Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture capable of increasing the types of intentions that can be notified by irradiation patterns.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 10 includes: light sources (21, 22); a light shielding member (13) in which an irradiation slit 26 is provided for partially passing the light from there; and a projection lens 14 for forming an irradiation pattern Pi by projecting the light through the light shielding member. The irradiation slit 26 includes: a distant slit part (first slit part 271) corresponding to a distant irradiation place (first irradiation place Li1) projected in a distant position in the irradiation pattern Pi; and a close slit part (third slit part 273) corresponding to a close irradiation place (third irradiation place Li3) projected in a close position in the irradiation pattern Pi. The distant slit part (first slit part 271) has a shape imitating a symbol, and the close slit part (third slit part 273) has a shape imitating a character.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicle lamps are designed to form a light pattern on the road surface around the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). These vehicle lamps form a light pattern by arranging multiple symbols such as arrows in the optical axis direction, and can inform viewers of some intention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] WO2019 / 016943 publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, since this vehicle lamp only arranges a number of symbols, it is difficult to increase the variety of intentions that can be conveyed by the illumination pattern.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a vehicle lamp that can increase the variety of intentions that can be communicated by illumination patterns. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle lamp disclosed herein comprises a light source, a light-shielding member having an illumination slit that partially transmits light from the light source, and a projection lens that projects the light that has passed through the light-shielding member to form an illumination pattern, wherein the illumination slit has a far slit portion corresponding to a far illumination point projected at a far position in the illumination pattern, and a near slit portion corresponding to a near illumination point projected at a near position in the illumination pattern, and the far slit portion is shaped to resemble a symbol, and the near slit portion is shaped to resemble a letter. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle lamp of the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the variety of intentions that can be communicated by illumination patterns. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the vehicle lamps according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure are mounted on the front and rear of a vehicle and form respective illumination patterns. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle lamp. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an irradiation pattern projected onto a road surface. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a filter. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how edge rounding avoidance correction is applied to the corner of the near slit portion, in which (a) shows a partially enlarged view of the position of the circle shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, and (b) shows how masking for edge rounding avoidance correction is applied to form the corner shown in (a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a vehicle lamp 10 as an example of a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In Fig. 1, the vehicle lamp 10 is shown emphasized with respect to the vehicle 1 in order to make it easier to understand how the vehicle lamp 10 is provided, and does not necessarily correspond to the actual state. EXAMPLES

[0010] A vehicle lamp 10 according to a first embodiment of the vehicle lamp of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lamp 10 according to the first embodiment is used as a lamp for a vehicle 1 such as an automobile, and is provided in the front of the vehicle 1 to form an irradiation pattern Pi on a road surface 2 in the vicinity in front of the vehicle 1, separately from the headlights provided on the vehicle 1. The vicinity in front of the vehicle 1 necessarily includes a nearby area closer to the vehicle 1 than the headlight area illuminated by the headlights provided on the vehicle 1, and may also include the headlight area partially. The vehicle lamp 10 is provided in the rear of the vehicle 1 to form an irradiation pattern Pi on the road surface 2 in the vicinity behind the vehicle 1. In the first embodiment, each vehicle lamp 10 is disposed at a position higher than the road surface 2 at the front and rear ends of the vehicle 1, and is provided with a projection optical axis Lp inclined with respect to the road surface 2. The two vehicle lamps 10 are basically configured the same, except that the positions at which they are attached and the positions at which they form the irradiation pattern Pi are different. In the following description, in each vehicle lamp 10, the direction in which the projection optical axis Lp, which is the direction in which light is emitted, extends is referred to as the optical axis direction (referred to as Z in the drawings), the vertical direction when the optical axis direction is aligned with a horizontal plane is referred to as the up-down direction (referred to as Y in the drawings), and the direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction and the up-down direction (horizontal direction) is referred to as the width direction (referred to as X in the drawings) (see FIG. 2, etc.).

