Vehicle lamp unit, vehicle lighting device

Abstract

To provide a lamp unit capable of making a pedestrian or the like walking around the vehicle aware of an approaching vehicle; and to provide a lighting fixture for the vehicle having the lamp unit.SOLUTION: A lamp unit 12 is loaded on a vehicle headlight 1, and illuminates a second region A2 including a range nearer to a car body than a first region A1 which is an illumination range of the headlight 1, with a prescribed projection pattern 31 such as a striped projection pattern. In this case, the second region A2 is included in a range invisible from a driver 52 due to a bonnet or the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lamp unit for a vehicle that alerts pedestrians and the like to the approach of a vehicle, and a vehicle lamp equipped with the lamp unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in vehicle lamps, a technology for notifying pedestrians and the like of the driving state of a vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a vehicle headlamp that can detect the switching of a brake from on to off and draw a start notification display on the road surface based on the detection result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a vehicle headlamp, in order to prevent annoyance to the driver, a uniform orientation pattern without streaks and unevenness is generated regardless of low beam or high beam. However, when a uniform orientation pattern is generated, especially in a bright environment such as an urban area or an intersection with lighting, it may be difficult for nearby pedestrians and bicycles (hereinafter referred to as pedestrians and the like) to notice an approaching vehicle. For this reason, there has been a desire to alert pedestrians and the like passing around the vehicle to the approach of the vehicle.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a lamp unit that can alert pedestrians and the like passing around the vehicle to the approach of the vehicle, and a vehicle lamp equipped with the lamp unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the lamp unit of the present disclosure is a lamp unit disposed as a second lighting means in a vehicle lamp, the vehicle lamp includes a first lighting means for illuminating a predetermined first area around the vehicle, and the lamp unit is characterized by illuminating a second area including a range closer to the vehicle body than the first area with a predetermined projection pattern.

[0007] Further, the vehicle lamp of the present disclosure mounts the above lamp unit.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the lamp unit of the present disclosure and the vehicle lamp equipped with the lamp unit, since the lamp unit illuminates the vicinity of the vehicle body with a predetermined projection pattern rather than the illumination range of the vehicle lamp, it is possible to make pedestrians in the vicinity aware of the approach of the vehicle without disturbing the driver's field of vision and to arouse attention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present disclosure is embodied in a vehicle headlamp will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the headlamp 1 includes an HL (headlamp) unit 11 (see FIG. 3) as first lighting means for illuminating a predetermined first area A1 in front of the vehicle, and a lamp unit 12 (see FIG. 3) as second lighting means for illuminating a second area A2 including a range closer to the vehicle body than the first area A1 with a predetermined projection pattern 31. As an example of the predetermined projection pattern 31, for example, a striped projection pattern 31 composed of a light portion 32 and a dark portion 33 can be mentioned. Hereinafter, the image projected on the road surface by the HL unit 11 will be described as S1, and the image projected on the road surface by the lamp unit 12 will be described as S2.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first area A1 is a normal illumination range illuminated by the headlamp 1 in low beam or high beam. Further, the second area A2 is included in an area A3 that cannot be seen from the driver 52, and indicates a position shielded by the vehicle body such as a bonnet and not visible to the driver 52, that is, an area from the nearest point P of the driver 52's field of view to the vehicle body. At this time, the first and second areas A1 and A2 include not only the road surface but also the area in the air. Note that the "area A3 that cannot be seen from the driver 52" here does not include blind spots due to obstacles such as pillars.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the lamp unit 12 is preferably disposed on the center side in the vehicle width direction in the headlamp 1. By disposing it in this way, it becomes possible to easily form (synthesize) one projection pattern 31 using the left and right lamp units 12R and 12L. In this embodiment, the lamp unit 12 is mounted on the headlamp 1, but it is also possible to mount the lamp unit 12 on the taillight or fog lamp instead of or together with the headlamp 1.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the headlamp 1 includes a lamp body 17 attached to the vehicle body and a light-transmitting cover 16 made of a transparent resin material. A lamp chamber 18 is formed inside both the lamp body 17 and the light-transmitting cover 16.

