Lamp unit

Abstract

To provide a lamp device having an accurate radar function, capable of effectively suppressing an effect of radiant heat of a vehicle itself, such as engine heat.SOLUTION: A lamp device includes a base body 12 that is a fixing part to a vehicle, a lamp unit 14, a translucent cover 13 that is fixed to the base body so as to cover a front surface side of the base body and accommodate the lamp unit therein and defines a lamp body space, and has a recess part on a front surface at a lateral position in a horizontal direction of the lamp unit, and a radar unit 20 that has a radar sensor 23 and a radar housing 21 accommodating the radar sensor therein, and is inserted into the recess part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamp device, and more particularly to a lamp device for a vehicle incorporating a radar device. [Background technology]

[0002] For driving assistance and autonomous driving, various sensors are used, such as acceleration sensors, GPS sensors, cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and millimeter wave sensors.

[0003] In particular, millimeter wave radar maintains high environmental resistance, not being affected by nighttime or backlit environments, or bad weather such as thick fog, rain, and snow. It can also directly detect the distance and direction to an object, as well as the relative speed to the object. Therefore, it has the characteristic of being able to detect objects at close range with high speed and high accuracy.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle lamp equipped with a light source unit and a millimeter wave radar, with a resin cover that is visible on the exterior of the vehicle body, with an opaque design portion provided in part of the resin cover, which shields the millimeter wave radar.

[0005] Patent document 2 also discloses an in-vehicle light device that is provided with a separator that is arranged to separate the space between the lighting unit and the radar unit and blocks the transmission of radiant heat and electromagnetic waves between the lighting unit and the radar unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5130192 [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-51974 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the detection function of the radar device is degraded when it is subjected to the heat of the lamp inside the lamp body and the high temperature environment outside the lamp body, such as engine heat, etc. In particular, a radar device that detects the lateral direction of a vehicle is easily affected by radiant heat from the vehicle itself, such as engine heat.

[0008] It is also important to reduce the influence of not only heat generated by the lamp but also radiant heat from the engine and the like even when the lamp is not lit.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide a lamp device that can effectively suppress the effects of not only the heat generated by the lamp but also the radiant heat of the vehicle itself, such as engine heat, and has a high-precision radar function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A lamp device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: A base body which is an attachment part to a vehicle; A lamp unit; a light-transmitting cover that is attached to the base and covers the front side of the base so as to accommodate the lamp unit therein, and defines a lamp space, and has a recess on its front side at a horizontal lateral position of the lamp unit; a radar unit having a radar sensor and a radar housing that houses the radar sensor therein, the radar unit being inserted into the recess; It has. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal structure of a lamp device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of an internal structure of a lamp device 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing radiant heat RH from a heat source 90 of a vehicle on which a lamp device 10 is mounted. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic structure of a lamp device 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described, but these may be modified or combined as appropriate. In the following description and accompanying drawings, substantially the same or equivalent parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0013] In the following description, an automobile will be taken as an example of a vehicle, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, in this specification, a vehicle refers to a vehicle such as a ship or an aircraft, and manned or unmanned transportation means.

[0014] [First embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an example of an internal structure of a lamp device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The lamp device 10 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. The lamp device 10 is, for example, a headlamp, but can also be applied to a lamp device such as a taillight.

[0015] More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section of a lamp device 10 (left headlamp) mounted on the left front of a vehicle as viewed from above, that is, in a horizontal plane (or a plane parallel to the road surface).

[0016] In this specification, the terms horizontal and vertical planes (or directions) refer to the horizontal and vertical planes (or directions) when the lamp device 10 is attached to a vehicle, and correspond to the horizontal and vertical planes (or directions) of the vehicle.

[0017] The lamp device 10 has a lamp section 11 and a radar unit 20 which is a radar section. In the lamp device 10, a lamp housing (casing) 11C is formed by a base (housing) 12 and a light-transmitting cover (front cover) 13 attached to the front side or forward side of the base 12.