[0011] 2, the vehicle lamp 10 includes a light source unit 11, a condenser lens 12, a filter 13, and a projection lens 14 housed in a housing 15 to form a single projection optical system, constituting a projector-type road projection unit. The housing 15 is composed of a semi-cylindrical lower member 15a and an upper member 15b, and the lower member 15a and the upper member 15b are fitted together with the installation base 16 interposed therebetween, with the above-mentioned members (12 to 14) mounted on the lower member 15a. The housing 15 is provided with a condenser lens groove 15c into which the condenser lens 12 is fitted, a filter groove (not shown) into which the filter 13 is fitted, and a projection lens groove 15d into which the projection lens 14 is fitted (only the lower member 15a side is shown).

[0012] In addition, in the housing 15, the lower member 15a is provided with a pair of fixing protrusions 15e in the width direction, and the upper member 15b is provided with a pair of fixing holes 15f in the width direction (both are shown only on the front side), and each fixing protrusion 15e can be fitted into each fixing hole 15f. Furthermore, the housing 15 is provided with a pair of connecting protrusions 15g (only the upper side is shown) in the vertical direction. The shape of the housing 15 may be set appropriately and is not limited to the configuration of Example 1.

[0013] The installation base 16 is used to install the light source unit 11, and is made of aluminum die-cast or resin having thermal conductivity, and has an installation portion 16a and a heat dissipation portion 16b. The installation portion 16a is a portion where the light source unit 11 (its substrate 23) is installed, and is a flat plate perpendicular to the optical axis direction. The installation portion 16a is provided with a connection wall 16c surrounding the light source unit 11. The connection wall 16c is provided with connection holes 16d in pairs in the vertical direction, and is connected to the housing 15 by inserting each connection protrusion 15g of the housing 15, in which the lower member 15a and the upper member 15b are fitted together, into the corresponding connection holes 16d. The heat dissipation portion 16b functions as a heat sink that dissipates heat generated by the light source unit 11 to the outside. The heat dissipation portion 16b has a plurality of heat dissipation fins 16e provided continuously to the installation portion 16a. The heat dissipation portion 16b dissipates heat generated by the light source unit 11 installed at the installation portion 16a to the outside through each heat dissipation fin 16e.

[0014] The light source unit 11 has a first light source 21, a second light source 22, and a substrate 23 on which they are mounted. The first light source 21 and the second light source 22 are configured with light emitting elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). In the first embodiment, the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 emit white light (white light) with a Lambertian distribution centered on the emission optical axis. Note that the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 may be appropriately set in terms of color (wavelength band), distribution mode, number of colors, etc., and are not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0015] The board 23 is attached to the installation location 16a of the installation stand 16, and the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 are mounted on the board 23. A lighting control circuit is provided on the board 23, and power is appropriately supplied from the board 23 to light up the first light source 21 and the second light source 22. With the board 23 attached to the installation location 16a of the installation stand 16, the housing 15 is connected to the connection wall 16c, so that the board 23 is positioned on the rear end side of the housing 15 (the end opposite the projection lens groove 15d in the optical axis direction) and faces the condenser lens 12 (its entrance surface) housed in the housing 15.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the condenser lens 12 condenses the light emitted from the first light source 21 and the second light source 22, and condenses the light around each slit portion 27 on the filter 13, which will be described later, i.e., in the area on the filter 13 where each slit portion 27 is provided while including all the slit portions 27. In the first embodiment, the condenser lens 12 is basically a biconvex lens, and the entrance surface and the exit surface are free-form surfaces. The condenser lens 12 is provided with flange portions 12a at both ends in the width direction. Each flange portion 12a can be fitted into the condenser lens groove 15c of the housing 15. When the flange portion 12a is fitted into the condenser lens groove 15c, the lens axis of the condenser lens 12 is aligned with the projection optical axis Lp.

