Light source unit for vehicle lamp and vehicle lamp

Abstract

To provide a light source unit of a vehicular lighting fixture having excellent appearance, and the vehicular lighting fixture.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture comprises: a light source for emitting excitation light; a light generation part comprising a light emitting layer constituted by using an inorganic material, and for emitting generated light by being illuminated with the excitation light, and a holding member holding the light emitting layer; a lens member for applying the generated light from the light emitting layer in a front direction in an in-vehicle state; and a light absorbing part arranged between the light emitting layer and the lens member, and for absorbing a portion of wavelength components corresponding to the generated light out of light from the outside of the lens member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light source unit for a vehicle lamp and a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] A light source unit for a vehicle is known that includes an excitation light source, a light-emitting layer made of an organic material that emits generated light when irradiated with excitation light from the excitation light source, and a lens member that irradiates the excitation light from the light-emitting layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-190255 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above light source unit, it has been proposed to use an inorganic material as the light-emitting layer. Unlike film-like organic materials, inorganic materials contain colored particles. Therefore, when the light is not turned on, external light such as sunlight passes through the lens member to reach the light-emitting layer and is scattered by the particles. In this case, it appears as if there is a light-emitting surface from the outside of the lens member, and there are cases where improvements are required in terms of appearance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a light source unit for a vehicle lamp and a vehicle lamp that have excellent appearance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The light source unit of the vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a light source that emits excitation light, a light-generating section having a light-emitting layer made of an inorganic material and emitting generated light when irradiated with the excitation light, and a holding member that holds the light-emitting layer, a lens member that irradiates the generated light from the light-emitting layer in a front direction when mounted on the vehicle, and a light-absorbing section that is disposed between the light-emitting layer and the lens member and absorbs a portion of the wavelength component of the generated light from outside the lens member.

[0007] In the light source unit of the above vehicle lamp, the excitation light may be blue, and the generated light and the lens member may be red.

[0008] In the light source unit of the vehicle lamp described above, the light absorbing portion may be a blue filter.

[0009] In the light source unit of the vehicle lamp described above, the light absorbing portion may be provided separately from the light generating portion and the lens member.

[0010] In the light source unit of the vehicle lamp described above, the light absorbing portion may be formed on the lens member.

[0011] In the light source unit of the above vehicle lamp, the light absorbing portion is formed such that the light emitting layer is not visible when the lens member is viewed from the outside to the inside when the light source is not lit.

[0012] A vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned vehicle lamp light source unit. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a light source unit for a vehicle lamp and a vehicle lamp that have excellent appearance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the light absorbing portion. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the vehicle lamp. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of a vehicle lamp. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of a vehicle lamp according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing another example of a vehicle lamp. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the operation of the vehicle lamp. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a light source unit of a vehicle lamp and a vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are directions in a vehicle-mounted state in which the light source unit of the vehicle lamp is mounted on the vehicle, and indicate directions when the vehicle is viewed from the driver's seat in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Note that in this embodiment, the up-down direction is parallel to the vertical direction, and the left-right direction is horizontal. In addition, with regard to the front direction and rear direction, the direction in which light is emitted from the light source unit of the vehicle lamp is the front direction, and the opposite direction to the front direction is the rear direction.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a side view showing an example of a vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment. The vehicle lamp 200 shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, a signal lamp such as a tail lamp. Therefore, in this embodiment, the front direction is the rear direction (rear) and the back direction is the front direction (forward). As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle lamp 200 has a light source unit 100.

[0017] The light source unit 100 includes a light source section 10, a light generation section 20, a lens member 30, and a light absorption section 40.

[0018] The light source unit 10 has a light source 11, a support substrate 12, and a heat sink 13. The light source 11 is, for example, an LED, an organic EL, or other light source. The light source 11 is disposed, for example, below the light generation unit 20, with the light emitting surface 11a facing the light generation unit 20 side (upward). The light source 11 emits, for example, blue light from the light emitting surface 11a as excitation light. Note that the light source 11 is not limited to a light source that emits blue light, and a light source that can irradiate light (such as purple light or ultraviolet light) with a shorter wavelength than the wavelength of light generated in the light generation unit 20 described later can be used.

