Vehicle lighting

Abstract

Maintain a good appearance even when the lights are off. [Solution] The vehicle light fixture includes a first light guide that emits light from a first surface, and a second light guide positioned adjacent to the first light guide and emitting light from a second surface, wherein the second light guide has an end that overlaps with the end of the first light guide when viewed from a frontal direction facing the first and second light guides.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp.

Background Art

[0002] In general, a vehicular lamp such as a vehicle headlight unit is provided with a plurality of lamps having different functions, including not only a headlamp that illuminates the front of the vehicle, but also a Daytime Running Lamp (DRL), a Clearance Lamp (CLL), and the like. These lamps may be configured by combining a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a light guide body that propagates light from the light source to emit light, for example.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when a vehicular lamp is provided with a plurality of lamps having different functions, a plurality of light guide bodies may be arranged side by side in order to obtain light emission with different shapes depending on the function. That is, for example, in order to distinguish a daytime running lamp, a clearance lamp, a turn indicator and the like provided in a headlight unit by the shape and color of light emission, a plurality of light guide bodies may be arranged side by side vertically or horizontally when viewed from the front of the vehicle. By arranging a plurality of light guide bodies side by side in this manner, and lighting all the light guide bodies at the same time or lighting only some of the light guide bodies, light emission regions with different shapes can be obtained, and a plurality of lamps with different functions can be realized.

[0005] However, when multiple light guides are arranged side by side, there is a problem in that the appearance is poor when none of the light guides are lit. Specifically, the gaps between the multiple light guides arranged side by side appear as dark streaks from the outside, and the overall sense of unity is lost due to the contrast with the relatively bright light guide parts.

[0006] The technology disclosed herein has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a vehicle lighting device that can maintain a good appearance even when not illuminated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle light fixture includes a first light guide that emits light from a first surface, and a second light guide that is positioned adjacent to the first light guide and emits light from a second surface, wherein the second light guide has an end that overlaps with the end of the first light guide when viewed from a frontal direction facing the first and second light guides. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the technology disclosed herein, the appearance can be maintained in good condition even when the lights are not on. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the configuration of a headlight unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the relative positions of the light guides. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the section along line II. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a specific example of the cross-sectional shape of the front surface of the light guide. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiment described below is illustrative and should not be interpreted as limiting.

[0011] Figure 1 shows the configuration of a headlight unit 100 according to one embodiment. The headlight unit 100 shown in Figure 1 is a vehicle light fixture installed on the front of a vehicle such as an automobile. By emitting light toward the front of the vehicle, the headlight unit 100 can ensure the driver's forward visibility and alert third parties located in front of the vehicle.

[0012] In this embodiment, "front" refers to the direction of the vehicle moving forward, and "rear" refers to the direction of the vehicle moving backward. Also, "left and right" refers to the left and right directions as seen from the driver's perspective, and "up and down" refers to the up and down directions of the vehicle.

[0013] The headlight unit 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a headlamp 110, a first light guide 120, and a second light guide 130 as light-emitting elements.

[0014] The headlamp 110 is the main light-emitting element that occupies a large area of ​​the headlight unit 100, and illuminates the front of the vehicle to ensure the driver's forward visibility, for example, when the surroundings are dark, such as at night or when driving through a tunnel.

[0015] The first light guide 120 is a rod-shaped light guide that extends horizontally below the headlamp 110. It propagates light from a light source connected to one end to the other end, illuminating it forward and emitting light with its front surface as a light-emitting area.

[0016] The second light guide 130 is a planar light guide provided adjacent to the upper end of the first light guide 120. It propagates light from a light source connected to one end to the other end, illuminating it forward and emitting light with its front surface acting as a light-emitting region.

[0017] The first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 change the shape of the light emitting region by being lit simultaneously or only one of them being lit, thereby realizing a plurality of functions such as a daytime running lamp, a clearance lamp, and a turn indicator.

[0018] Further, when viewed from the front direction directly facing the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130, the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 partially overlap at their adjacent portions, so that the gap between the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 is not visible from the front direction. Therefore, even when both the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 are not lit, the boundary between the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 is not conspicuous, and the appearance of the headlight unit 100 can be kept favorable. The structure of the adjacent portion where the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 are adjacent to each other will be described in detail later.