[0017] The filter 13 is an example of a light-shielding member that partially transmits light from the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 condensed by the condensing lens 12 to form the irradiation pattern Pi. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the irradiation pattern Pi has three irradiation points Li aligned at approximately equal intervals in a direction away from the vehicle 1. Here, when each irradiation point Li is individually shown, the one farthest from the vehicle 1 is the first irradiation point Li1, and the second irradiation point Li2 and the third irradiation point Li3 are arranged in order as they approach the vehicle 1. Therefore, in the irradiation pattern Pi, the first irradiation point Li1 is a far irradiation point, the third irradiation point Li3 is a near irradiation point, and the second irradiation point Li2 between them is an intermediate irradiation point. In the first embodiment, the first irradiation point Li1 and the second irradiation point Li2 are symbols of a wide open V shape, and the first irradiation point Li1 is slightly larger. The third irradiation spot Li3 is formed in the form of the letters "CAR" written with three alphabetical characters, and is formed in an area of ​​approximately the same size as the area in which the second irradiation spot Li2 is formed.

[0018] This irradiation pattern Pi is formed on the road surface 2, which is the projection surface, by arranging the first irradiation spot Li1, the second irradiation spot Li2, and the third irradiation spot Li3 in the arrow direction Da, while making them long in a direction perpendicular to the arrow direction Da described later. By arranging the first irradiation spot Li1 and the second irradiation spot Li2, the irradiation pattern Pi can be made to look like an arrow pointing from the vehicle 1 to the arrow direction Da, where two V-shaped vertices are lined up. In addition, since the irradiation pattern Pi uses the third irradiation spot Li3 as a character, it can convey a different intention from the arrow. The direction in which the arrow of this irradiation pattern Pi points, that is, the direction in which the vertices of the V-shaped shapes of both irradiation spots (Li1, Li2) are lined up, is the arrow direction Da, and the side it points to (the first irradiation spot Li1 side) is the front side of the arrow direction Da.

[0019] The first irradiation spot Li1 has two side ends Lie positioned in a direction perpendicular to the arrow direction Da, which are straight lines inclined inward (toward the vehicle 1) toward the rear of the arrow direction Da. That is, both side ends Lie of the first irradiation spot Li1 are inclined inward with respect to the arrow direction Da. The irradiation pattern Pi consisting of the three irradiation spots Li is formed by the filter 13.

[0020] 4, the filter 13 has a filter portion 24 provided in a filter frame portion 25. The filter frame portion 25 has a circular frame shape surrounding the filter portion 24, and is attached to the housing 15 by being fitted into a filter groove of the housing 15 (see FIG. 1).

[0021] The filter section 24 is basically formed of a plate-like member that blocks the transmission of light, and the member is partially cut out to provide an irradiation slit 26 that penetrates the member. The irradiation slit 26 forms the irradiation pattern Pi into a predetermined shape by partially passing the light from the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 that is condensed by the condenser lens 12. The irradiation slit 26 corresponds to the irradiation pattern Pi, and is composed of three slit sections 27 in the first embodiment.

[0022] The three slit parts 27 correspond one-to-one to the three irradiation points Li. Since the projection lens 14 inverts the filter 13 (irradiation slit 26) and projects it onto the road surface 2, the slit parts 27 are rotationally symmetrical about the projection optical axis Lp with respect to the positional relationship of the irradiation points Li of the irradiation pattern Pi (see Figs. 3 and 4). For this reason, the first slit part 271 at the bottom in the vertical direction of each slit part 27 is a far slit part corresponding to the first irradiation point Li1 (far irradiation point) of the irradiation pattern Pi. Furthermore, the second slit part 272 above each slit part 27 is an intermediate slit part corresponding to the second irradiation point Li2 (intermediate irradiation point). Furthermore, the third slit part 273 at the top of each slit part 27 is a near slit part corresponding to the third irradiation point Li3 (near irradiation point). The position of each slit part 27 on the filter part 24 is set so that each irradiation point Li on the road surface 2 has a desired positional relationship. In the filter 13 of the first embodiment, in the vertical direction, the third slit portion 273 is provided above the projection optical axis Lp, the second slit portion 272 is provided below it across a horizontal line including the projection optical axis Lp, and the first slit portion 271 is provided below it. The light transmitted through this filter 13 (each slit portion 27 of the irradiation slit 26) is projected onto the road surface 2 by the projection lens 14.