[0019] The support substrate 12 supports the light source 11. The support substrate 12 is supported by a heat sink 13. The heat sink 13 is held by, for example, a bracket (not shown).

[0020] The light generating unit 20 has a holding member 21 and a light emitting layer 22. The holding member 21 is supported independently of the light source unit 10 by a bracket (not shown) or the like. Providing the holding member 21 independently of the light source unit 10 increases the degree of freedom in the layout of the light source unit 10 and the light generating unit 20. For this reason, the arrangement of the light source unit 10 and the light generating unit 20 can be flexibly set according to the design contents.

[0021] The holding member 21 is made of aluminum. The light generated by the light emitting layer 22 can be reflected backward to increase the front brightness of the lamp. Although aluminum is used in this embodiment, the holding member 21 may be made of glass or sapphire. Alternatively, the light emitting layer 22 may be formed on the holding member 21 made of glass or sapphire, and bonded to a reflective member such as aluminum.

[0022] The light-emitting layer 22 is held by the holding member 21. The light-emitting layer 22 is excited by irradiation with excitation light from the light source 11, and emits generated light. The light-emitting layer 22 is held by, for example, a flat portion 21a of the holding member 21. The light-emitting layer 22 is formed into a shape corresponding to, for example, the shape of the tail lamp when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the light-emitting layer 22 is made of, for example, CASN (CaAlSiN 3 :Eu), SCASN(Sr,Ca)AlSiN 3 : Inorganic materials such as Eu are used.

[0023] The lens member 30 is disposed in a front direction relative to the light generating unit 20. The lens member 30 has an incident surface 31 and an exit surface 32. The incident surface 31 receives red light, which is generated light from the light generating unit 20. The exit surface 32 emits the light that has entered the incident surface 31 in a front direction. The lens member 30 transmits red light and absorbs light other than red light. Therefore, the excitation light component contained in external light is absorbed by the lens member 30. The lens member 30 is held by, for example, an inner panel 50 or the like.

[0024] The light absorbing section 40 is disposed between the light emitting layer 22 and the lens member 30. The light absorbing section 40 can absorb 1% or more of the light entering from the outside of the lens member 30. In this embodiment, for example, a blue filter can be used as the light absorbing section 40. The light absorbing section 40 has the same color as the excitation light emitted from the light source 11 and can absorb the red component corresponding to the generated light.

[0025] The light absorbing section 40 is disposed between the light emitting layer 22 and the lens member 30, separately from the light generating section 20 and the lens member 30. The light absorbing section 40 is supported by an inner housing (not shown) or the like. By disposing the light absorbing section 40 separately from the light generating section 20 and the lens member 30, the light absorbing section 40 can be reliably held.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the light absorbing portion 40. As shown in Fig. 2, the light absorbing portion 40 can be formed on the inner surface of the lens member 30. By forming the light absorbing portion 40 on the inner surface of the lens member 30, the light absorbing portion 40 and the lens member 30 can be handled as a single unit.

[0027] Next, an operation of the vehicle lamp 200 configured as described above will be described. Figures 3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vehicle lamp 200. By turning on the light source 11, as shown in Figure 3, a part of the excitation light Lb emitted from the light emitting surface 11a is irradiated onto the light emitting layer 22.

[0028] When the light-emitting layer 22 is irradiated with the excitation light Lb, the light-emitting layer 22 is excited and emits red light L. A part of the red light L generated in the light-emitting layer 22 is emitted backward (toward the front). In addition, when a reflective layer is formed on the flat surface portion 21b of the holding member 21, a part of the red light generated in the light-emitting layer 22 is emitted forward (toward the rear surface), reflected by the reflective layer, and proceeds backward. Therefore, the red light L generated in the light-emitting layer 22 is emitted in the forward direction as planar light. This red light L is partially absorbed by the light absorbing portion 40, and partially transmitted, and enters the incident surface 31 of the lens member 30. The red light L that enters the incident surface 31 is emitted in the forward direction from the exit surface 32 of the lens member 30, and is irradiated as a tail lamp pattern, for example.

