LED bulbs optimized for light distribution in vehicle fog lights

Abstract

This product provides a replacement LED bulb that maintains the same light distribution characteristics as the original, even when using a replacement LED chip whose vertical light-emitting section width is larger than that of the original fog lamp LED chip. [Solution] This invention comprises a mounting flange 14, a bulb body supported by the flange, and a replacement LED chip 11 mounted on the body. When the mounting position of the original chip, defined with respect to the mounting flange, is used as the reference mounting position, the replacement LED chip is formed to have a larger vertical width of the light-emitting part than the original LED bulb, and is positioned with a predetermined displacement vertically upward from the reference mounting position relative to the positioning support part 12, thereby achieving both high brightness and light distribution characteristics equivalent to the original LED bulb.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a replaceable LED bulb to be mounted on a vehicle fog lamp, and particularly to a replaceable LED bulb having a structure capable of maintaining light distribution characteristics equivalent to those of an original equipment even when an LED chip having a different light source size is used with respect to the original equipment fog lamp.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to increase the brightness of the light source of a vehicle fog lamp, a replaceable LED bulb provided with an LED chip having a larger light emitting area than an original equipment LED chip has been proposed. However, if an LED chip having a large vertical width of the light emitting part is simply arranged at the position of the original equipment fog lamp in order to increase the light emission amount, there is a problem that the optical relationship with the lens is disrupted and a shift upward of the cut-off line and light distribution disturbance occur. Particularly in a fog lamp, since light distribution control is strict, changing the vertical width of the LED chip causes glare to an oncoming vehicle and a decrease in irradiation performance.

[0003] Regarding the problem of preventing glare to an oncoming vehicle, in Patent Document 1, a structure for solving the glare in a headlamp using an LED bulb by scattering or widening the irradiation light distribution is described.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, no solution is provided for fog lights. In particular, fog lights have the problem that, due to the strict control of light distribution, increasing the light output increases the width of the LED chip, which can cause glare for oncoming vehicles and reduce illumination performance.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for replacement LED bulbs that can maintain substantially the same light distribution characteristics as genuine fog lamps, even when using LED chips with a larger vertical width of the light-emitting portion than the genuine LED chips.

[0007] This invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and provides a replacement LED bulb that is equipped with a wide LED chip with high light output, and has a structure that maintains light output while having the same effect as genuine fog lamps in preventing glare from oncoming vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, a replacement LED bulb for a vehicle fog lamp is a replacement LED bulb to be mounted in a vehicle fog lamp, comprising: a mounting flange; a bulb body supported by the mounting flange; a stepped portion formed on the bulb body to support a replacement LED chip; a positioning support portion formed to be in contact with the lens unit of the vehicle fog lamp; and an LED chip supported by the stepped portion and the positioning support portion, wherein, when the mounting position of the genuine fog lamp LED chip defined with respect to the mounting flange is taken as the reference mounting position, the replacement LED chip is formed so that the vertical width of its light-emitting portion is larger than the vertical width of the light-emitting portion of the genuine fog lamp LED chip, and is positioned at a location displaced by a predetermined amount vertically upward from the mounting reference position relative to the positioning support portion, so that the light-emitting center of the replacement LED chip is displaced by the predetermined amount from the light-emitting center position of the genuine fog lamp LED chip. (Claim 1)

[0009] Furthermore, the amount of vertical upward displacement of the replacement LED bulb for vehicle fog lamps described in claim 1 is equivalent to half the difference between the vertical width of the replacement LED chip and the vertical width of the original fog lamp LED chip. (Claim 2)

[0010] The displacement of the replacement LED bulb for a vehicle fog lamp according to claim 1 or claim 2 is such that the vertical width of the LED chip for the genuine fog lamp is 1.2 mm, the vertical width of the replacement LED chip is 2.0 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, and the displacement is 0.4 mm or more and 1.9 mm or less. (Claim 3)

[0011] The replacement LED bulb for a vehicle fog lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3 has a stepped portion for maintaining the LED chip and a positioning support portion for restricting the vertical upward displacement position of the LED chip. (Claim 4)