[0023] The first slit portion 271 and the second slit portion 272 are shaped to resemble a wide open V-shaped symbol, similar to the corresponding first irradiation portion Li1 and second irradiation portion Li2, and are inverted vertically and horizontally with respect to the first irradiation portion Li1 and the second irradiation portion Li2. The third slit portion 273 is shaped to resemble three alphabetical characters "CAR", similar to the corresponding third irradiation portion Li3, and is inverted vertically and horizontally. The three slit portions 27 are set in size and spaced apart according to the distance to the road surface 2 so that the irradiation portions Li are approximately equally spaced apart on the road surface 2 with the size shown in FIG. 3 above. In detail, the vehicle lamp 10 is provided with a projection optical axis Lp inclined with respect to the road surface 2, so that the distances from the filter 13 and the projection lens 14 to the road surface 2 are different, and therefore, when projected onto the road surface 2 by the projection lens 14, the slit portions 27 (the irradiation portions Li, which are light transmitted therethrough) are set in size and spaced apart according to the distance.

[0024] For this reason, the size and interval of each slit portion 27 are set according to the distance to the road surface 2 so that each irradiation spot Li is approximately equally spaced and has the above-mentioned size on the road surface 2. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the first slit portion 271 is shaped to imitate a thin V-shaped symbol, and the second slit portion 272 is shaped to imitate a V-shaped symbol thicker than the first slit portion 271, and each is made narrower in the width direction than the corresponding irradiation spot Li. Also, in the first embodiment, the third slit portion 273 is shaped to imitate the character string "CAR" curved and bulged toward the side away from the projection optical axis Lp.

[0025] In this way, the three slit parts 27 are different from each other in size and spaced apart from each other, unlike each irradiation point Li. In each slit part 27, the first slit part 271 has the smallest reduction ratio with respect to the corresponding irradiation point Li, and when the light that has passed through is projected onto the road surface 2, it is enlarged at the largest magnification to form the first irradiation point Li1. In each slit part 27, the third slit part 273 has the largest reduction ratio with respect to the corresponding irradiation point Li, and when the light that has passed through is projected onto the road surface 2, it is enlarged at the smallest magnification to form the third irradiation point Li3.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the projection lens 14 includes a lens body 28 that is a circular convex lens when viewed in the optical axis direction, and a flange portion 29 that surrounds the lens body 28. In the first embodiment, the entrance surface and the exit surface of the lens body 28 are free-form surfaces that are convex. The lens body 28 projects the irradiation slit 26 (each slit portion 27) of the filter 13, thereby forming an irradiation pattern Pi on the road surface 2 that is inclined with respect to the projection optical axis Lp, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like. Note that the entrance surface and the exit surface may be convex or concave as long as the lens body 28 is a convex lens, and are not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0027] The flange portion 29 protrudes from the lens main body 28 in radial directions centered on the lens axis, and extends around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction centered on the lens axis. The flange portion 29 can be fitted into the projection lens groove 15d of the housing 15. When the flange portion 29 is fitted into the projection lens groove 15d, the lens axis of the projection lens 14 is aligned with the projection optical axis Lp.

[0028] Next, the formation of the third slit portion 273 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. The third slit portion 273 is shaped to imitate the three letters of the alphabet "CAR" as described above, and therefore has a more complicated shape than the first slit portion 271 and the second slit portion 272. For this reason, the third slit portion 273 is required to be formed with higher accuracy than the first slit portion 271 and the second slit portion 272. As a result, the third slit portion 273 is designed to more accurately imitate the letters "CAR."