[0029] 4, when the light source 11 is turned off, the excitation light Lb is not emitted from the light source 11, and therefore the red light L is not generated from the light emitting layer 22. In this embodiment, the light emitting layer 22 is made of an inorganic material, and contains colored particles when not irradiated with the excitation light Lb. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the light absorbing portion 40 is disposed between the light emitting layer 22 and the lens member 30.

[0030] In this configuration, when light outside the lens member 30 (hereinafter referred to as external light Lt) enters the lens member 30, light with a shorter wavelength than red, which is the color of the lens member 30, is absorbed by the lens member 30. When this light reaches the light absorbing section 40, part of it is absorbed by the light absorbing section 40, and part of it passes through the light absorbing section 40 to reach the light generating section 20.

[0031] The external light Lt that reaches the light generating unit 20 is scattered by, for example, particles of an inorganic material contained in the light emitting layer 22. The scattered external light Lt travels rearward, where a part of it is absorbed by the light absorbing unit 40 and is emitted rearward from the lens member 30. Since most of the external light Lt emitted from the lens member 30 is absorbed by the light absorbing layer 40, the amount of light is reduced compared to when it entered the lens member 30. For this reason, when the vehicle lamp 200 is viewed from the outside of the lens member 30, it is possible to form an appearance in which the light emitting layer 22 is not visible, that is, an appearance in which the light emitting layer 22 does not exist inside the vehicle lamp 200.

[0032] As described above, the light source unit 100 of this embodiment includes a light source 11 that emits excitation light, a light generating section 20 having a light emitting layer 22 made of an inorganic material and emitting generated light when irradiated with excitation light, and a holding member 21 that holds the light emitting layer 22, a lens member 30 that irradiates the generated light from the light emitting layer 22 in a front direction when mounted on a vehicle, and a light absorbing section 40 that is disposed between the light emitting layer 22 and the lens member 30 and absorbs a portion of the wavelength components of the generated light from outside the lens member 30.

[0033] According to this configuration, when light from outside the lens member 30 enters the lens member 30, a part of the light is absorbed by the light absorbing portion 40, and a part of the light passes through the light absorbing portion 40 to reach the light generating portion 20. The external light that reaches the light generating portion 20 is scattered by, for example, particles of an inorganic material contained in the light emitting layer 22, and the scattered light travels rearward, where a part of the light is absorbed by the light absorbing portion 40 and is emitted rearward from the lens member 30. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 200 is viewed from the outside of the lens member 30, it appears as if the light emitting layer 22 does not exist inside the vehicle lamp 200. This makes it possible to provide a light source unit 100 with excellent appearance.

[0034] In the light source unit 100 of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, the excitation light is blue, and the generated light and the lens member 30 are red. With this configuration, the excitation light that is not absorbed by the light-emitting layer 22 and is scattered or the like can be absorbed by the lens member 30. Therefore, leakage of the excitation light to the outside of the vehicle lamp 200 can be suppressed.

[0035] In the light source unit 100 of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, the light absorbing portion 40 may be a blue filter. With this configuration, a configuration for absorbing red excitation light can be easily formed.

[0036] In the light source unit 100 of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, the light absorbing portion 40 is provided separately from the light generating portion 20 and the lens member 30. According to this configuration, the degree of freedom in arranging the light absorbing portion 40 is increased.

[0037] In the light source unit 100 of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, the light absorbing portion 40 is formed on the lens member 30. According to this configuration, the light absorbing portion 40 and the lens member 30 can be handled as a single unit.

[0038] In the light source unit 100 of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, the light absorbing portion 40 is formed so that the light emitting layer 22 is not visible when the light source 11 is turned off and the inside of the lens member 30 is viewed from the outside. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a light source unit 100 with excellent appearance.

[0039] The vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment includes the above-mentioned vehicle lamp light source unit 100. According to this configuration, a vehicle lamp with excellent appearance can be provided.

[0040] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a vehicle lamp 300 according to another embodiment. Fig. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of the vehicle lamp 300. The vehicle lamp 300 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is, for example, a signal lamp such as a tail lamp. Therefore, in this embodiment, the front direction is the rear direction (rear) and the back direction is the front direction (forward). The vehicle lamp 300 has a light source unit 110, a reflector 120, a light generating unit 130, a lens member 140, a housing 150, and a light absorbing unit 160.