[0018] More specifically, a lamp space 11K, which is an internal space, is defined by attaching the light-transmitting cover 13 to the base body 12. In this embodiment, the lamp space 11K is configured as a sealed space.

[0019] The light-transmitting cover 13 is attached to the base body 12 so as to cover the front side of the base body 12, and the base body 12 is attached to the vehicle body side, whereby the lamp device 10 is mounted on the vehicle body (not shown).

[0020] The base 12 is made of plastic (resin). For example, the headlight is made of PP (polypropylene), and the taillight is made of ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylic rubber), but is not limited to these. Metal may also be used partially.

[0021] The light-transmitting cover 13 is formed of a light-transmitting resin such as polycarbonate (PC). The light-transmitting cover 13 may be a light-transmitting cover that transmits light of a color other than white, such as red or yellow.

[0022] A lamp unit (light source unit) 14 is provided in the lamp body space 11K of the lamp housing 11C. The lamp unit 14 has a light source 15 such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and an optical system 14L such as a lens or reflector for distributing and irradiating light from the light source 15 along an optical axis AX1. The light source 15 is provided in a light source housing 14K.

[0023] The lamp unit 14 is provided so as to irradiate low beam (passing beam) and high beam (driving beam) light LB in the forward direction (FR in the drawing).

[0024] An extension or the like may be provided inside the lamp housing 11C. The extension is a design part that reflects or guides light, or that makes the internal structure difficult to see from the outside.

[0025] In this specification, the lamp device 10 is not limited to a headlight light source, but refers to a light-emitting device having the purpose and function of emitting light to the outside, such as a tail lamp or backlight.

[0026] A cover recess (hereinafter simply referred to as recess) 13D is provided in the light-transmitting cover 13. The recess 13D is provided on the front surface of the light-transmitting cover 13 so as to be located to the side of the lamp unit 14 in the horizontal direction.

[0027] A radar unit (hereinafter simply referred to as radar unit) 20 is inserted into the recess 13D. The radar unit 20 has a radar housing 21, and is separated from the lamp body space 11K of the lamp housing 11C by a light-transmitting cover 13 to define a separated space (radar unit space).

[0028] The radar unit 20 has a radar housing 21 and a radar sensor 23, which is a distance detection sensor, provided inside the radar housing 21. The radar unit 20 is, for example, a millimeter wave radar device.

[0029] Furthermore, by providing the recess 13D in the light-transmitting cover 13, the physical strength of the light-transmitting cover 13 can be increased. That is, when the radar unit 20 having a predetermined weight is installed on the light-transmitting cover 13, at least two or more side surfaces of the recess 13D surrounding the radar unit 20 can suppress distortion of the light-transmitting cover 13. This makes it possible to suppress changes in the light distribution of the light emitted from the lamp unit 14 due to distortion of the light-transmitting cover 13.

[0030] The surface of the radar housing 21 has a shape that is integrated with the surface of the light-transmitting cover 13 of the lamp device 10 (the surface other than the recess 13D).

[0031] The radar sensor 23 has a transmitting / receiving antenna (not shown), and the central axis AX2 of the radar wave from the transmitting / receiving antenna is arranged so as to be inclined at an angle θ (θ>0) outward (i.e., leftward in the case of a left headlight) with respect to the optical axis AX1 of the lamp unit 14 (or with respect to the vehicle's traveling direction FR).

[0032] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of the internal structure of the lamp device 10. Note that the cross section is taken along a vertical plane including the central axis AX2 of the transmitting / receiving antenna (in the direction indicated by A in FIG. 1).

[0033] 1 and 2, the radar sensor 23 is disposed so as to be located on the outer side (i.e., on the side in the horizontal direction) of the lamp unit 14 in the horizontal plane. In FIG. 2, it is shown that the lamp unit 14 (shown by a dashed line) is disposed behind the radar sensor 23.

