Vehicle light emitting device

Abstract

To provide a light emitting device for a vehicle capable of reducing its size.SOLUTION: A light emitting device 10 for a vehicle has a light source 11, an outer lens 30 provided in front of a traveling direction of light emitted from the light source 11, and a bezel 20 having a surface 23a provided alongside the outer lens 30. The outer lens 30 has a protrusion part 32 that protrudes from a surface 23a. The projection part 32 has a first emission surface 33 that emits light emitted from the light source 11 toward the surface 23a. The surface 23a has a pseudo-light emitting unit 24 that emits pseudo-light by diffusely reflecting the light emitted from the first emission surface 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light emitting device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a fender part equipped with a vehicle indicator light (hereinafter, indicator light). The fender component is provided with an exhaust port and a fin portion that straightens the exhaust air from the exhaust port.

[0003] The fin part has a base part that is attached to the fender part and a cover part that is attached to the base part and forms the design surface. A light-emitting part consisting of an LED or a light bulb is built into the base part. The cover part is made of a transparent body or a colored transparent body.

[0004] According to such a fender component, the cover portion emits light in response to the light emitted from the light emitting portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-264677 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, in conventional light-emitting devices including the indicator lamp described in Patent Document 1, a light-emitting unit made of an LED or a light bulb is disposed on the back side of the cover to make the cover emit light, which poses a problem that the size of the light-emitting device tends to become large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle lighting device for solving the above problems comprises a light source, an outer lens arranged forward in the direction of travel of light emitted from the light source, and a bezel having a design surface arranged alongside the outer lens, wherein the outer lens has a protrusion that protrudes beyond the design surface, and the protrusion has an exit surface that emits light emitted from the light source toward the design surface, and the design surface has a pseudo-light-emitting portion that emits pseudo-light by diffusing and reflecting the light emitted from the exit surface.

[0008] According to this configuration, light emitted from the light source is incident on the outer lens. The light that has passed through the outer lens is emitted from the emission surface toward the design surface of the bezel. The light is diffusely reflected by the pseudo light-emitting portion provided on the design surface, causing the pseudo light-emitting portion to emit pseudo light. This makes the pseudo light-emitting portion appear as if it is emitting light.

[0009] In addition, with the above configuration, the device can be made smaller than the conventional configuration in which light is emitted from a light source arranged on the back side of the light-emitting part of the design surface toward the light-emitting part, since the configuration on the back side of the design surface is no longer necessary.

[0010] In the above light emitting device for a vehicle, it is preferable that a light guide having a rough surface that scatters the light emitted from the light source is provided between the light source and the outer lens. According to this configuration, light emitted from the light source enters the light guide. The light that enters the light guide is scattered by the rough surface of the light guide as it passes through the light guide. This causes the entire outer lens to emit light. Therefore, even when a point light source is used as the light source, it is possible to prevent the light source from appearing as a point light, and it is also possible to reduce the number of light sources.

[0011] Furthermore, with the above-described configuration, the entire pseudo light-emitting portion can be made to emit pseudo light in an optimal manner by the light emitted from the emission surface of the outer lens. In the above-mentioned vehicle light emitting device, when the exit surface is a first exit surface, it is preferable that the protrusion has a tip and a second exit surface that is provided on the opposite side of the tip from the first exit surface and that emits light emitted from the light source in a direction different from that of the first exit surface.

[0012] According to this configuration, the light transmitted through the outer lens is emitted from the second exit surface in a direction different from that of the first exit surface. This allows the outer lens itself to emit a large amount of light, thereby improving visibility and design.

[0013] In the above-mentioned vehicle light-emitting device, the bezel has a bezel main body having the design surface, and a storage section that opens toward the outer lens and stores the light source inside, and it is preferable that the peripheral portion of the outer lens is joined to the opening periphery of the storage section, and that the storage section is formed integrally with the bezel main body.