[0029] In detail, in the third slit portion 273, as shown in Fig. 5(a) which is a partial enlargement of the dashed-dotted circle in Fig. 4, each corner of each character is sharp. Here, in the filter portion 24 of the filter 13 in the first embodiment, each slit portion 27 is provided by an etching technique. In this etching technique, if the filter portion 24 is masked to directly imitate the shape of each slit portion 27, the corners of each slit portion 27 after the etching process of the filter portion 24 will be rounded as shown by the dashed-dotted line in Fig. 5(a). For this reason, in the filter portion 24, correction is applied to each corner of the third slit portion 273 to avoid rounding of the edges (hereinafter, also referred to as edge rounding avoidance correction).

[0030] In this rounded edge correction, as shown in FIG. 5(b), in the masking, a convex portion 31 is formed at all corners of each character of the third slit portion 273. The convex portion 31 is centered on the bisector 32 of the corresponding corner (its interior angle) and protrudes in the direction in which the bisector 32 extends, and the protruding end 31a protrudes (is positioned outside) from the apex of the corresponding corner. In the filter portion 24, the convex portion 31 is formed at each corner in the masking, so that the corner of each slit portion 27 after the etching process can be sharpened as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5(a). In this way, forming the convex portion 31 at each corner in the masking and then performing the etching process constitutes the rounded edge correction.

[0031] In this edge rounding avoidance correction, since there is a lower limit to the size at which the convex portion 31 that can obtain the above-mentioned sharpening effect can be formed, there is also a lower limit to the width dimension of the target slit. The lower limit of the width dimension of this slit is set to 0.2 mm. Here, the area that the third slit portion 273 occupies on the filter portion 24 is the largest among the slit portions 27 of the filter portion 24, and can be larger than the lower limit of the width dimension. In other words, in the filter portion 24, the third slit portion 273 corresponding to the third irradiation portion Li3 that is a character is made the largest, thereby making it possible to perform edge rounding avoidance correction.

[0032] The vehicle lamp 10 is assembled as follows with reference to FIG. 2. First, the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 are mounted on the substrate 23 to assemble the light source unit 11, and the light source unit 11 is fixed to the installation location 16a to form the installation base 16. After that, in the lower member 15a of the housing 15, the condenser lens 12 is fitted into the condenser lens groove 15c, the filter 13 is fitted into the filter groove, and the projection lens 14 is fitted into the projection lens groove 15d. Then, the lower member 15a is fitted into the upper member 15b to form the housing 15, and each connection protrusion 15g of the housing 15 is inserted into the corresponding connection hole 16d, thereby connecting the housing 15 to the installation base 16 via the connection wall 16c. As a result, the condenser lens 12, the filter 13, and the projection lens 14 are housed in the housing 15, and the light source unit 11 is connected to the housing 15. As a result, the condenser lens 12, the filter 13, and the projection lens 14 are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship in order from the light source unit 11 side on the projection optical axis Lp, and the vehicle lamp 10 is assembled.

[0033] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 10 will be described. The vehicle lamp 10 is provided with the projection optical axis Lp directed to the front side of the vehicle 1 and inclined with respect to the road surface 2 around the vehicle 1, and the projection optical axis Lp directed to the rear side of the vehicle 1 and inclined with respect to the road surface 2 around the vehicle 1. Each vehicle lamp 10 can be appropriately turned on and off by supplying power from the lighting control circuit to both light sources (21, 22) from the board 23. The light from both light sources (21, 22) is collected by the collecting lens 12 and irradiates the filter 13. On the filter 13, the second slit portion 272 is darker than the first slit portion 271, and the third slit portion 273 is darker than the second slit portion 272, and the brightness of each slit portion 27 in the width direction is approximately uniform. The light from both light sources (21, 22) passes through each slit portion 27 and is then projected by the projection lens 14 to form an irradiation pattern Pi on the road surface 2. The irradiation pattern Pi is formed by arranging three irradiation points Li in a substantially straight line, and each irradiation point Li has substantially the same brightness. In particular, in the vehicle lamp 10 of the first embodiment, since both light sources (21, 22) emit monochromatic light, the effect of chromatic aberration in the projection lens 14 can be significantly suppressed, and the irradiation pattern Pi, i.e., each irradiation point Li (each shape) can be made clear.