[0041] The light source unit 110 includes a light source 111, a support substrate 112, and a heat sink 113. The light source 111 is, for example, an LED, an organic EL, or other light source. The light source 111 is disposed, for example, below the light generation unit 130, with the light emitting surface 111a facing the rear direction (forward). The light source 111 emits, for example, blue light from the light emitting surface 111a as excitation light. Note that the light source 111 is not limited to a light source that emits blue light, and a light source that can irradiate light (such as purple light or ultraviolet light) with a shorter wavelength than the wavelength of light generated in the light generation unit 130 described later can be used. The light sources 111 are provided in a number corresponding to the number of the light generation units 130 described later.

[0042] The supporting substrate 112 supports the light source 111. The supporting substrate 112 is supported by a housing 150.

[0043] The reflector 120 is disposed on the rear side of the light source 111. The reflector 120 has a reflecting surface 121 that reflects the excitation light emitted from the light source 111 upward. The reflecting surface 121 is provided for each light generating unit 130 described later. The reflecting surfaces 121 may be appropriately disposed regardless of the number and arrangement of the light generating units 130. The reflector 120 is disposed inside the housing 150. The reflector 120 is disposed so as to be hidden on the rear side of the housing 150 so as not to be directly seen when the vehicle lamp 300 is viewed from the front side.

[0044] The light generating unit 130 has a holding member 131 and a light emitting layer 132. The light generating unit 130 is arranged such that the normal direction R of the light emitting layer 132 is inclined obliquely downward with respect to the front direction. The light generating unit 130 is also arranged such that the normal direction R of the light emitting layer 132 faces toward the outside (left side) of the vehicle with respect to the front direction. A plurality of light generating units 130 are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0045] The holding member 131 is made of glass or sapphire. A light-emitting layer is formed on the holding member 131, and the holding member 131 is bonded to a reflecting member such as aluminum. Alternatively, the light-emitting layer may be formed on a reflecting member such as aluminum.

[0046] The light-emitting layer 132 is held on a first surface 131a of the holding member 131. The light-emitting layer 132 is excited by irradiation with excitation light from the light source 111 and emits generated light. The light-emitting layer 132 is held on, for example, the first surface 131a of the holding member 131. The light-emitting layer 132 is formed in a shape corresponding to, for example, the shape of the tail lamp when viewed from the front. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the light-emitting layer 132 may be configured to have a predetermined pattern P.

[0047] In this embodiment, an inorganic material such as CASN (CaAlSiN3:Eu) is used as the light-emitting layer 132. In this case, a mixed material of CASN and a transparent resin such as silicone is applied onto the holding member 131 and baked to form the light-emitting layer 132. Alternatively, a mixed material of CASN and an inorganic material such as low-melting-point glass is applied onto the holding member 131 and baked to form the light-emitting layer 132.

[0048] When an inorganic material is used for the light-emitting layer 132, the holding member 131 can be a substrate such as glass. 3 Other types of materials such as :Eu may also be used.

[0049] The lens member 140 is disposed in a front direction with respect to the light generating unit 130. The lens member 140 has an incident surface 141 and an exit surface 142. The incident surface 141 receives red light, which is generated light from the light generating unit 130. The exit surface 142 emits the light that has entered the incident surface 141 in a front direction. The lens member 140 transmits red light and absorbs light other than red light. Therefore, the excitation light component contained in external light is absorbed by the lens member 140. The lens member 140 is held by, for example, a housing 150 or the like.

[0050] The housing 150 is formed using, for example, a black resin material. The housing 150 has, for example, a rectangular box shape. The housing 150 supports or houses the light source unit 110, the reflector 120, the light generating unit 130, and the lens member 140. The housing 150 has an accommodation portion 151 and a lamp chamber 152.