[0014] According to this configuration, the housing portion for housing the light source is formed integrally with the bezel body, which makes it possible to reduce the number of parts of the light emitting device. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, the device can be made smaller. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a light emitting device for a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the vehicular light emitting device of FIG. 1 in a lit-up state at night. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a light emitting device for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle is referred to as the front-to-rear direction X, and the front and rear in the front-to-rear direction X will be simply referred to as the front and rear. The vehicle width direction of the vehicle is referred to as the vehicle width direction Y, and the right and left sides in the vehicle width direction Y when looking forward from the rear of the vehicle will be simply referred to as the right and left. The up-down direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane is referred to as the up-down direction Z, and the upper side and lower side in the up-down direction Z will be simply referred to as the upper side and lower side.

[0018] <Light emitting device for vehicle 10> As shown in FIG. 1, a light emitting device 10 for a vehicle (hereinafter, light emitting device 10) is attached to an exterior part of a vehicle and emits light toward the outside of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the light emitting device 10 is attached to a front bumper 90 provided at the front end of the vehicle. More specifically, the front bumper 90 has an opening 91 that opens forward. The openings 91 are provided at both ends of the front bumper 90 in the vehicle width direction Y. The light emitting device 10 is attached to each of the openings 91 and covers the entire openings 91. Note that FIG. 1 shows only the right light emitting device 10. The left light emitting device 10 is symmetrical to the right light emitting device 10 with respect to a virtual plane extending in both the front-rear direction X and the up-down direction Z. Therefore, hereinafter, only the right light emitting device 10 will be described, and a description of the left light emitting device 10 will be omitted.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the light emitting device 10 includes a light source unit 10A and a bezel 20. The .... The light source unit 10A includes a light source 11, a substrate 12, an outer lens 30, and an inner lens .

[0020] The light sources 11 are, for example, LEDs. In this embodiment, four light sources 11 are provided at intervals on a long plate-like base material 12 extending in the up-down direction Z (see FIG. 2). Each component will be described in detail below.

[0021] <Bezel 20> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the bezel 20 has a housing portion to which the light source unit 10A is attached, and a frame-shaped bezel main body 20A for attaching the light source unit 10A to the opening 91 via the housing portion .

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the storage section 21 is a case member that stores the light source 11 therein, and has a bottom wall 21a that is rectangular in plan view, and a peripheral wall 21b that rises from the periphery of the bottom wall 21a and forms an opening 21c.

[0023] The base material 12 is fixed to the bottom wall 21a by a screw 81 (see FIG. 2). An outwardly protruding flange portion 21d is provided on the periphery of the opening 21c.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the bezel main body 20A has an opening 22, a flat decorative portion 23, a connecting portion 25 that connects the decorative portion 23 to the accommodating portion 21, and an attachment portion 26 that is attached to the periphery of the opening 91.

[0025] The opening 22 extends in the up-down direction Z (see FIG. 1). The opening 22 is open at a position overlapping with the storage section 21 in the front-rear direction X (see FIG. 3). The decorative portion 23 is adjacent to the opening 22 in the vehicle width direction Y. More specifically, the decorative portion 23 is provided on the left side (the right side in the left-right direction in FIG. 3) of the opening 22. The decorative portion 23 is inclined toward the front in the front-rear direction X (the upper side in the up-down direction in FIG. 3) as it approaches the left side in the vehicle width direction Y (the right side in FIG. 3).

[0026] A plurality of pseudo light-emitting portions 24 are provided on a surface 23a of the decorative portion 23. The pseudo light-emitting portions 24 are arranged at intervals in the up-down direction Z. The surface 23a corresponds to a design surface according to the present invention.

[0027] The pseudo light-emitting portion 24 is composed of a protrusion 24a protruding from the surface 23a and a metal film formed on the protrusion 24a by hot stamping. Note that, in Fig. 3, only the protrusion 24a is shown, and the metal film is not shown.

[0028] 1, the pseudo light-emitting portion 24 has a polygonal shape that is elongated in the vehicle width direction Y. The pseudo light-emitting portion 24 has a tapered shape whose width in the up-down direction Z becomes smaller toward the right side in the vehicle width direction Y (the left side in the left-right direction in FIG. 1).