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130. As shown in Figure 2, the first light source module 140 is connected to one end portion (the left end facing the paper surface in Figure 2) of the first light guide 120, and the second light source module 150 is connected to one end portion (the upper end in Figure 2) of the second light guide 130.

[0020] The first light guide 120 as a whole extends in the left-right direction from one end portion where light from the light source of the first light source module 140 enters to the other end portion. The second light guide 130 as a whole extends in the up-down direction from one end portion where light from the light source of the second light source module 150 enters to the other end portion. Accordingly, the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 are adjacent to each other such that their extending directions intersect at their respective other end portions.

[0021] The first light source module 140 includes a light source such as an LED on the front surface facing the first light guide 120, and includes a heat sink 141 on the rear surface that dissipates heat generated by the LED. At one end of the first light guide 120, a base portion 120a is formed, the end face of which faces the LED on the front surface of the first light source module 140 and which rises relative to the front surface of the first light source module 140, and a light emitting portion 120b that is bent from the base portion 120a and extends in the left-right direction continues to the other end of the first light guide 120.

[0022] The base portion 120a propagates the light generated in the first light source module 140 and guides it to the light emitting portion 120b.

[0023] The light emitting portion 120b has a rod shape with a side surface having a substantially circular cross section, and while propagating the light guided by the base portion 120a, mainly causes the front surface, which is the front curved surface of the side surfaces, to emit light.

[0024] With such a configuration, the first light guide 120 propagates the light of the LED included in the first light source module 140 from one end to the other end, causes the front surface of the light emitting portion 120b to emit light, and irradiates the light forward.

[0025] Note that the base portion 120a of the first light guide 120 may have, for example, two light guide paths corresponding to two LEDs with different emission colors, and the end faces of these two light guide paths face the respective LEDs, so that light of different colors can be guided to the light emitting portion 120b. In this case, the two light guide paths merge at the connection portion with the light emitting portion 120b, and guide light incident from either one of the two LEDs to the light emitting portion 120b. Then, the light emitting portion 120b emits light with the light from either one of the two LEDs. Thereby, one light emitting portion 120b can be caused to emit light with a plurality of light beams of different colors.

[0026] On the other hand, the second light source module 150 has a light source, such as an LED, on its front surface facing the second light guide 130, and a heat sink 151 on its rear surface to dissipate the heat generated from the LED. At one end of the second light guide 130, a rod-shaped base 130a is formed, with its end face facing the LED on the front surface of the second light source module 150, and it rises and bends relative to the front surface of the second light source module 150. A light-emitting section 130b, which has an upper end connected to the base 130a and a front surface that widens as it goes downwards, continues to the other end of the second light guide 130.

[0027] The base portion 130a propagates the light generated in the second light source module 150 and guides it to the light-emitting portion 130b.

[0028] The light-emitting section 130b is plate-shaped, with its front surface becoming wider from top to bottom. It propagates the light guided by the base section 130a from top to bottom, primarily emitting light from its front surface.

[0029] With this configuration, the second light guide 130 propagates the light from the LEDs of the second light source module 150 from one end to the other, causing the front surface of the light-emitting section 130b to emit light and project light forward.

[0030] The other end of the first light guide 120 and the other end of the second light guide 130 are adjacent in the vertical direction. In other words, the upper end of the light-emitting portion 120b of the first light guide 120 and the lower end of the light-emitting portion 130b of the second light guide 130 are adjacent. When this adjacent portion is viewed from the front, the front surfaces of the light-emitting portion 120b and the front surfaces of the light-emitting portion 130b partially overlap, so no gap is formed between the light-emitting portion 120b and the light-emitting portion 130b. That is, the height of the lower end of the light-emitting portion 130b is equal to the height of the upper end of the light-emitting portion 120b, or equal to the height of a point below the upper end of the light-emitting portion 120b, so no gap is visible between the light-emitting portion 120b and the light-emitting portion 130b when viewed from the front.

