Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

To provide a lamp for a vehicle which can improve the appearance of light emission.SOLUTION: Reflection faces 10 of a plurality of reflectors 6 constitute one-side light emitting regions E which are aligned in one direction when viewing the plurality of reflectors 6 in a front view since the plurality of reflectors 6 are at least partially aligned in one direction. In the light emitting region E, extension lines S' which are formed by extending boundary lines S of the reflection faces 10 aligned in one direction up to a direction in which a light source 5 is located are formed so as to intersect with one another at one cross point, and the extension lines S' are defined as the boundary lines S of the reflection faces 10 which are aligned in one direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, some vehicle lamps are equipped with a light source such as a light-emitting diode (LED) inside the lamp body, and a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light source toward the front side.

[0003] Furthermore, among the above-mentioned vehicle lamps, there is one that includes a plurality of light sources 101 and a plurality of reflectors 102 provided corresponding to the light sources 101, respectively, and that is arranged in a line in the width direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle width direction"), as shown in, for example, FIG. 7(A) (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

[0004] In such a vehicle lamp, when the plurality of reflectors 102 are viewed from the front, the reflecting surfaces 102a of the plurality of reflectors 102 form one light-emitting area E' aligned in the vehicle width direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-059315 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the light-emitting area E' having the shape shown in Figure 7(A) described above, the shapes of the reflective surfaces 102a arranged in the vehicle width direction are the same, so that the boundary lines S'' of the reflective surfaces 102a arranged in the vehicle width direction are parallel to each other.

[0007] On the other hand, if the light emitting area E' is made irregularly shaped as shown in FIG. 7(B) to match the shape of the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp, the reflective surfaces 102a arranged in the vehicle width direction will have different shapes.

[0008] In this case, if the boundary lines S'' of the reflective surfaces 102a arranged in the vehicle width direction remain parallel to each other, not only will the appearance of the light-emitting area E' be poor, but there is also a risk that dark areas will appear in parts of the light-emitting area E' (for example, corners).

[0009] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and has as its object to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve the appearance of light emission. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means. [1] A plurality of light sources arranged in one direction; a plurality of reflectors provided corresponding to the plurality of light sources, each reflecting a reflection surface for reflecting the light emitted from the light source toward a front side; At least some of the reflectors are oriented in the one direction. and another direction intersecting the one direction. When the plurality of reflectors are viewed from the front, the reflecting surfaces of the plurality of reflectors are arranged in the one direction. and the other direction It forms one light-emitting area aligned in a row, The light emitting region is formed so that extension lines extending from the boundaries of the reflecting surfaces arranged in the one direction toward the light source intersect at one intersection, and the extension lines extend in the one direction. and the other direction a vehicular lamp configured to define boundaries of the reflective surfaces arranged in a line, 。 [ 2 The light emitting region is formed so that adjacent angles of the extension lines radially arranged from the intersection are equal to each other, and the extension lines are configured as boundary lines of the reflection surfaces arranged in the one direction, 〕to The vehicle lamp described above. [ 3 When the plurality of reflectors are viewed from the front, the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source and the boundary line are not parallel to each other. or [2] The vehicle lamp according to claim 1. [ 4 The reflector has a structure in which the reflecting surface is divided into a plurality of reflecting areas, and the reflecting direction of light incident on each reflecting area is controlled. 3 ] The vehicular lamp according to any one of the above items. [ 5 The plurality of light sources are arranged side by side on the same surface of the same substrate, and emit light radially in the same direction. 4 ] The vehicular lamp according to any one of the above items. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve the appearance of light emission. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a configuration of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a reflector housing when the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the side. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a front view illustrating division of the reflective surface by each boundary line of the light emitting region formed by the reflective surfaces of the plurality of reflectors shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a front view for explaining the relationship between each boundary line of a light-emitting region formed by the reflecting surfaces of a plurality of reflectors shown in FIG. 1 and the optical axis of light emitted from each light source. [Figure 6] 10 is a front view illustrating the division of a reflecting surface by each boundary line of a trapezoidal light-emitting region. FIG. [Figure 7]1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the division of the reflective surfaces by the boundaries of a light-emitting area formed by the reflective surfaces of multiple conventional reflectors, where (A) is a front view when the shapes of the reflective surfaces are the same, and (B) is a front view when the shapes of the reflective surfaces are different. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of the components may be shown at different scales to make them easier to see, and the dimensional ratios of the components may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

[0014] As one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle lamp 1 shown in, for example, FIGS. 1 to 5 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the reflector housing 6A when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the side. FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the division of the reflective surface 9 by each boundary line S of the light-emitting area E formed by the reflective surfaces 10 of the multiple reflectors 6. FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the relationship between each boundary line S of the light-emitting area E formed by the reflective surfaces 10 of the multiple reflectors 6 and the optical axis AX of the light L emitted from each light source 5.