[0015] In the lamp chamber 18, an HL unit 11 and a lamp unit 12 for road surface drawing are arranged. The HL unit 11 includes a light source 111 such as an LED, a circuit board 112 on which the light source 111 is mounted, a reflector 113 that reflects the light L1 from the light source 111 toward the projection lens 114, and a projection lens 114 that projects the reflected light L1 to the outside of the headlamp 1. The lamp unit 12 also includes a light source 121 such as an LED, a circuit board 122 on which the light source 121 is mounted, a reflector 123 that reflects the light L2 from the light source 121 toward the projection lens 124, and a projection lens 124 that projects the reflected light L2 to the outside of the headlamp 1. The HL unit 11 and the lamp unit 12 are each tiltably supported on the lamp body 17 via an aiming mechanism (not shown). In the example of FIG. 4, parabolic reflectors 113, 123 and a projection lens 114 are employed to project the lights L1, L2, but it is also possible to employ a projector.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4(b), it is also possible to use the light source 111 of the HL unit 11 as the light source 121 of the lamp unit 12, direct L1 as the reflected light L2 from the reflector 113 toward the projection lens 124, and illuminate the second region A2. At this time, a part of the reflector 113 may be extended forward of the headlamp 1, and the light L2 may be reflected by the reflecting surface of the extended region 113a.

[0017] The lamp unit 12 has a configuration for forming a predetermined projection pattern 31. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a rotating shade 13 having a plurality of shielding walls 13a is arranged on the optical path of the light L2, a dark portion 33 is formed by the shielding walls 13a, and a bright portion 32 is formed by the light L2 passing through the gaps between the shielding walls 13a, thereby forming a striped projection pattern 31.

[0018] Figs. 5 and 6 show modified examples of the configuration for forming the projection pattern 31. In the example of Fig. 5, a predetermined surface shape 113b for forming a predetermined projection pattern 31 is provided on the reflecting surface of the extension region 113a of the reflector 113. At this time, it is also possible to change the projection pattern 31 by changing the surface shape 113b. Also, in this example, the light L2 is projected onto the second region A2 using the projection lens 114. A part of the light passing through the projection lens 114 is projected onto the first region A1 and the second region A2, but the light L2 is configured to be projected onto the second region A2.

[0019] In the example of Fig. 6(a), as the light source 111 of the HL unit 11, a MEMS 14 (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) formed by arranging multiple columns of LEDs in parallel is adopted, and a part of the LEDs 14a is assigned as the light source 121 of the lamp unit 12. By turning off the LEDs 14a at predetermined intervals to form the dark portions 33, a striped projection pattern 31 can be formed.

[0020] In the example of Fig. 6(b), the light L1 of the light source 111 of the HL unit 11 is reflected by the rotary reflector 153 to scan the front of the vehicle 51, and a part of the scanned light L1 is made incident on the projection lens 124 of the lamp unit 12 as the light L2. While the scanning light L2 is incident on the projection lens 124, by turning on / off the light source 111 at a predetermined timing, a striped projection pattern 31 can be formed. Also, in the example of Fig. 6, the light L2 can be configured to be projected onto the second region A2 using the projection lens 114.

[0021] Fig. 7 shows variations of the striped projection pattern 31. In the examples of Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), the left and right lamp units 12R and 12L form one projection pattern 31. On the other hand, in the examples of Figs. 7(c) and 7(d), the left and right lamp units 12R and 12L each form one projection pattern 31.

[0022] Also, in the examples of FIGS. 7(a) and 7(c), a horizontal stripe-shaped projection pattern 31a perpendicular to the traveling direction (forward) of the vehicle 51 is formed. On the other hand, in the examples of FIGS. 7(b) and 7(d), a vertical stripe-shaped projection pattern 31b along the traveling direction of the vehicle 51 is formed. In the examples of FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d), the light portions 32 and the dark portions 33 are provided with equal thicknesses, but it is also possible to increase the thickness d1 of the light portion 32, increase the thickness d2 of the dark portion 33, or make the thicknesses d1 and d2 of the light portion 32 and the dark portion 33 thick or thin at various places to provide unequal thicknesses.