[0012] The replacement LED bulb for a vehicle fog lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4 has a configuration in which the light-emitting center of the replacement LED chip is displaced by a predetermined amount from the light-emitting center position of the genuine fog lamp LED chip. (Claim 5) [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to this invention, even when using LED chips with enlarged light-emitting dimensions, the same cutoff characteristics as when using genuine bulbs can be maintained without changing the light distribution design of the fog lamp. Furthermore, the structure, which combines a stepped section and a positioning support section, allows for the reproduction of a predetermined light source position simply by assembly, without the need for optical adjustment. As a result, it has the effect of simultaneously achieving high brightness, maintaining mounting compatibility, and ensuring light distribution quality. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing the arrangement of LED chips, positioning support parts, mounting flanges, etc. [Figure 2]It is a perspective view showing a valve upper structure including a stepped portion and a waterproof packing. [Figure 3] It is a view showing the external appearance structure of a heat sink portion and a valve body. [Figure 4] It is a view showing a support structure by a stepped portion and a positioning support portion. [Figure 5] It is an explanatory view of an attachment state showing the relationship with a vehicle-side valve insertion portion. [Figure 6] It is an external view showing a fog lamp mounting state. [Figure 7] It is a view showing the irradiation light of a fog lamp equipped with an original LED lamp. [Figure 8] It is a view showing the irradiation light of a fog lamp equipped with an LED chip with a large light quantity adjusted to the height of an original LED fog lamp. [Figure 9] It is a view showing the irradiation light of a fog lamp equipped with the product of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the arrangement of an LED chip, a positioning support portion, a mounting flange, etc. according to an embodiment of the present invention. And FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a valve upper structure including a stepped portion and a waterproof packing, which is the structure of a light distribution optimization LED valve for a replacement vehicle fog lamp according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view showing the external appearance structure of a heat sink portion and a valve body, which is the structure of a replacement LED valve according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view showing a support structure by a stepped portion and a positioning support portion, which is the structure of a replacement LED valve according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of an attachment state showing the relationship between the replacement LED valve according to the present invention and a vehicle-side valve insertion portion. FIG. 6 is an external view showing a state where the replacement LED valve according to the present invention is mounted on a fog lamp. FIGS. 7 to 9 are views comparing the irradiation angles with an original valve in an embodiment of the replacement LED valve according to the present invention.

[0016] The replaceable LED bulb 1 for a vehicle fog lamp according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

[0017] The replaceable LED bulb 1 of this embodiment includes a mounting flange 14, a bulb body 10 supported by the mounting flange 14, and an LED chip 11 placed on an LED substrate 13 mounted on the bulb body 10.

[0018] The mounting flange 14 is a reference member to be mounted on a vehicle fog lamp unit, and a reference surface 141 is formed on one surface thereof. This reference surface 141 functions as a reference for defining the mounting position of an original fog lamp LED chip.

[0019] In this embodiment, while the vertical width of the light-emitting portion of the original fog lamp LED chip is 1.2 mm, the vertical width of the light-emitting portion of the replaceable LED chip 11 is set to 3.0 mm.

[0020] Therefore, when the replaceable LED chip is directly placed at the original mounting position, it is confirmed that the light-emitting center 111 is located at the same height as the light-emitting center of the original bulb, and the upper end position of the light distribution is shifted upward.

[0021] Therefore, in this embodiment, the replaceable LED chip is arranged at a position displaced 0.9 mm in the vertically upward direction with respect to the largest positioning support portion among the positioning support portions 12. This displacement amount corresponds to half of the difference (1.8 mm) between the vertical width of the replaceable LED chip 11 and the vertical width of the original LED chip.

[0022] The displacement is realized by a stepped portion (see FIG. 3) formed on the bulb body 10. The stepped portion has a support surface for placing the LED substrate 13, and the light-emitting center of the LED chip 11 is defined by the support surface.

[0023] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a positioning support portion 12 is formed on the mounting flange 14, and the positioning support portion 12 is configured to abut against the fog lamp lens unit 19.

[0024] With the above configuration, this embodiment simultaneously achieves (1) high brightness, (2) alignment of the optical axis distance, and (3) restriction of the orientation of the light-emitting surface.

[0025] Next, to confirm the effectiveness of this embodiment, a light distribution comparison test was conducted with the genuine bulb and the comparative example.

[0026] For the test, the fog lamp was installed at a height of 54.0 cm from the ground, and the distance to the wall was set to 3.0 m.