[0034] For example, when the vehicle 1 is driven, the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 of the two vehicle lamps 10 are turned on accordingly, forming an irradiation pattern Pi on the road surface 2. This allows the vehicle lamps 10 to inform people in front of and behind the vehicle 1 that the vehicle 1 is in a driving state and may start moving. In addition, for example, the front vehicle lamp 10 forms an irradiation pattern Pi on the road surface 2 when the vehicle 1 is in a forward gear, and the rear vehicle lamp 10 forms an irradiation pattern Pi on the road surface 2 when the vehicle 1 is in a reverse gear. This allows each vehicle lamp 10 to inform people in front of or behind the vehicle 1 that the vehicle 1 is moving forward or backward or about to move.

[0035] Each vehicle lamp 10 has the third irradiation area Li3 of the irradiation pattern Pi formed as a character, so that the types of intentions to be conveyed to the occupants and the surrounding people can be greatly increased. The third irradiation area Li3 in the first embodiment is set to "CAR", so that the presence of the vehicle 1 can be conveyed to the surrounding people who are in a position where the vehicle 1 cannot be seen directly. Although the third irradiation area Li3 in the first embodiment is set to "CAR", for example, by setting it to the model name of the vehicle 1, the intention of hospitality can be conveyed to the occupants and the model name can be appealed to the surrounding people. In addition, the third irradiation area Li3 can be set to a greeting such as "HELLO" to put the occupants and the surrounding people at ease. The characters of the third irradiation area Li3 may be set appropriately, and are not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment or the above example.

[0036] In addition, each vehicle lamp 10 can instantly convey the intention to the viewer by making the first irradiation area Li1 and the second irradiation area Li2 symbols, and can also convey other intentions by making the third irradiation area Li3 letters. In other words, the vehicle lamp 10 can intuitively convey the intention by the symbol, and can also convey various intentions different from the symbol by the letter. In addition, since the vehicle lamp 10 uses the first irradiation area Li1, which is located farthest from the vehicle 1, as a symbol, it can smoothly convey some intention to those around the vehicle 1. Furthermore, since the vehicle lamp 10 uses the third irradiation area Li3, which is located closest to the vehicle 1, as a letter, even if the intention is aimed at the occupant, it can smoothly convey the intention to the occupant and suppress the sense of incongruity of those around the vehicle 1.

[0037] In addition, the vehicle lamp 10 has the first irradiation area Li1 larger than the second irradiation area Li2. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 can give the impression that the first irradiation area Li1 corresponds to the arrowhead in the arrow symbol and the second irradiation area Li2 corresponds to the shaft in the arrow symbol, and the impression of pointing to the arrow direction Da can be given with just the two symbols. In particular, the vehicle lamp 10 inclines both ends Lie of the first irradiation area Li1 inward with respect to the arrow direction Da. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 can give a stronger impression that the first irradiation area Li1 corresponds to the arrowhead in the arrow symbol and can give a stronger impression of pointing to the arrow direction Da. This allows the vehicle lamp 10 to instantly recognize that the irradiation pattern Pi is pointing to the arrow direction Da to those around the vehicle 1.

[0038] The vehicle lamp 10 of the first embodiment can provide the following functions and effects.

[0039] In the vehicle lamp 10, the illumination slit 26 has a far slit portion (first slit portion 271) corresponding to the far illumination location (first illumination location Li1) and a near slit portion (third slit portion 273) corresponding to the near illumination location (third illumination location Li3). In the vehicle lamp 10, the far slit portion is shaped to resemble a symbol, and the near slit portion is shaped to resemble a letter. For this reason, the vehicle lamp 10 can intuitively convey an intention using a symbol, and can also convey a variety of intentions different from symbols using letters, thereby increasing the types of intentions that can be conveyed using the illumination pattern Pi.