[0023] The projection pattern 31 can preferably be formed not only by stripes but also by light with unevenness and shading. Also, the color of the projection pattern 31 can be white when the vehicle is going straight, amber when turning, and red in an emergency. At this time, the projection pattern 31 formed in red may be blinked to attract more attention of pedestrians 53 and the like. In addition, in the case of an autonomous vehicle, the color of the projection pattern can be a blue-green light indicating during autonomous driving. Also, it is possible to illuminate the second region A2 with an illuminance higher than that of the first region A1, for example, an illuminance of 1000 lux or more.

[0024] The projection pattern 31 may be a constantly fixed same pattern or a variable pattern. Also, since the image S2 is projected in an area that cannot be visually recognized by the driver 52, there is no adverse effect even if it is projected constantly or based on predetermined conditions.

[0025] As an example of projecting according to predetermined conditions, a control unit (not shown) for controlling the lighting and extinguishing of the lamp unit 12 is provided in the headlamp 1, and the lamp unit 12 can be lit simultaneously with the lighting of the HL unit 11, or the lamp unit 12 can be lit by an operation by the driver 52.

[0026] In addition, when the lamp unit 12 is mounted on the taillight and the fog lamp together with the headlamp 1, a traveling direction determination unit for determining the traveling direction of the vehicle 51 is provided in the control unit, and it is also possible to switch the lighting and extinguishing of the lamp unit 12 based on the traveling direction of the vehicle 51. The traveling direction determination unit can be configured to determine the traveling direction of the vehicle 51 by, for example, a gear, a vehicle speed sensor, or the like. For example, when the traveling direction of the vehicle 51 is changed from forward to backward, the control unit can control the lamp unit 12 of the headlamp 1 to be extinguished and the lamp unit 12 of the taillight to be lit.

[0027] Therefore, according to the headlamp 1 of this embodiment, the second region A2 that does not enter the driver's 52 field of vision and is visible from pedestrians 53 or the like is illuminated using the lamp unit 12. Thus, it does not interfere with the driver's 52 driving, and even when entering a bright intersection, it is easy for pedestrians 53 or the like around to see the approach of the vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to appropriately alert pedestrians 53 or the like who are walking around absent-mindedly while chatting or the like.

[0028] Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is also possible to appropriately change the shape and configuration of each part without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, it is also preferably possible to project not only an attention-grabbing pattern but also hospitality characters and images.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0029] 1 Headlamp 11 HL Unit 12 Lamp Unit 13 Rotating Shade (a: Shielding Wall) 14 MEMS (a: LED) 15 Rotating Reflector 16 Translucent Cover 17 Lamp Body 18 Lamp Chamber 31 Projection Pattern (a: Horizontal Stripes, b: Vertical Stripes) 32 Bright Portion 33 Dark Portion 51 Vehicle 52 Driver 53 Pedestrians 111 Light source 112 Circuit board 113 Reflector (a: Extension region, b: Surface shape) 114 Projection lens 121 Light source 122 Circuit board 123 Reflector 124 Projection lens d1 Thickness of the bright part d2 Thickness of the dark part A1 First region A2 Second region A3 Region not visible to the driver S1 Image projected onto the road surface by the HL unit S2 Image projected onto the road surface by the lamp unit

Claims

1. A lamp unit disposed as a second lighting means in a vehicle lamp, wherein the vehicle lamp includes first lighting means for illuminating a predetermined first area on the road surface and around the vehicle, the lamp unit illuminates a second area including a range near the vehicle body on the road surface and closer to the vehicle body than the first area with a predetermined projection pattern, the second area includes an area that is not visible to the driver of the vehicle on the road surface, the first lighting means includes a light source, the lamp unit illuminates the second area using the light of the light source, the projection pattern includes a striped projection pattern in which dark portions and bright portions appear in stripes, the lamp unit includes a shielding wall that shields the light directed toward the dark portions among the light of the light source, and the shielding wall is rotatably provided around a rotation axis orthogonal to the traveling direction of the light. A vehicle lamp unit characterized by this.

2. The vehicle lamp unit according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle lamp is a headlamp.

3. The vehicle lamp unit according to claim 2, wherein the lamp unit is disposed on the center side in the vehicle width direction in the headlamp.

4. The plurality of lamp units disposed in the plurality of headlamps project one projection pattern. The vehicle lamp unit according to claim 2 or 3.

5. A vehicle lamp equipped with the vehicle lamp unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images