (luminous intensity) of the light emitted from the front of the light guide is uniform along the longitudinal direction of the light guide, in order to satisfy the required light distribution characteristics of the lamp. Therefore, when lit, the light-emitting surface of the lamp emits light with uniform brightness, resulting in a simple appearance, and it is preferable to improve this from the standpoint of design effect. In particular, in indicator lights such as marker lamps where the light distribution characteristics of the light are not strictly defined, it is not always required that the light-emitting surface emits light with uniform brightness, and it is conceivable to configure the lamp to have variations in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting surface, prioritizing the design effect in appearance when lit.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that enhances the design effect by changing the distribution of light brightness on the light-emitting surface within a range that satisfies the required light distribution characteristics. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle lighting device of the present invention comprises a light source, a light guide extending to a required length, through which light from the light source is incident from one end toward the other end, and a reflector disposed on the back side of the light guide and reflecting the light emitted from the light guide toward the light guide. Furthermore, the light guide comprises a plurality of light guide steps that emit the guided light toward the reflector, the reflector comprises a plurality of reflector steps that reflect light, the plurality of light guide steps are arranged along the extending direction of the light guide, and the light guide steps provided on the one end side of the plurality of light guide steps are configured to have a higher reflection efficiency of the light reflected toward the reflector than the light guide steps provided on the other end side. For example, the light guide steps are composed of recesses disposed on the front surface of the light guide, and the internal dimensions and depth of the recess on the one end side of the light guide are formed to be larger than the internal dimensions and depth of the recess on the other end side.

[0007] In this invention, the reflector extends along the light guide, and the multiple reflector steps are arranged along the extension direction of the reflector. The reflector steps on one end are configured to have a higher light reflection efficiency than the reflector steps on the other end. For example, the reflector steps have a sawtooth cross-section that reflects a portion of the light emitted from the light guide towards one end of the light guide. In addition, the reflector is positioned close to the rear surface of the light guide in the region on one end, and is spaced further apart in the region on the other end than on the one end.

[0008] In the vehicle lighting device of the present invention, a design lens is disposed on the front side of the light guide, which transmits and emits light emitted from the light guide. Preferably, a design step is formed on at least one of the front or rear surfaces of the design lens, which refracts the transmitted light to form a desired light pattern. This design step comprises a front design step and a rear design step formed on the front and rear surfaces of the design lens, respectively, and is configured to form a desired light pattern by refracting the light refracted by the rear design step and then refracting it again by the front design step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The vehicle lamp of the present invention is configured such that, among the multiple light guide steps provided on the light guide, the light guide step at one end has a higher light reflection efficiency toward the reflector than the light guide step at the other end, and / or, among the multiple reflector steps provided on the reflector, the reflector step at one end has a higher light reflection efficiency than the reflector step at the other end. As a result, when the lamp is lit, the light-emitting surface of the lamp has a uniform brightness in a predetermined area at one end, and the brightness gradually decreases in the area from this predetermined area toward the other end, satisfying predetermined light distribution characteristics while enhancing the aesthetic design effect of the appearance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]A schematic perspective view of an automobile equipped with a lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear, and an external perspective view of the fixed-side lamp. [Figure 2] A schematic exploded perspective view of the fixed-side lamp. [Figure 3] A horizontal cross-sectional view of the side marker unit and an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of it. [Figure 4] A vertical cross-sectional view of the side marker unit and an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of it. [Figure 5] A schematic exploded perspective view of the side marker unit. [Figure 6] Enlarged perspective view of part of the reflector and light guide. [Figure 7] A schematic perspective view of the front and rear design steps of the design lens. [Figure 8] A schematic diagram showing the brightness distribution when the side marker lamps are illuminated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a car CAR equipped with the lighting fixture of the present invention, viewed from the rear. Rear lamps RL are arranged on the left and right sides in the width direction of the rear of the car body of the car CAR. Each rear lamp RL consists of a movable side lamp MRL provided on the trunk lid and a fixed side lamp FRL provided next to it on the rear fender of the car body. The movable side lamp MRL and the fixed side lamp FRL are each configured as a combination lamp composed of predetermined lamps. For example, the fixed side lamp FRL incorporates a tail lamp TL and a side marker lamp SML. The movable side lamp MRL also incorporates a tail lamp, a reverse lamp (brake lamp), and a turn signal lamp, although these are not shown in the illustration.