[0040] In the vehicle lamp 10, the near slit portion (third slit portion 273) is shaped like a character string imitating a plurality of characters. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 can significantly increase the types of intentions that can be notified by the near irradiation portion (third irradiation portion Li3) formed by the near slit portion.

[0041] In the vehicle lamp 10, the irradiation slit 26 is formed by an etching method, and each corner of the near slit portion (third slit portion 273) is subjected to edge rounding avoidance correction. Therefore, even if the near slit portion of the vehicle lamp 10 has a complex shape imitating a character, each corner can be sharpened, and light can pass through to the apex of each corner. As a result, the vehicle lamp 10 can improve the reproducibility of the shape of the near slit portion projected on the road surface 2, and the character in the near irradiation portion (third irradiation portion Li3) can be made clear.

[0042] The vehicle lamp 10 includes a condenser lens 12 that condenses light emitted from the light source (21, 22) around an irradiation slit 26 in a light blocking member (filter 13). Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 can condense light emitted from the light source (21, 22) in an area in the light blocking member where the irradiation slit 26 is provided. This allows the vehicle lamp 10 to clearly form a distant irradiation area (first irradiation area Li1) and a near irradiation area (third irradiation area Li3) while efficiently using the light from the light source (21, 22).

[0043] The vehicular lamp 10 has an intermediate slit portion (second slit portion 272) in which the illumination slit 26 corresponds to the intermediate illumination location (second illumination location Li2). Therefore, the vehicular lamp 10 can more appropriately inform the intention by making the intermediate illumination location a symbol as in the first embodiment in cooperation with the symbol of the distant illumination location. Also, the vehicular lamp 10 can more appropriately inform the intention by making the intermediate illumination location a character in cooperation with the character of the near illumination location.

[0044] In the vehicle lamp 10, the near slit portion (third slit portion 273) is made the largest (occupied area) in the irradiation slit 26. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 can appropriately form the near slit portion, which is made to have a complex shape by imitating characters, and the characters in the near irradiation area (third irradiation area Li3) by the light passing therethrough can be made clear. In addition, by making the near slit portion (third slit portion 273) the largest, the vehicle lamp 10 can easily apply edge rounding avoidance correction to each corner, and as a result, the reproducibility of the shape on the road surface 2 can be improved.

[0045] Therefore, the vehicular lamp 10 of the first embodiment as the vehicular lamp according to the present disclosure can increase the types of intentions that can be communicated by the irradiation pattern Pi.

[0046] The vehicle lamp of the present disclosure has been described above based on Example 1, but the specific configuration is not limited to Example 1, and design changes and additions are permitted as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention according to each claim in the scope of the claims.

[0047] In the first embodiment, the three irradiation points Li are aligned at approximately equal intervals in the direction away from the vehicle 1 to form the irradiation pattern Pi. However, as long as the far-side irradiation point (first irradiation point Li1) by the far-side slit portion (first slit portion 271) is a symbol and the near-side irradiation point (third irradiation point Li3) by the near-side slit portion (third slit portion 273) is a character, the symbol design, the type of character, the position to be formed, the number of irradiation points Li, and the like may be appropriately set, and are not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment. In addition, the vehicle lamp 10 is provided at the front and rear of the vehicle 1 in the first embodiment, but may be housed in a door mirror, disposed in a headlight lamp chamber or a taillight lamp chamber (lamp chambers on both the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle), or provided on the vehicle body, as long as it is provided on the vehicle 1 according to the position to form the irradiation pattern, and is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0048] In addition, in the first embodiment, the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 emit white light. However, the color of the light emitted from the light source may be appropriately set according to the location where the light source is installed and the content to be conveyed, and is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0049] Furthermore, in Example 1, the filter 13 that passes the light collected by the condenser lens 12 through the irradiation slit 26 is used as the light blocking member. However, the light blocking member may have another configuration as long as it is provided with the irradiation slit 26 that partially passes the light collected by the condenser lens 12, and is not limited to the configuration of each Example. As another configuration, for example, a plate-shaped film member that blocks the transmission of light may be provided with an irradiation slit that partially transmits light, and a light blocking plate that transmits the light that has passed through the condenser lens 12 through the irradiation slit may be used.