[0034] Fig. 3 is a diagram similar to Fig. 1, but shows radiant heat RH from a heat source 90 such as an engine of a vehicle equipped with the lamp device 10. According to the lamp device 10 of the present embodiment, the lamp device 10 has a lamp body space 11K that receives radiant heat from the heat source 90 such as an engine.

[0035] The radar unit 20 is separated by the lamp space 11K of the lamp section 11, and is prevented from being affected by the radiant heat RH from the heat source 90 of the vehicle itself, which is in a high-temperature environment. Therefore, the temperature rise of the radar unit 20 can be reduced.

[0036] Therefore, it is possible to provide a lamp device having a highly accurate radar function in which the influence of heat is suppressed.

[0037] [Second embodiment] 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a lamp device 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, more specifically, a diagram showing an enlarged structure of a radar unit 20.

[0038] The radar housing 21 of the radar unit 20 has a communication part 21C between the outside and the inside of the radar housing 21 and the recess 13D of the light-transmitting cover 13 of the lamp part 11. In other words, the radar unit 20 is not sealed, and the inside thereof is a non-sealed space.

[0039] Moreover, the radar sensor 23 is attached to the light-transmitting cover 13 so as to have a gap between the radar sensor 23 and the side surface of the recess 13D of the light-transmitting cover 13 (see FIG. 2).

[0040] With this configuration, an air circulation path 21A is formed between the back surface of the radar sensor 23 and the translucent cover 13, thereby dissipating heat and cooling the radar sensor 23 and reducing the effects of heat from the lamp unit 11.

[0041] Therefore, the radar sensor 23 is separated by the lamp space 11K of the lamp section 11, and has excellent cooling effect, reducing the effects of radiant heat RH from the heat source 90 of the vehicle, which is in a high-temperature environment, and preventing the temperature of the radar unit 20 from rising. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10: Lamp unit 11: Lamp section 11C: Lamp housing 11K: Light space 12: Base 13:Translucent cover 13D: Recess 14: Lamp unit 14K: Light source housing 14L:Optical system 15:Light source 20: Radar section 20K: Radar unit space 21: Radar housing 21A: Air flow path 21C: Communication part 23: Radar sensor 90: Heat source

Claims

1. A base body which is an attachment part to a vehicle; A lamp unit; a light-transmitting cover that is attached to the base and covers the front side of the base so as to accommodate the lamp unit therein, and defines a lamp space, and has a recess on its front side at a horizontal lateral position of the lamp unit; a radar unit having a radar sensor and a radar housing that houses the radar sensor therein, the radar unit being inserted into the recess; The radar sensor has a transmitting and receiving antenna, a central axis of a radar wave from the transmitting / receiving antenna is disposed so as to be inclined outward with respect to a traveling direction of the vehicle in a horizontal cross section of the lamp unit; the recess has a recess surface inclined toward the outside so as to be integrated with a surface of the light-transmitting cover excluding the recess when the radar unit is provided in the recess, The lamp device, wherein the lamp body space and the base are disposed between the rear of the radar sensor and the vehicle via the light-transmitting cover in a horizontal cross section of the lamp unit.

2. The lamp device according to claim 1 , wherein the radar housing has a communication portion that communicates the inside and the outside of the radar unit.

3. 3. The lamp device according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the light-transmitting cover is disposed so that at least two surfaces of the recess surround the radar unit.

4. A base body which is an attachment part to a vehicle; A lamp unit; a light-transmitting cover that is attached to the base and covers the front side of the base so as to accommodate the lamp unit therein, and defines a lamp space, and has a recess on its front side at a horizontal lateral position of the lamp unit; a radar unit having a radar sensor and a radar housing that houses the radar sensor therein, the radar unit being inserted into the recess; The radar housing has a communication portion between the recess and the recess, the communication portion being a gap that connects the inside and outside of the radar unit.

5. An air flow path is formed between the rear surface of the radar sensor and the light-transmitting cover, The lamp device according to claim 4 , wherein the flow path and the communication portion are connected to each other.

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