[0012] Figure 1 also shows an enlarged perspective view of the right-side fixed lamp FRL, and the present invention is applied to the side marker lamp SML incorporated into this fixed lamp FRL. The fixed lamp FRL is configured as a so-called wrap-around lamp, extending in a curved manner from a region facing the rear of the automobile CAR to a region facing the side, following the shape of the rear of the automobile body. A tail lamp TL is positioned in the portion facing the rear of the automobile, and a side marker lamp SML is positioned in the portion facing the side of the automobile.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the fixed-side lamp FRL. The lamp housing 1 consists of a lamp body 11 having an opening curved to conform to the shape of the right rear of the vehicle body CAR, and a translucent cover (outer lens) 12 attached to the opening of the lamp body 11. The translucent cover 12 is made of a colorless translucent material, and the front surface of the translucent cover 12 is part of the right side surface near the rear of the vehicle body. Within this lamp housing 1, a tail lamp unit 2 is arranged in the area facing the rear of the vehicle CAR, and a side marker lamp unit 3 is arranged in the area facing the right side of the vehicle CAR. Hereafter, when simply referred to as the front-rear direction, the direction in which light is emitted from the side marker lamp unit 3 is considered the front direction.

[0014] The configuration of the tail lamp unit 3 is not particularly limited, but here, two horizontally elongated, narrow light-emitting surfaces 20 are arranged in upper and lower rows. Although not shown in the diagram, the configuration involves directing red light emitted from a red LED into a light guide provided within the tail lamp unit 3, and causing the red light emitted from the light guide to be emitted from the light-emitting surfaces 20. As a result, the tail lamp unit 2 is configured as a tail lamp TL in which the light-emitting surfaces 20 emit light in two narrow red strips when lit. The light-emitting surfaces 20 of the tail lamp TL are configured to emit light with uniform brightness in order to satisfy predetermined light distribution characteristics.

[0015] The side marker lamp unit 3, like the light-emitting surface 20 of the tail lamp unit 2, has two horizontally elongated, narrow light-emitting surfaces 30 arranged in upper and lower rows, and is configured as a side marker lamp SML in which the light-emitting surfaces 30 emit light in two narrow red strips when lit. As will be described in detail later, the side marker lamp SML of the present invention is configured so that the light-emitting surface 30 emits light with uniform brightness in the direction from the rear to the side of the automobile CAR in order to satisfy predetermined light distribution characteristics, but in the direction from the side to the front of the automobile CAR, it is configured to emit light with brightness gradually decreasing towards the front.

[0016] Figures 3 and 4 are schematic horizontal and vertical cross-sectional views of the side marker lamp unit 3, respectively, taken along lines III-III and IV-IV. Figure 5 is a conceptual exploded perspective view of the side marker lamp unit 3. As shown in Figure 5, the side marker lamp unit 3 comprises a unit body 4 extending from one end facing the rear of the automobile CAR to the other end facing the front of the automobile CAR, a plate-shaped light guide 5 supported by the unit body 4 and extending from one end to the other, and a light source 6 into which light is incident from one end of the light guide 5. Here, a light-reflecting surface 41 is formed on the inner surface of the unit body 4, that is, the surface facing the light guide 5. This light-reflecting surface 41 is formed by surface treatment of the inner surface of the unit body 4 or by integrating a separate reflective member, and for this reason the unit body 4 is substantially configured as a reflector, and hereafter the unit body 4 will be referred to as the reflector 4. The side marker lamp unit 3 also includes a decorative lens 7 and an extension 8 disposed on the front side of the light guide 5.