[0029] 3, the connecting portion 25 bends and extends rearward from the right end (left side in FIG. 3) of the decorative portion 23, and is connected to the flange portion 21d of the storage portion 21. More specifically, the rear end of the connecting portion 25 is connected to the flange portion 21d corresponding to the left side (right side in FIG. 3) of a pair of sides of the opening 21c facing each other in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0030] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the attachment portion 26 extends along the periphery of the opening 91. The attachment portion 26 extends over the entire circumferential direction of the periphery. The attachment portion 26 covers the periphery of the opening 91 from the rear and is joined to the periphery. Note that the opening 22 is formed by a part of the inner periphery of the attachment portion 26 and the front end portion of the connecting portion 25 (see Fig. 3).

[0031] The accommodation portion 21, the decorative portion 23, the connecting portion 25, and the mounting portion 26 are integrally formed from a resin material. <Outer lens 30> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outer lens 30 is a lens that emits light emitted from the light source 11 to the outside of the vehicle, and is provided forward in the traveling direction of the light, more specifically, in front of the light source 11.

[0032] The outer lens 30 extends in the up-down direction Z and covers the opening 21c of the storage section 21 from the front. The outer lens 30 has an opening 31 facing the opening 21c. The periphery of the opening 31 is joined to the flange section 21d of the storage section 21 around the entire periphery. This provides a waterproof seal between the opening 31 of the outer lens 30 and the opening 21c of the storage section 21. The periphery of the opening 31 and the flange section 21d are joined by, for example, ultrasonic welding or vibration welding. The periphery of the opening 31 corresponds to the periphery according to the present invention.

[0033] 3, the outer lens 30 has a protruding portion 32 that protrudes beyond an imaginary plane C extending in the surface direction of the decorative portion 23. The protruding portion 32 protrudes from the imaginary plane C in the same direction as the protruding portion 24a.

[0034] 1 and 3, the protrusion 32 is provided at a position adjacent to the decorative portion 23 of the bezel 20 in the vehicle width direction Y. More specifically, the protrusion 32 is provided so as to be adjacent to the decorative portion 23 with no gap when viewed from the front. In addition, the protrusion 32 is provided with a gap S between it and the inner peripheral edge of the mounting portion 26 that constitutes the opening 22. The gap S is a so-called aerodynamic opening that allows traveling wind from the front to flow into the front bumper 90.

[0035] The protruding portion 32 has a tip 32a extending in the longitudinal direction of the outer lens 30, and a first exit surface 33 and a second exit surface 34 extending obliquely from both the left and right sides of the tip 32a. The first emission surface 33 extends from the tip 32a to the left side (the right side in FIG. 3). That is, the first emission surface 33 is adjacent to the surface 23a of the decorative part 23 in the vehicle width direction Y. The first emission surface 33 is configured to emit the light emitted from the light source 11 toward the surface 23a of the decorative part 23.

[0036] The second exit surface 34 is provided on the opposite side (left side in FIG. 3) to the first exit surface 33 across the tip 32a. The second exit surface 34 is configured to emit the light emitted from the light source 11 in a direction different from that of the first exit surface 33. In this embodiment, the length of the second exit surface 34 in the vehicle width direction Y is greater than the length of the first exit surface 33 in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0037] <Inner Lens 40> 2 and 3, the inner lens 40 controls the light distribution of the light emitted from the light source 11, and is made of a transparent resin material. As the transparent resin material, for example, polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin is preferably used. The inner lens 40 corresponds to the light guide according to the present invention.

[0038] The inner lens 40 is provided between the light source 11 and the outer lens 30. The inner lens 40 extends in the vertical direction Z. The inner lens 40 covers each light source 11 and the entire substrate 12 from the front. The inner lens 40 is fixed to the bottom wall 21a of the housing section 21 by a screw 82 (see FIG. 2).

[0039] The inner lens 40 has an entrance surface 41, a recess 42, a first rough surface 43, and a second rough surface 44. The incident surface 41 faces each of the light sources 11 in the front-rear direction X. The incident surface 41 extends in a wavy shape (see FIG. 2).

[0040] The recess 42 is provided in the center of the inner lens 40 in the front-rear direction X so as to open toward the left side (the right side in FIG. 3) in the vehicle width direction Y. The recess 42 extends over the entire length of the inner lens 40 (see FIG. 2).

[0041] The first rough surface 43 is provided on the inner surface of the recess 42. In detail, the first rough surface 43 is provided on the rear surface of a pair of surfaces facing each other in the front-rear direction X on the inner surface. The second rough surface 44 is provided on a surface of the outer lens 30 facing the inner surface of the protruding portion 32. The second rough surface 44 extends along the inner surface of the protruding portion 32.