[0051] The storage section 151 and the lamp chamber 152 are formed in two stages in the vertical direction. The lamp chamber 152 is disposed on the upper stage side, and the storage section 151 is disposed on the lower stage side. The storage section 151 stores the light source section 110 and the reflector 120. The storage section 151 is surrounded in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction by a lower wall section 151a. The lower wall section 151a is disposed so as to cover the reflector 120 when the vehicle lamp 300 is viewed from the front. The storage section 151 has a bottom section 151b at the lower part. The storage section 151 has an opening section 151c at the upper part. The opening section 151c has a shape corresponding to the shape of the upper part of the reflector 120. The lamp chamber 152 is provided in a space surrounded by the upper wall section 152a and the lens member 140. The light generating section 130 is disposed in the lamp chamber 152.

[0052] The light absorbing section 160 is disposed between the light emitting layer 132 and the lens member 140. The light absorbing section 160 can absorb 1% or more of the light entering from the outside of the lens member 140. For example, a blue filter can be used as the light absorbing section 160. The light absorbing section 160 has the same color as the excitation light emitted from the light source 111 and can absorb the red component corresponding to the generated light.

[0053] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of another example of the operation of the vehicle lamp 300. In Fig. 7, the configuration of the reflector 120, the housing 150, etc. is omitted. As shown in Fig. 7, when the light emitting layer 132 is irradiated with excitation light, the light emitting layer 132 is excited and emits red light L. The red light L generated in the light emitting layer 132 is emitted in the front direction as planar light. This red light L is partly absorbed by the light absorbing portion 160 and partly transmitted to be emitted in the front direction from the lens member 140, and is irradiated as a tail lamp pattern, for example.

[0054] In addition, when the light source 111 is not lit, the light source 111 does not emit excitation light, so that the light emitting layer 132 does not generate red light L. In this embodiment, the light emitting layer 132 is an inorganic material, and in a state where the light emitting layer 132 is not irradiated with excitation light, the material contains colored particles. In this configuration, when light from outside the lens member 140 (hereinafter referred to as external light Ls) enters the lens member 140, light having a shorter wavelength than red, which is the color of the lens member 140, is absorbed by the lens member 140. When the light Lu that has entered the inside of the lens member 140 reaches the light absorbing portion 160, which is a blue filter, most of the light is absorbed by the light absorbing portion 160. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 300 is viewed from the outside of the lens member 140, the vehicle lamp 300 can be formed to have an appearance in which the light emitting layer 132 is not visible, that is, an appearance in which the light emitting layer 132 does not exist inside the vehicle lamp 300.

[0055] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] L...red light, Lb...excitation light, 10,110...light source section, 11,111...light source, 11a...light emitting surface, 12,112...supporting substrate, 13...heat sink, 20,130...light generating section, 21,131...holding member, 21a,21b...flat section, 22,132...light emitting layer, 30,140...lens member, 31,141...incident surface, 32,142...exiting surface, 40,160...light absorbing section, 50...inner panel, 100...light source unit, 200,300...vehicle lamp

Claims

1. A light source that emits excitation light; a light generating unit including a light emitting layer made of an inorganic material and emitting generated light when irradiated with the excitation light, and a holding member that holds the light emitting layer; a lens member that is disposed on a front side of the light generating unit when the light generating unit is mounted on the vehicle, irradiates the generated light from the light emitting layer in a front direction, and absorbs a part of the component of a wavelength corresponding to the excitation light; a light absorbing section that is disposed on a front side of the light emitting layer and on a rear side of the lens member, and that absorbs a part of a component of a wavelength corresponding to the generated light among light from outside the lens member and light that reaches the light emitting layer from the outside of the lens member and is scattered; A light source unit for a vehicle lamp comprising:

2. the excitation light is blue; The generated light and the lens member are red. The light source unit of a vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. The light absorbing portion is a blue filter.

3. A light source unit for a vehicle lamp according to claim 2.

4. The light absorbing portion is provided separately from the light generating portion and the lens member. The light source unit of a vehicle lamp according to claim 3.

5. The light absorbing portion is formed on the lens member. The light source unit of a vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The light absorbing portion is formed so that the light emitting layer is not visible when the lens member is viewed from the outside to the inside when the light source is not turned on. The light source unit of a vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a light source unit for a vehicle lamp. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

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