[0031] Next, the structure of the adjacent portion between the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cross-section along line II in Figure 2.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the cross-section of the light-emitting portion 120b of the first light guide 120 is substantially circular, with the front surface 121 facing the front of the vehicle forming the light-emitting region. The rear surface 122 facing the rear of the vehicle is equipped with a prism 123 that reflects the light propagating within the light-emitting portion 120b, and the light reflected by the prism 123 is projected forward from the front surface 121.

[0033] The upper part of the front surface 121 is an opposing surface 124 that faces the light-emitting portion 130b of the second light guide 130. When viewed from the front, the opposing surface 124 overlaps with the light-emitting portion 130b of the second light guide 130 in a portion of the area up to the upper end 121a of the front surface 121.

[0034] On the other hand, the cross-section of the light-emitting portion 130b of the second light guide 130 has a roughly rectangular shape, and the front surface 131 facing the front of the vehicle forms the light-emitting region. The front surface 131 protrudes forward as it goes from top to bottom, but the lower end 131a of the front surface 131 is located behind the front end of the light-emitting portion 120b. Furthermore, a curved surface 131b that is convex forward is formed in the lower part of the front surface 131 leading to the lower end 131a, and the curved surface 131b is a curved surface that is smoothly continuous with the front surface 121 of the light-emitting portion 120b. As a result, the front surfaces 121 and 131 of the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130, which are the design surfaces, have a curved shape that gives a sense of unity as a whole.

[0035] The lower end 131a of the front surface 131 of the light-emitting section 130b is located below the upper end 121a of the front surface 121 of the light-emitting section 120b. When viewed from the front (left in Figure 3), the end of the front surface 131, including the lower end 131a, overlaps with the end of the front surface 121, including the upper end 121a. Here, we have assumed that the lower end 131a of the front surface 131 is located below the upper end 121a of the front surface 121, but the lower end 131a of the front surface 131 may be at the same height as the upper end 121a of the front surface 121. In short, it is sufficient that the height h1 of the lower end 131a of the front surface 131, with the height of the upper end 121a of the light-emitting section 120b as the reference, is 0 or greater. In this case, when viewed from the front, the lower end of the front surface 131 overlaps with the upper end of the front surface 121.

[0036] In this way, since the front surface 121 of the adjacent light-emitting section 120b and the front surface 131 of the light-emitting section 130b partially overlap when viewed from the front, the gap between the light-emitting section 120b and the light-emitting section 130b is not visible from the front, and the appearance can be maintained well even when the light-emitting sections 120b and 130b are not illuminated.

[0037] Furthermore, it is preferable that the height h1 of the lower end 131a of the front surface 131 is 0 or greater and smaller than a predetermined value. Specifically, for example, it is preferable that the height h1 is smaller than the height to the upper end of the prism 123. By making h1 a small value in this way, the overlap width between the front surface 121 and the front surface 131 can be reduced, and the area of ​​the front surface 121, which is the design surface of the light-emitting part 120b, that is covered by the front surface 131 can be minimized.

[0038] The rear surface 132 of the light-emitting unit 130b, which faces the rear of the vehicle, is equipped with a prism (not shown) that reflects light propagating within the light-emitting unit 130b, and the light reflected by this prism is projected forward from the front surface 131. The lower end 132a of the rear surface 132 is located above the upper end 121a of the front surface 121 of the light-emitting unit 120b, and a gap is formed between the rear surface 122 of the light-emitting unit 120b and the rear surface 132 of the light-emitting unit 130b. That is, the height h2 of the lower end 132a of the rear surface 132, with upward direction being positive, is greater than 0, and the rear surfaces 122 and 132 do not overlap when viewed from the front. Therefore, it is possible to suppress light propagating within the light-emitting section 130b from leaking into the light-emitting section 120b, and to prevent interference between the first light guide 120 and the second light guide 130 during assembly.

[0039] Between the lower end 131a of the front surface 131 and the lower end 132a of the rear surface 132, there is an opposing surface 133 that faces the light-emitting section 120b. The opposing surface 133 is a concave curved surface that is approximately parallel to the opposing surface 124. In other words, the radius of curvature of the opposing surface 133 is approximately equal to the radius of curvature of the opposing surface 124 of the light-emitting section 120b, and the opposing surface 133 and the opposing surface 124 face each other at a predetermined distance apart. Because the opposing surface 133 is a concave curved surface, the light propagating within the light-emitting section 130b is diffused at the opposing surface 133, and leakage into the light-emitting section 120b can be suppressed.