[0027] When using the original LED chip (Figure 7), the height of the upper illumination edge W was 46.0 cm.

[0028] On the other hand, in a comparative example (Figure 8) where a replacement LED chip with a vertical width of 3.0 mm was placed in the position of the original LED chip, the height of the upper edge W of the illumination became 75.0 cm, resulting in a significant upward shift in the cutoff line.

[0029] In contrast, in this embodiment (Figure 9), as a result of correcting the light emission center position as described above, the height of the upper irradiation edge W became 54.5 cm, and light distribution characteristics substantially equivalent to those of the genuine bulb were obtained.

[0030] From these results, it was confirmed that even when using an LED chip with an enlarged vertical light-emitting section, the light distribution characteristics can be maintained by shifting the position of the light-emitting center by a predetermined amount from the light-emitting center of the original bulb.

[0031] Furthermore, the displacement of the light-emitting center in this invention compensates for the movement of the upper edge of the light distribution due to the expansion of the vertical width of the light-emitting part. By appropriately setting the amount of this displacement, it is possible to substantially match the cutoff line of the fog lamp to that of the original equipment.

[0032] Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, a predetermined light source position can be reproduced solely by mechanical positional control using the stepped portion and positioning support portion, thus eliminating the need for optical adjustment and enabling stable light distribution performance.

[0033] It goes without saying that this invention can be applied and implemented in various ways without departing from the scope of the utility model registration claims. [Industrial applicability]

[0034] This invention can be used as a replacement LED bulb that can be installed in existing vehicle fog lamp units without any structural modifications, thus enabling mass production and distribution in the automotive aftermarket. In particular, it has industrial value as a safety-compliant replacement bulb because it can structurally solve the upward light leakage and glare problems that occur in high-power LED chips, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 1: LED bulb 10: LED bulb body 11: LED chip 111: Emission center 12: Positioning support section 13: LED board 14: Mounting flange (base) 141: Mounting flange (base) reference surface 142: Valve body insertion section 15: Waterproof gasket 16: Heatsink section 17: Outer circumference of the lens insertion area 18: Power wiring 19: Fog lens unit 191: Positioning opening 20: LED bulb insertion section

Claims

1. A replacement LED bulb for use in vehicle fog lights, Mounting flange and The valve body supported by the aforementioned mounting flange and A stepped portion formed on the bulb body to support a replacement LED chip, A positioning support portion formed to be able to contact the lens unit of the aforementioned vehicle fog lamp, The LED chip is supported by the stepped portion and the positioning support portion, Equipped with, When the mounting position of the genuine fog lamp LED chip, defined with respect to the aforementioned mounting flange, is taken as the reference mounting position, The aforementioned replacement LED chip is formed such that the vertical width of its light-emitting portion is larger than the vertical width of the light-emitting portion of the aforementioned genuine fog lamp LED chip, The LED chip is positioned at a predetermined distance vertically upward from the positioning support, thereby configuring the light-emitting center of the replacement LED chip to be displaced vertically upward by the predetermined distance from the light-emitting center position of the original fog lamp LED chip. Features of replacement LED bulbs for vehicle fog lights

2. The replacement LED bulb for a vehicle fog lamp according to claim 1, wherein the amount of vertical displacement is equivalent to half the difference between the vertical width of the replacement LED chip and the vertical width of the original fog lamp LED chip.

3. The vertical width of the aforementioned genuine fog lamp LED chip is 1.2 mm. The vertical width of the aforementioned replacement LED chip is 2.0 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less. The displacement is 0.4 mm or more and 1.9 mm or less. Replacement LED bulb for vehicle fog lamps according to claim 1 or claim 2

4. The stepped portion has a support surface on which the replacement LED chip is placed. A replacement LED bulb for a vehicle fog lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the position and orientation of the support surface define the position of the light-emitting center and the orientation of the light-emitting surface of the LED chip, and the positioning support portion has a structure that defines the optical axis distance between the light-emitting center of the LED chip and the lens unit by contact with the lens unit.

5. The positioning support portion has a contact surface that contacts the reference surface of the lens unit, and the light-emitting center position of the LED chip, defined with respect to the contact surface, is configured to be displaced by a predetermined amount from the light-emitting center position of the genuine fog lamp LED chip. Replacement LED bulb for vehicle fog lamps according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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