[0042] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Light emitted from the light source 11 enters the inner lens 40 from the incident surface 41. Then, the light that entered the inner lens 40 is scattered by the first rough surface 43 and the second rough surface 44 provided in the recess 42 as it passes through the inner lens 40. This causes the light to be incident on the entire protruding portion 32 of the outer lens 30. Then, the light that has passed through the outer lens 30 exits from each of the first exit surface 33 and the second exit surface 34 of the protruding portion 32.

[0043] 4, the light emitted from the first emission surface 33 is emitted toward the surface 23a of the decorative portion 23 of the bezel 20. Then, the light is diffusely reflected by the pseudo light-emitting portion 24 provided on the surface 23a, so that the pseudo light-emitting portion 24 emits pseudo light.

[0044] Furthermore, the light emitted from the second emission surface 34 is emitted in a different direction from the first emission surface 33. This allows the entire outer lens 30 to emit light uniformly. Here, the pseudo light-emitting portion 24 has a tapered shape. Therefore, the light diffusely reflected at the pseudo light-emitting portion 24 appears as if it is being absorbed into the light emitted from the outer lens 30. This expresses the manner in which air flows toward the gap S.

[0045] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) The outer lens 30 has a protruding portion 32 that protrudes beyond the surface 23a of the decorative portion 23. The protruding portion 32 has a first emission surface 33 that emits light emitted from the light source 11 toward the surface 23a. The surface 23a has a pseudo light-emitting portion 24 that emits pseudo light by diffusing and reflecting the light emitted from the first emission surface 33.

[0046] This configuration provides the above-mentioned effects. Therefore, compared to the conventional configuration in which light is emitted from the light source 11 arranged on the rear side of the decorative part 23 toward the decorative part 23, the light emitting device 10 can be made smaller by the amount that the configuration on the rear side of the decorative part 23 is not required.

[0047] (2) Between the light source 11 and the outer lens 30, there is provided the inner lens 40 having the first rough surface 43 and the second rough surface 44 that scatter the light emitted from the light source 11. According to this configuration, light emitted from the light source 11 enters the inner lens 40. The light that enters the inner lens 40 is scattered by the first rough surface 43 and the second rough surface 44 provided on the inner lens 40 as it passes through the inner lens 40. This causes the entire outer lens 30 to emit light. Therefore, even when a point light source is used as the light source 11, it is possible to prevent the light source 11 from appearing as a point light, and it is also possible to reduce the number of light sources 11.

[0048] Furthermore, with the above-described configuration, the light emitted from the first emission surface 33 of the outer lens 30 can be used to suitably emit pseudo light from the entire pseudo light-emitting portion 24 . (3) The protrusion 32 has a tip 32a and a second exit surface 34 that is located on the opposite side of the tip 32a from the first exit surface 33 and that emits light emitted from the light source 11 in a direction different from the first exit surface 33.

[0049] According to this configuration, the light transmitted through the outer lens 30 is emitted from the second emission surface 34 in a direction different from that of the first emission surface 33. This allows the outer lens 30 itself to emit a large amount of light. This can improve visibility and design.

[0050] (4) The bezel 20 has a bezel main body 20A having a decorative portion 23, and a housing portion 21 that opens toward the outer lens 30 and houses the light source 11 therein. The periphery of the opening 31 of the outer lens 30 is joined to a flange portion 21d of the housing portion 21. The housing portion 21 is formed integrally with the bezel main body 20A.

[0051] According to this configuration, the housing portion 21 that houses the light source 11 is formed integrally with the bezel main body 20A, so that the number of parts of the light emitting device 10 can be reduced. <Modification> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

[0052] The light emitting device 10 is not limited to one having the gap S, and the opening 22 of the bezel 20 may be entirely covered by the outer lens 30 . The bezel 20 is not limited to one in which the housing portion 21 and the bezel main body 20A are integrally formed. That is, the housing portion 21 and the bezel main body 20A may be formed as separate bodies.