[0017] In this side marker lamp unit 3, light emitted from a light source 6 is incident on one end of a light guide, the incident light is guided through the interior of the light guide and exits from the front surface of the light guide. The emitted light transmits through a design lens, and only light in a required region is emitted by an extension, and is emitted as a required light pattern from the rear of an automobile CAR toward the side or front.

[0018] The details of the side marker lamp unit 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the light guide extends horizontally from one end to the other end, and as shown in FIG. 5, is configured as a transparent light guide portion having two elongated plate-shaped portions. The two light guide portions are arranged vertically at a predetermined interval, and are connected and integrated at one end by a connecting portion. An end surface of the one end of the light guide is configured as an incident surface on which light from the light source is incident. Further, a plate surface facing the front side of each light guide portion is configured as a front exit surface that emits light, and a plate surface facing the rear side is configured as a rear exit surface that emits light to the rear side.

[0019] Furthermore, although details will be described later, a plurality of optical steps for reflecting light guided through the interior of the light guide portion and emitting the light from the rear exit surface are formed in predetermined regions of the front exit surface of each light guide portion. Hereinafter, this optical step is referred to as a light guide step. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the two light guide portions. Described in conjunction with FIG. 3, the light guide step is formed of a spherical concave portion having a predetermined diameter formed by recessing the front exit surface of the light guide portion, and the spherical concave portions are formed in a grid arrangement at predetermined pitch intervals in the lateral direction (the extending direction of the light guide) of the front exit surface of the light guide portion and in the vertical direction (up-down direction) orthogonal to the lateral direction. Note that the light guide step may be a concave portion of another shape such as a conical concave portion, a cylindrical concave portion, or a rectangular pyramidal concave portion, as long as it is configured to reflect light guided through the interior of the light guide portion toward the rear surface direction. When these concave portions are employed, each concave portion is configured to have a predetermined internal dimension.

[0020] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the light source 6 includes a light source substrate 61 positioned opposite the end face of one end of the light guide 5, i.e., the incident surface 53. This light source substrate 61 is equipped with two LEDs (light-emitting diodes) 62 that emit a predetermined color of light, in this case red light. These two LEDs 62 are arranged corresponding to the upper and lower elongated light guide sections 51 of the light guide 5, and the light emitted from the light-emitting surface of each LED 62 is incident on each light guide section 51 and guided through the interior of each light guide section 51.

[0021] The reflector 4 extends along the rear exit surfaces 55 of the two light guide portions 51 of the light guide body 5 and has groove portions 40 formed in two stages, upper and lower, with a protruding portion 43 provided in the middle in the vertical direction (up and down direction). The front surfaces of these groove portions 40 are configured as light-reflecting surfaces 41. These light-reflecting surfaces 41 are made of a metal with high light reflectivity, such as aluminum, or are formed by aluminum coating or white paint coating. Multiple optical steps 42 for controlling the direction of light reflection are formed on the light-reflecting surfaces 41 and are configured to retrospectively reflect light emitted from the rear exit surfaces 55 of the light guide portions 51 back toward the said rear exit surfaces 55 of the light guide portions 51. Hereafter, these optical steps 42 will be referred to as reflector steps.

[0022] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the reflector step 42 has a horizontal cross-section that is formed in a sawtooth shape with two slopes facing in different directions, namely a slope 42a facing one end of the light guide and a slope 42b facing the other end. Multiple reflector steps 42 are arranged horizontally from one end to the other, forming a vertical grid pattern for the light reflecting surface 41 as a whole. In each reflector step 42, the slope 42a facing one end has a larger area than the slope 42b facing the other end.

[0023] The decorative lens 7 is made of a translucent plate material and is positioned on the front side of the light guide 5. Two types of optical steps 71 and 72 are formed in a required area of ​​the plate surface of the decorative lens 7 to refract and emit light. These optical steps 71 and 72 consist of a front decorative step 71 formed on the front surface 73 of the decorative lens 7 and a rear decorative step 72 formed on the rear surface 74.