[0015] In addition, in the drawings shown below, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set up, with the X-axis direction representing the front-to-rear direction (length direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, the Y-axis direction representing the left-to-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, and the Z-axis direction representing the up-to-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle lighting fixture 1 of this embodiment is a rear combination lamp mounted on both corners of the rear end of a vehicle (not shown) (in this embodiment, the corner on the left rear end), in which the present invention is applied to a stop lamp (brake lamp) that emits red light when braking.

[0017] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the respective directions when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front (rear of the vehicle). Therefore, the respective directions when the vehicle is viewed from the front (front of the vehicle) are the reverse of the front, rear, left, and right directions.

[0018] In addition, in the following description, the number of parts such as light sources and reflectors is an example, and the number of these parts and the division ratio can be adjusted appropriately depending on the situation in which the contents of the present invention are applied.

[0019] Specifically, this vehicle lamp 1 is disposed inside a lamp body 2 that constitutes a rear combination lamp. The lamp body 2 is composed of a housing 3 that is open at the front, and an outer lens (cover lens) 4 that covers the opening of the housing 3.

[0020] In the lamp body 2, the outer lens 4 has a curved shape that is curved in a direction that the outer side is more recessed than the inner side in the width direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle width direction") to match the slant shape given to the corner portion at the rear end of the vehicle.

[0021] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is a stop lamp and has a shape that curves in a direction that the outer side is more retracted than the inner side in the vehicle width direction. When viewed from the front, the vehicle lamp 1 has a shape that curves obliquely upward from the inner side to the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and is bent in a substantially L-shape overall.

[0022] The shapes of the lamp body 2 and the stop lamp are not necessarily limited to these shapes, and can be changed as appropriate to suit the design of the vehicle, etc.

[0023] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment has a structure in which it comprises a plurality of light sources 5 (eight in this embodiment), a plurality of reflectors 6 (eight in this embodiment), an inner lens 7, and an extension 8, all of which are arranged inside the lamp body 2.

[0024] The plurality of light sources 5 are composed of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit red light (hereinafter referred to as "light") L. The plurality of light sources 5 are mounted side by side in one direction (in this embodiment, the vehicle width direction) on one surface (in this embodiment, the bottom surface) of a plurality of (two in this embodiment) circuit boards 9A, 9B on which drive circuits for driving the LEDs are provided. The plurality of light sources 5 can also be arranged side by side at equal intervals in one direction.

[0025] The multiple circuit boards 9A, 9B are arranged in two rows, upper and lower, in accordance with the shape of the stop lamps described above. Of these, the lower circuit board 9A has six light sources 5 arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, the upper circuit board 9B has two light sources 5 arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. The upper circuit board 9B is also positioned outward in the vehicle width direction relative to the lower circuit board 9A.

[0026] Each of the circuit boards 9A, 9B is disposed in a state inclined obliquely upward from the inside toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. As a result, each of the light sources 5 radially emits light L in a direction perpendicular to one surface of each of the circuit boards 9A, 9B (diagonally downward in this embodiment). In other words, these multiple light sources 5 are arranged side by side on the same surface of the same circuit boards 8A, 8B, and are configured to radially emit light L in the same direction.

[0027] The circuit boards 9A and 9B are configured to have drive circuits for driving the LEDs described above, but it is also possible to arrange the mounting board on which the LEDs are mounted and the circuit board on which the drive circuits are mounted separately, and electrically connect these mounting boards and circuit boards via a wiring cord called a harness to protect the drive circuits from the heat generated by the LEDs.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the multiple reflectors 6 are arranged in two rows, upper and lower, to match the shape of the stop lamp described above, and are integrally formed by reflector housings 6A that are connected to each other.

[0029] The reflector housing 6A is made of a reflective material with a reflective film such as an aluminum vapor deposition film provided on its inner surface. The reflector housing 6A has a curved shape that is receding from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the shape of the stop lamp described above. In addition, the reflector housing 6A has a shape that is bent in a substantially L-shape overall, curving diagonally upward from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front.

[0030] Of these, the lower reflectors 6 are located below the lower circuit board 9A, and six of them are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction corresponding to the six light sources 5 mounted on this circuit board 9A. On the other hand, the upper reflectors 6 are located below the upper circuit board 9B, and two of them are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction corresponding to the two light sources 5 mounted on this circuit board 9B.