[0053] The design of the decorative portion 23 is not limited to the one exemplified in this embodiment, and can be changed as desired. In other words, the shape, number, and arrangement of the pseudo light-emitting portions 24 are not limited to the one exemplified in this embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate to match the design. For example, the pseudo light-emitting portion 24 may be a polygonal shape such as a pentagon, or a circular shape. Also, only one pseudo light-emitting portion 24 may be provided on the surface 23a. Also, multiple pseudo light-emitting portions 24 may be arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0054] The outer lens 30 may be such that light from the light source 11 is emitted only from the first emission surface 33. In this case, the light may be prevented from being emitted from the second emission surface 34, for example, by covering the second emission surface 34 with a separate member having low light transmittance.

[0055] The shape of the outer lens 30 can be changed as desired so long as it has the first exit surface 33. For example, the protruding portion 32 may have an exit surface between the first exit surface 33 and the second exit surface 34 that extends in a direction different from the surface direction of either of the exit surfaces. In this case, the shape of the inner lens 40 is not limited to that exemplified in this embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate so that the second rough surface 44 fits along the inner surface of the protruding portion 32.

[0056] The inner lens 40 may be omitted. In this case, it is preferable that the outer lens 30 is made of a diffusing material. The pseudo light-emitting portion 24 is not limited to a metal film formed by hot stamping as illustrated in this embodiment, but may be formed of a metal film by painting, plating such as satin plating, or a wrapping sheet, for example.

[0057] The vehicle light emitting device according to the present invention is not limited to being attached to the opening 91 of the front bumper 90 as exemplified in this embodiment, but can be applied to any exterior part. For example, it can be applied to exterior parts other than the front bumper 90 among the exterior parts around the front fog lamps. It can also be applied to side exterior parts such as side garnishes. It can also be applied to exterior parts around the rear fog lamps such as rear bumpers.

[0058] The light emitting device for a vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to applications to exterior parts, but can also be applied to interior parts. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] C: Virtual plane S…Gap X…Anteroposterior direction Y: Vehicle width direction Z…Vertical direction 10...Light emitting device for vehicle, light emitting device 10A…Light source unit 11...Light source 12...Base material 20…Bezel 20A…Bezel body 21…Storage section 21a…Bottom wall 21b…peripheral wall 21c...Opening 21d…Flange section 22…Opening 23…Decoration section 23a…Surface 24…Pseudo light emitting section 24a…Convex part 25...Connection part 26…Mounting part 30…Outer lens 31...Opening 32...Protruding part 32a...Tip 33…First exit surface 34…Second exit surface 40…Inner lens 41…Opposite surface 42…Recess 43…First rough surface 44…Second rough surface 81...Screw 82...Screw 90…Front bumper 91…Opening

Claims

1. A light source; an outer lens provided forward in a traveling direction of light emitted from the light source; a bezel having a design surface provided alongside the outer lens; the outer lens has a protruding portion protruding beyond the design surface, The protrusion has a tip, a first emission surface that emits the light emitted from the light source toward the design surface, and a second emission surface that is provided on the opposite side of the tip to the first emission surface and emits the light emitted from the light source in a direction different from that of the first emission surface, The design surface has a general portion and a pseudo light-emitting portion that emits pseudo light by diffusing and reflecting light emitted from the first light exit surface, The pseudo light emitting portion has a metal film, When the direction in which the first exit surface and the second exit surface are arranged in the protrusion is simply defined as an arrangement direction, A length of the second exit surface in the arrangement direction is greater than a length of the first exit surface in the arrangement direction. A lighting device for a vehicle.

2. The pseudo light-emitting portion has a convex portion that protrudes from the general portion, The metal film is formed on the protrusion. The vehicle light emitting device according to claim 1 .

3. The pseudo light emitting portion has a tapered shape toward the first light exit surface. The light emitting device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Between the light source and the outer lens, a light guide having a rough surface that scatters the light emitted from the light source is provided. The light emitting device for a vehicle according to claim 1 .

5. the bezel has a bezel body having the design surface, and a housing portion that opens toward the outer lens and houses the light source therein, a peripheral portion of the outer lens is joined to a peripheral edge of the opening of the housing portion, The housing portion is integrally formed with the bezel body. The light emitting device for a vehicle according to claim 1 .

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