[0024] Figure 7(a) is a partial perspective view of the design lens 7 as seen from the front surface 73. The front design step 71 is formed as a minute-sized convex step that protrudes from the front surface 73 of the design lens 7, and multiple convex steps are arranged to form a desired pattern. Here, the multiple front design steps 71 are formed as a horizontally elongated rectangle when viewed from the front, and are arranged in a grid-like pattern aligned horizontally and vertically. Furthermore, each front design step 71 is formed in a different shape, such as a triangular prism, a triangular pyramid, or a square pyramid. Alternatively, it may be formed as a part of a cylinder.

[0025] Figure 7(a) is a partial perspective view of the design lens 7 as seen from the rear surface 74 side. The rear design step 72 is formed as a plurality of recessed steps in the rear surface 74 of the design lens 7. These rear design steps 72 are formed in a rectangular triangular groove or trapezoidal groove shape when viewed from the rear. The length and width dimensions and groove depth of the rear design steps 72 are not specifically defined and are set randomly. Furthermore, the placement of each rear design step 72 is not particularly related to the front design step 71 and is also randomly arranged.

[0026] The extension 8 is formed in a plate shape from an opaque material that does not transmit light, and is positioned to cover the front side of the design lens 7. The extension 8 has two horizontally elongated opening windows 81, one above the other, to expose a portion of the front design step 71 of the design lens 7, i.e., the area that functions as the light-emitting surface of the side marker lamp SML. The extension 8 covers the area of ​​the design lens 7 other than the area corresponding to the opening windows 81, as well as the reflector 4, light guide 5, and light source 6, so that they are not exposed to the outside of the lamp through the light-transmitting cover 12.

[0027] The reflector 4, light guide 5, light source 6, decorative lens 7, and extension 8 are assembled together to form a side marker lamp unit 3, which is then placed inside the lamp housing 1 to form a side marker lamp SML. Although the diagrams for the structure for assembling these components are omitted, the light guide 5 and light source 6 are attached to the reflector 4, and then the decorative lens 7 and extension 8 are attached to it.

[0028] During this assembly, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, a hook piece 57 is formed on the other end of the light guide 5, protruding to the rear side. This hook piece 57 engages with an engagement hole 44 provided on the other end of the reflector 4, thereby assembling the light guide 5 to the reflector 4. Also, as shown in Figure 4, the design lens 7 has a boss 75 protruding from its rear surface 74. This boss 75 is fastened to the convex portion 43 of the reflector 4 by a screw 76, thereby assembling the lens to the reflector 4. Furthermore, the extension 8 is assembled to the reflector 4 by engaging pieces 82 provided on its upper and lower edges with engaging projections 44 provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the reflector 4. Note that this assembly structure is just one example, and other structures are also possible.

[0029] As described above, when the side marker lamp unit 3 is lit as a side marker lamp SML, the LED 62 of the light source 6 emits light. The light emitted from the LED 62 is incident on the incident surface 53 at one end of the light guide 5, and the incident light is guided toward the other end while being internally reflected by the front surface 54 and rear surface 55 of the upper and lower light guide sections 51. As schematically shown in Figures 3 and 4, the light guided in the horizontal and vertical directions is reflected in a divergent manner at the light guide step 56 and emitted toward the reflector 4 from the rear surface 55 of the light guide section 51. The emitted light is reflected by the inclined surfaces 42a and 42b of the sawtooth-shaped reflector step 42 that constitute the light reflective surface 41 of the reflector 4, and is recursively incident on the rear surface 55 of the light guide section 51. The incident light is transmitted through the light guide section 51 in the thickness direction and emitted from the front surface 54 of the light guide section 51.

[0030] Light emitted from the front surface 54 of the light guide section 51 is incident on the rear surface 74 of the design lens 7, transmitted through the design lens 7 in the thickness direction, and emitted from the front surface 73. Light incident on the rear surface 74 is refracted by the rear design step 72 to reach the front surface 73, and is refracted by the front design step 72 and emitted. The emitted light is transmitted through the opening window 81 of the extension 8, and further transmitted through the light-transmitting cover 12 of the lamp housing 1 and irradiated outwards. As a result, the side marker lamp SML functions as a lamp in which the area corresponding to the shape of the opening window 81 of the extension 8 is the light-emitting surface, and which has a light pattern formed by the design steps 71 and 72 of the design lens 7.