[0031] Each reflector 6 has, for example, a concave parabolic reflecting surface (hereinafter referred to as "reflecting surface") 10 obtained by cutting out a part of a paraboloid of revolution whose focus is the center (light emitting point) of each light source 5. Also, an opening 6a is provided at the top of each reflector 6, which allows light L emitted from the light source 5 to pass through toward the reflecting surface 10.

[0032] Each reflector 6 has a multi-reflector structure in which the reflective surface 10 is divided into multiple reflective areas 10a. This allows each reflector 6 to control the reflection direction of light L incident on each reflective area 10a, and to reflect the light L incident on the reflective surface 10 while diffusing it in the vehicle width direction.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner lens 7 is made of a red light-transmitting member, and is arranged to cover the front side of the reflector housing 6A in accordance with the shape of the stop lamp described above.

[0034] That is, the inner lens 7 has a curved shape in a direction in which the outer side is more recessed than the inner side in the vehicle width direction. Also, the inner lens 7 has a shape that is bent in a substantially L-shape overall, curving obliquely upward from the inner side to the outer side in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front.

[0035] The inner lens 7 receives light L reflected by the reflective surfaces 10 of the multiple reflectors 6 from the rear side and then emits it to the outside from the front side. As a result, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the front side of the inner lens 7 can be used as the light emitting surface 7a of the stop lamp to emit red light.

[0036] 2, the extension 8 is made of a colored (e.g., black) light-blocking member and has an opening 8a corresponding to the light-emitting surface 7a of the inner lens 7. The extension 8 is arranged to cover the periphery of the light-emitting surface 7a of the inner lens 7. In this way, the extension 8 blocks light L emitted from areas other than the light-emitting surface 7a of the inner lens 7.

[0037] In the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the reflecting surfaces 10 of the plurality of reflectors 6 form one light-emitting area E when the plurality of reflectors 6 are viewed from the front, as shown in FIG.

[0038] Specifically, this light-emitting area E has an overall shape that is roughly L-shaped when viewed from the front, curving diagonally upward from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction, in accordance with the shape of the light-emitting surface 7a of the inner lens 7 described above.

[0039] Of these, in the light emitting area E, six reflective surfaces 10 formed by the lower reflector 6 are arranged side by side in one direction (hereinafter referred to as the "left-right direction"). Also, two reflective surfaces 10 formed by the upper reflector 6 are arranged side by side in two rows in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the reflective surfaces 10 arranged side by side in the left-right direction are arranged in two rows in another direction (hereinafter referred to as the "up-down direction") that intersects with the one direction.

[0040] The light-emitting area E is formed so that an extension line S' extending from each boundary line S of the reflective surfaces 10 arranged in the left-right direction in the direction where the light source 5 is located (upward in this embodiment) intersects with the extension line S' at a single intersection point P, and this extension line S' is defined as each boundary line S of the reflective surfaces 10 arranged in the left-right direction.

[0041] In addition, the light-emitting area E is formed so that an extension line S' extending from each boundary line S of the reflecting surfaces 10 arranged in the left-right direction in the direction where the light source 5 is located intersects at one intersection point P, and this extension line S' is configured to partition each boundary line S of the reflecting surfaces 10 arranged in the up-down direction.

[0042] Furthermore, the light-emitting area E is formed so that the adjacent angles θ of the extension lines S' that are arranged radially from the intersection point P are equal to each other, and these extension lines S' are configured to partition the area E as boundary lines S between the reflective surfaces 10 that are arranged in the left-right direction and the reflective surfaces 10 that are arranged in the up-down direction.

[0043] In other words, the light-emitting area E is configured by dividing a portion of a plurality of extension lines S' that extend radially from one intersection point P located on the opposite side of the reflector 6 from the light source 5 toward the light source 5 side as boundary lines S between the reflective surfaces 10 arranged in the left-right direction and the reflective surfaces 10 arranged in the up-down direction.

[0044] As a method for dividing the light-emitting region E by a plurality of boundary lines S, for example, there is a method in which, using an intersection P where extension lines S' extending from boundary lines S located at both left and right ends of the light-emitting region E intersect as a reference, the region is divided by parts of extension lines S' that divide the space between the extension lines S' at equal intervals. Another method is to use an intersection P where extension lines S' extending from boundary lines S located at both left and right ends of the reflecting surface 10 located at the top of the light-emitting region E intersect as a reference, divide the space between the extension lines S' into two equal parts, and arrange extension lines S' radially from the intersection P at the angle obtained by dividing the space into two equal parts.

[0045] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the multiple reflectors 6 (light-emitting area E) are viewed from the front, the optical axis AX of the light L emitted from each light source 5 and the boundary line S of each reflecting surface 10 are non-parallel.