[0040] As described above, according to this embodiment, when viewed from the front, the front end of one light guide overlaps with the front end of the other light guide at the adjacent portion of two light guides arranged side by side. Therefore, the gap between the two light guides is not visible from the front, and even when neither light guide is illuminated, the boundary between the light guides is not noticeable, thus maintaining a good appearance for the vehicle lighting fixture.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the front surface 131 of the light-emitting portion 130b of the second light guide 130 has a shape that widens from the upper end to the lower end 131a. As a result, the distance from the light source differs at both ends in the width direction of the lower end 131a of the front surface 131, and the light emission intensity may not be uniform. Therefore, the curvature of the curved surface 131b formed below the front surface 131 may be changed according to its position in the width direction.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, for example, the curvature of the surface 131b closer to the light source and the surface 131b further away from the light source may differ below the front surface 131. In Figure 4, the II-II cross section shows the curvature of the surface 131b closer to the light source, and the III-III cross section shows the curvature of the surface 131b further away from the light source. As shown in these figures, the surface 131b closer to the light source (II-II cross section) is more curved (has a smaller radius of curvature) than the surface 131b further away from the light source (III-III cross section). By doing this, light diffusion is increased on the surface 131b closer to the light source, while light diffusion is reduced on the surface 131b further away from the light source, making the light emission intensity uniform across the width of the front surface 131.

[0043] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described using a headlight unit 100 provided at the front of the vehicle body as an example, the technology disclosed herein can also be applied to vehicle lighting fixtures other than the headlight unit 100. That is, for example, in a vehicle lighting fixture provided at the rear of the vehicle body, if two light guides are arranged adjacent to each other, the end of one light guide should overlap the end of the other light guide when viewed from the rear, which is the front direction. Even in this case, the gap between the two light guides is not visible from the rear, which is the front direction, and the boundary between the light guides is not noticeable even when both light guides are not lit, thus maintaining a good appearance for the vehicle lighting fixture. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 100 Headlight Unit 110 Headlights 120 1st light guide 120a, 130a base 120b, 130b light-emitting section 121, 131 front 122, 132 rear 123 Prism 124 Opposing surfaces 130 Second light guide 133 Opposing surfaces 140 First Light Source Module 150 Second Light Source Module

Claims

1. A first light guide that irradiates light from the first surface, It comprises a second light guide positioned adjacent to the first light guide and irradiating light from a second surface, The second light guide is The first and second light guides have an end that overlaps with the end of the first light guide when viewed from a frontal direction facing the first and second light guides. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

2. The second light guide is It is positioned adjacent to the upper part of the first light guide and, when viewed from the front, the lower end of the second surface overlaps with the upper end of the first surface. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

3. The first light guide is It is a rod-shaped object with sides that have a roughly circular cross-section. The second light guide is It is positioned adjacent to the side surface of the first light guide and has an opposing surface facing the side surface, The aforementioned opposing surface is, It is a concave surface having a radius of curvature that is approximately equal to the radius of curvature of the aforementioned side surface. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

4. The second light guide is When viewed from the front, one end of the opposing surface overlaps with the end of the first surface. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 3.

5. The second light guide is When viewed from the front, the other end of the opposing surface is spaced apart from the end of the first light guide. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 3.

6. The first surface is, Formed on a part of the aforementioned side surface, The second aspect is, Having a curved surface having a shape continuous with the first surface The vehicle light fixture according to claim 3.

7. The aforementioned curved surface is The curvature of the second surface differs depending on its position in the width direction. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 6.

8. The aforementioned curved surface is At a second position closer to the light source than the first position in the width direction of the second surface, the curved shape is more pronounced than at the first position. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 7.

9. A first light source is positioned near one end of the first light guide and generates light, The second light guide is further comprising a second light source that is positioned near one end of the second light guide and generates light, The first light guide is The light generated in the first light source is propagated to the other end while being irradiated from the first surface, The second light guide is The light generated in the second light source is propagated to the other end while being irradiated from the second surface, The first light guide and the second light guide are Adjacent to each other so that the extension direction intersects at the other end. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

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