[0031] Here, the side marker lamp SML of the embodiment has the light distribution characteristics shown in Figure 8. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the light distribution characteristics of the brightness (luminous intensity) of the side marker lamp SML when it is installed on an automobile. Of the light distribution area from the side of the automobile toward the rear, a predetermined angular area from the side toward the rear of the automobile is set as a specified area A1 in which light is emitted with the required and uniform brightness. On the other hand, a required angular area from the side of the automobile toward the front of the automobile is set as a relaxed area A2 in which the regulations are relaxed. In this relaxed area A2, it is possible to reduce the brightness of the emitted light compared to the specified area A1 and emit light with an uneven brightness. Therefore, the light-emitting surface of the side marker lamp SML is not necessarily required to emit light with uniform brightness, and by changing the brightness distribution of the light-emitting surface, it is possible to enhance the design effect when lit.

[0032] In order to create a variation in the brightness distribution on the light-emitting surface of the side marker lamp SML, the light guide step 56 of the light guide 5 and the reflector step 42 of the reflector 4 are uniquely configured in this embodiment. Specifically, in the light guide 5, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, in the region on one end side of the light guide section 51, in this case the region that emits light toward the specified region A1, the diameter and depth of the spherical recess constituting the light guide step 56 are relatively large, and the area ratio of the spherical recess per unit area of ​​the front surface 54 of the light guide section 51 is relatively large. On the other hand, in the region on the other end side of the light guide section 51 that emits light toward the relaxation region A2, the diameter and depth of the spherical recess constituting the light guide step 56 are relatively small, and the area ratio of the spherical recess per unit area of ​​the light guide section 51 is relatively small. Furthermore, in the boundary region between the region at one end and the region at the other end, the diameter and depth of the spherical recess constituting the light guide step 56 are configured to decrease in stages from one end to the other.

[0033] On the other hand, in the reflector 4, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, the depth dimension of the sawtooth-shaped vertical groove of the reflector step 52 at one end (depth dimension from the reflector's reflective surface) is made larger than that of the reflector step 52 at the other end. In addition, in this reflector step 52 as well, the depth dimension of the reflector step 52 may be gradually reduced from one end to the other in the boundary region between the region at one end and the region at the other end.

[0034] By configuring the light guide step 56 and the reflector step 42 in this way, in the light guide 5, the amount of light reflected towards the reflector 4 is relatively greater in the region on one end side than on the other end side because the diameter and depth of the spherical recess of the light guide step 56 are larger in the other end side. Also, in the boundary region, the amount of light reflected from one end side to the other end side decreases in stages. Thus, the light reflection efficiency in the light guide step 56 is greater on one end side than on the other end side.

[0035] In response to this, in the reflector 4, of the light emitted from the light guide 5 and reflected by the light-reflecting surface 41 of the reflector 4, the amount of light reflected by the reflector step 42 in the region on one end side is greater than the amount of light reflected by the reflector step 42 in the region on the other end side. Furthermore, in the boundary region, the amount of light decreases gradually from the region on one end side to the region on the other end side. Moreover, since the area of ​​the inclined surface 42a facing one end side of the reflector step 42 is larger than the area of ​​the inclined surface 42b facing the other end side, the amount of light reflected towards the light guide 5 is greater when the light is deflected towards one end side than when the light is deflected towards the other end side of the light guide 5 and reflected. In other words, in a normal light guide, light incident from one end is guided while being internally reflected toward the other end, so the light emitted from the light guide tends to be emitted toward the other end, and the amount of light at one end is reduced. However, in the light guide 5 of this embodiment, the reflector step 42 makes it possible to increase the amount of light directed toward one end. That is, it is possible to increase the amount of light emitted toward the specified region A1.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance between the rear surface 55 of the light guide portion 51 and the light reflective surface 41 of the reflector 4 is varied at the other end of the light guide 5. That is, in the region from one end to the other, the rear surface 55 of the light guide portion 51 and the light reflective surface 41 of the reflector 4 are in close proximity, but in the region at the other end of the light guide portion 51, a required gap is provided between the rear surface 55 and the light reflective surface 41. This gap is achieved by bringing a stopper 45, provided on the light reflective surface side of the reflector 4, into contact with the rear surface 55 of the light guide 5 when engaging the hook piece 57 of the light guide 5 with the engagement hole 44 of the reflector 4. As a result, at the other end of the light guide 51, the light reflected by the reflector 4 and recursively incident on the light guide 51 is more easily attenuated by the gap (air layer), reducing the amount of recursively incident light and thus reducing the brightness of the light emitted from the region on the other end side of the light guide 51.