[0046] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, even if the light emitting area E formed by the reflective surfaces 10 of the multiple reflectors 6 has an irregular shape in accordance with the shape of the light emitting surface 7a of the stop lamp, by dividing the boundary lines S of the reflective surfaces 10, it is possible to make the reflective surfaces 10 forming the light emitting area E have a uniform shape. This makes it possible to improve the appearance of the light emitted in the light emitting area E (light emitting surface 7a of the stop lamp).

[0047] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, by making each of the reflective surfaces 10 that make up the above-mentioned light-emitting area E have a uniform shape, it is possible to make this light-emitting area E emit light more uniformly while suppressing the occurrence of dark areas in parts of the light-emitting area E (for example, corners).

[0048] The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, for a trapezoidal light-emitting area E as shown in Figure 6, it is possible to divide each boundary line S of the reflective surface 10 symmetrically on the left and right sides using a portion of the extension lines S' that divide the boundary lines S located at both ends of the light-emitting area E at equal intervals, based on the intersection point P where the extension lines S' intersect.

[0049] It should be noted that the light-emitting region E is not necessarily limited to a configuration in which the adjacent angles θ of the extension lines S' radially arranged from the intersection point P are equal to each other, but may also be a configuration in which the adjacent angles θ of the extension lines S' radially arranged from the intersection point P gradually (regularly) change.

[0050] The light-emitting region E is configured such that the boundary line S of each reflecting surface 10 is defined by a portion of the linear extension lines S' that radiate from the intersection point P, but the boundary line S of each reflecting surface 10 may also be defined by a portion of the curved extension lines S' that radiate from the intersection point P. Furthermore, the light-emitting region E may be configured such that the boundary line S of each reflecting surface 10 is defined by a portion of the linear extension lines S' that radiate from the intersection point P, and the shape of the reflecting surface 10 within the defined region may be regularly different from the linear boundary line S (for example, curved).

[0051] In addition, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a stop lamp constituting the above-mentioned rear combination lamp, but when the rear combination lamp includes a lid lamp adjacent to the rear combination lamp, it is preferable to define each boundary line S of the above-mentioned reflective surface 10 based on the boundary line between the rear combination lamp and the lid lamp. This makes it possible to give each reflective surface 10 constituting the light-emitting area E a unified shape between the rear combination lamp and the lid lamp.

[0052] In the above embodiment, an example is given of the application of the present invention to a stop lamp that constitutes the above-mentioned rear combination lamp, but the vehicle lamp to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the above-mentioned rear vehicle lamp, and the present invention can also be applied to a front vehicle lamp.

[0053] In other words, the vehicle lighting fixtures to which the present invention is applicable are not limited to the stop lamps described above, but can be widely applied to vehicle lighting fixtures in which the reflective surfaces of multiple reflectors form a single light-emitting area when multiple reflectors are viewed from the front, such as tail lamps, turn indicators, backup lamps, lid lamps, vehicle headlamps, position lamps, auxiliary headlamps, front (rear) fog lamps, and daytime running lamps.

[0054] Furthermore, the light source may be a light emitting element other than the LED described above, such as a laser diode (LD). The color of the light emitted by the light source is not limited to the red light described above, but may be white light, orange light, or other color depending on the application of the vehicle lamp. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...vehicle lamp 2...lamp body 3...housing 4...outer lens 5...light source 6...reflector 7...inner lens 8...extension 9A, 9B...circuit board 10...reflective surface 10a...reflective area L...light E...light-emitting area S...boundary line S'...extension line P...intersection point AX...optical axis

Claims

1. A plurality of light sources arranged in one direction; a plurality of reflectors provided corresponding to the plurality of light sources, each reflecting a reflection surface for reflecting the light emitted from the light source toward a front side; at least some of the plurality of reflectors are arranged side by side in the one direction and another direction intersecting the one direction, so that when the plurality of reflectors are viewed from the front, the reflective surfaces of the plurality of reflectors form one light-emitting region arranged side by side in the one direction and the other direction, The light-emitting area is formed so that extension lines extending from each boundary line of the reflective surface aligned in the one direction in the direction in which the light source is located intersect at one intersection, and the extension lines are configured to define the area as each boundary line of the reflective surface aligned in the one direction and the other direction.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting region is formed so that adjacent angles of the extension lines arranged radially from the intersection are equal to each other, and the extension lines are configured to define the light-emitting region as each boundary line of the reflective surfaces arranged in the one direction.

3. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein, when the plurality of reflectors are viewed from the front, an optical axis of the light emitted from the light source and the boundary line are not parallel to each other.

4. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the reflector has a structure in which the reflective surface is divided into a plurality of reflective areas, and the reflective direction of light incident on each reflective area is controlled.

5. 5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are arranged side by side on the same surface of the same substrate, and emit light radially in the same direction.

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