[0050] In the first embodiment, a vehicle lamp 10 is provided in a vehicle 1 driven by a driver. However, the vehicle lamp may be provided in a vehicle having an automatic driving function, and is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment. In this case, the vehicle lamp only needs to form an illumination pattern at a timing according to the application for which it is provided, that is, at a timing according to some intention regarding the operation of the vehicle 1, and is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0051] In the first embodiment, the light source unit 11 is provided on an installation base 16 having a function as a heat sink (heat dissipation point 16b), and this installation base 16 is connected to a housing 15. However, as long as the vehicle lamp forms an irradiation pattern by collecting light from a light source on a light blocking member using a collecting lens and projecting the light using a projection lens, the light source unit may be provided on an end of the housing or may have another configuration, and is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0052] In the first embodiment, an intermediate slit portion (second slit portion 272) is provided in the irradiation slit 26 of the light blocking member (filter 13) to form an intermediate irradiation portion (second irradiation portion Li2) as a symbol. However, as long as the vehicle lamp forms a far irradiation portion (first irradiation portion Li1) of a symbol by the far slit portion (first slit portion 271) and a near irradiation portion (third irradiation portion Li3) of a character by the near slit portion (third slit portion 273), the intermediate irradiation portion (intermediate slit portion) may not be provided, and a plurality of intermediate irradiation portions (intermediate slit portions) may be provided, and the configuration is not limited to the first embodiment. In addition, the intermediate irradiation portion (intermediate slit portion) may be a character, and is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0053] In the first embodiment, the near irradiation part (third irradiation part Li3) formed by the near slit part (third slit part 273) is made to have three characters, "CAR." However, as long as the near irradiation part (near slit part) is made to have characters, the number of characters (including one character) and contents may be appropriately set, and are not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 Vehicle lamp 12 Condenser lens 13 Filter (as an example of a light blocking member) 14 Projection lens 21 First light source (as an example of a light source) 21 Second light source (as an example of a light source) 26 Irradiation slit 271 First slit section (as an example of a far slit section) 272 Second slit section (as an example of an intermediate slit section) 273 Third slit section (as an example of a near slit section) Li1 First irradiation location (as an example of a far irradiation location) Li2 Second irradiation location (as an example of an intermediate irradiation location) Li3 Third irradiation location (as an example of a near irradiation location) Pi Irradiation pattern

Claims

1. A light source; a light blocking member having an irradiation slit that partially passes light from the light source; a projection lens that projects light that has passed through the light blocking member to form an irradiation pattern; a single condenser lens that condenses the light emitted from the light source around the irradiation slit in the light blocking member, The irradiation slit has a far slit portion corresponding to a far irradiation spot projected at a far position in the irradiation pattern, and a near slit portion corresponding to a near irradiation spot projected at a near position in the irradiation pattern, The distal slit portion is shaped to resemble a symbol, The near slit portion is shaped to resemble a letter, The condenser lens adjusts the brightness distribution on the light-shielding member so as to make the near slit portion darker than the far slit portion while making the brightness in the width direction at each portion approximately uniform.

2. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the near slit portion is shaped as a string of characters imitating a plurality of letters.

3. The irradiation slit is formed by an etching method, 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the near slit portion has corners that are subjected to edge rounding correction to avoid rounding.

4. 4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the illumination slit has an intermediate slit portion that corresponds to an intermediate illumination location between the far illumination location and the near illumination location in the illumination pattern.

5. 5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation slit is configured so that the near slit portion is the largest.

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