[0037] Thus, when the side marker lamp SML is illuminated, as shown in Figure 8, the light distribution is relatively bright in the designated region A1, which is directed from the side of the vehicle towards the rear, and relatively low in the transitional region A2, which is directed from the side towards the front. Furthermore, the brightness distribution is uniform in the designated region A1, and gradually decreases towards the front of the vehicle in the transitional region A2. Therefore, the brightness gradation in the transitional region A2 enhances the aesthetic effect of the side marker lamp SML when illuminated.

[0038] Furthermore, in the side marker lamp SML of this embodiment, the light emitted from the light guide 5 is transmitted through the design lens 7 and emitted, and the rear design step 72 and front design step 71 provided on the design lens 7 are configured to form a light-emitting surface 30 that emits light in a predetermined light pattern, and this light pattern also enhances the design effect of the side marker lamp.

[0039] In other words, the light pattern formed on the light-emitting surface 30 of the design lens 7 is such that, because the rear design steps 72 are formed as random concave steps, the light incident on the rear surface 74 of the design lens 7 is refraction by the multiple rear design steps 72, creating multiple different shapes and brightness / darkness regions corresponding to each shape. For example, in the areas where the rear design steps 72 are formed, the brightness of the transmitted light is relatively reduced compared to other areas where the rear design steps 72 are not formed, resulting in a light pattern with a gradient.

[0040] Furthermore, the light emitted from the front surface 73 of the design lens 7 is refracted by each of the multiple front design steps 71. Since the multiple front design steps 71 are horizontally elongated rectangles arranged in a grid pattern, multiple rectangular grid-like light patterns are formed. In addition, since each of the multiple front design steps 71 has a different shape, the direction of the light emitted from each front design step 71 is different, resulting in grid-like light patterns with different brightness and darkness patterns.

[0041] Therefore, on the light-emitting surface 30 of the side marker lamp SML, the light and dark regions formed by the rear design step 72 and the grid-like light and dark pattern formed by the front design step 71 are combined synergistically. That is, on the light-emitting surface 30, a large number of rectangular light patterns, each having a light and dark pattern, are arranged in a grid-like pattern, and a pattern is observed in which a gradient of light and dark regions is superimposed on each rectangular light pattern. In addition, the uneven shape of the front design step 71 provides a digital appearance, and the refraction of light by the rear design step 72 creates areas on the light-emitting surface where no light is emitted, i.e., black areas, resulting in a sense of noise. These factors also enhance the design effect when the side marker lamp SML is lit.

[0042] In this embodiment, the front design step 71 of the design lens 7 is composed of multiple convex steps of different shapes. Therefore, when external light such as sunlight is shone on it when it is not lit, light is reflected from each front design step 71 in random directions. Consequently, when observed from the outside, a so-called sparkling effect is obtained, which further enhances the design effect of the side marker lamp SML.

[0043] Thus, in the side marker lamp SML of this embodiment, the light emitted from the LED 62 as a light source into the light guide 5 and emitted from the front surface of the light guide 5 is emitted with the required amount of light in the region on one end, thereby achieving a light distribution with the brightness required for the specified region A1. On the other hand, the light distribution in the region on the other end is at a lower brightness, but this is not a problem as this region is a relaxation region A2. Therefore, the required light distribution characteristics for the side marker lamp SML are met, and the design effect can be enhanced by varying the distribution of light brightness on the light-emitting surface.

[0044] The design steps 71 and 72 of the design lens 7 may be appropriately modified in shape and arrangement according to differences in brightness distribution and design required for the side marker lamp SML. For example, the front design step 71 may be a shape close to a square with shorter lateral dimensions than the front design step of the embodiment, and the shape of each front design step may be a triangular prism, polygon, spherical, conical, cylindrical, or other shape. By diversifying the shape of the front design step 71, the variations in the light pattern when lit can be increased, and the sparkling effect when not lit can be further enhanced.

[0045] In the present invention, the configuration of the reflector, light guide, light source, and decorative lens constituting the side marker lamp may be changed as appropriate. In particular, the shape and arrangement of each step of the light guide step and the reflector step of the reflector can be designed as appropriate, as long as the configuration causes light incident from one end to emit light with substantially uniform brightness at that end and light to emit light with lower brightness at the other end.

[0046] The above embodiments show an example of a side marker lamp applied to the fixed-side lamp FRL of an automobile CAR as shown in Figure 1, but the same can be applied to the left-side side marker lamp, except that the left and right sides have a symmetrical configuration. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to side marker lamps, but can also be applied to various lamps equipped on vehicles, including automobiles. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 1 Lamp housing 2 Taillights (TL) 3. Side marker lamps (SML) 4. Reflector (unit body) 5. Light guide 6 light source 7. Design lenses 8 Extensions 41 Light reflective surface 42 Reflector Steps 51 Light guide section 56 Light guide step 62 LED 71 Front design step 72 Rear design step 81 Opening window

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising a light source, a light guide extending to a required length, through which light from the light source is incident from one end toward the other end, and a reflector disposed on the back side of the light guide for reflecting the light emitted from the light guide toward the light guide, wherein the light guide comprises a plurality of light guide steps that emit the guided light toward the reflector, the reflector comprises a plurality of reflector steps that reflect light, the plurality of light guide steps are arranged along the extending direction of the light guide, and the light guide steps provided on the one end side of the plurality of light guide steps are configured to have a higher reflection efficiency of the light reflected toward the reflector than the light guide steps provided on the other end side.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light guide step is composed of a recess disposed on the front surface of the light guide, and the internal dimensions and depth of the recess on one end of the light guide are formed to be larger than the internal dimensions and depth of the recess on the other end.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the reflector extends along the light guide, the plurality of reflector steps are arranged along the extension direction of the reflector, and the reflector step on one end is configured to have a higher light reflection efficiency than the reflector step on the other end.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the reflector step has a cross-section that is shaped like a sawtooth, which reflects a portion of the light emitted from the light guide toward one end of the light guide.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is positioned close to the rear surface of the light guide in the region on one end side and is arranged at a larger distance in the region on the other end side than on the one end side.

6. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a design lens is disposed on the front side of the light guide that transmits and emits light emitted from the light guide, and a design step is formed on at least one of the front or rear surface of the design lens that refracts the transmitted light to form a desired light pattern.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the design step comprises a front design step and a rear design step formed on the front and rear surfaces of the design lens, respectively, and a desired light pattern is formed by refracting light refracted by the rear design step and then refracting it by the front design step.

8. A vehicle lamp comprising a light source, a light guide extending to a required length, through which light from the light source is incident from one end toward the other end, a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light guide toward the light guide, and a design lens that emits the light reflected by the reflector and transmitted through the light guide as a required light pattern, wherein the design lens is configured as a light-emitting surface, and when lit, the light-emitting surface has a uniform brightness in a predetermined area on one end, and the brightness gradually decreases in the area toward the other end from this predetermined area.

9. A vehicle light fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is mounted on the side of the body of an automobile and configured as a side marker lamp that emits light at least toward the side of the automobile.

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