Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

To achieve both of securement of distant visibility on a vehicle front traveling passage and easiness in adjusting an optical axis in a lateral direction, in a lighting fixture for a vehicle including first and second lighting fixture units to form a light distribution pattern for a low beam.SOLUTION: In a stepped cutoff line CL of a light distribution pattern PL for a low beam, shapes of shades of the first and second lighting fixture units are set so that an inclination angle of an inclination portion CL3B on a stepped cutoff line CLB formed by the shade of the second lighting fixture unit becomes less than an inclination angle of an inclination portion CL3A on a stepped cutoff line CLA formed by the shade of the first lighting fixture unit. An optical axis in a lateral direction can be easily adjusted by the stepped cutoff line CLA, and visibility of a long distant area of a vehicle front traveling passage can be easily secured by the stepped cutoff line CLB.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp having first and second lamp units for forming a low beam light distribution pattern. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a known vehicle lamp for forming a low beam light distribution pattern is configured such that light emitted from a light source located behind the rear focus of the projection lens is reflected toward the projection lens by a reflector arranged to cover the light source from above, and a shade arranged between the reflector and the projection lens blocks part of the reflected light from the reflector, thereby forming a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle lamp having a plurality of lamp units as one such configuration.

[0004] The vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 is configured to form a stepped cutoff line in which a lower cutoff line and an upper cutoff line are connected via an inclined portion. In this case, this stepped cutoff line is formed by superimposing a plurality of stepped cutoff lines formed by the irradiation light from a plurality of lamp units. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-183056 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the vehicle lamp described in the above-mentioned "Patent Document 1," the shades of the multiple lamp units have the same shape, and therefore the multiple stepped cutoff lines formed by these have the same inclination angle of their inclined portions.

[0007] In this case, if the inclination angle of the inclined portion is set to a large value, the position of the corners of the stepped cutoff line becomes clear, making it possible to easily adjust the light axis in the left-right direction when adjusting the light axis during low beam illumination.However, it becomes difficult to obtain light irradiating the spatial area adjacent to the inclined portion of the stepped cutoff line (i.e., the spatial area corresponding to the long-distance area of ​​the road ahead of the vehicle), which reduces long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle.

[0008] On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the inclined portion is set to a small value, it is possible to improve visibility in the long-distance area of ​​the road ahead of the vehicle, but the position of the corners of the stepped cut-off line becomes unclear, making it difficult to adjust the optical axis in the left-right direction.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp having first and second lamp units for forming a low beam light distribution pattern, which can ensure long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle while facilitating left-right adjustment of the optical axis. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention is configured to achieve the above object by providing a configuration with first and second lamp units and by devising the shape of each of the shades.

[0011] That is, the vehicle lamp according to the present invention is A vehicle lamp having first and second lamp units for forming a low beam light distribution pattern, Each of the first and second lamp units includes a projection lens, a light source disposed rearward of the rear focal point of the projection lens, a reflector disposed so as to cover the light source from above and reflecting light emitted from the light source toward the projection lens, and a shade disposed between the reflector and the projection lens and blocking a portion of the reflected light from the reflector to form a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern, the shades of the first and second lamp units are configured to form, as the cutoff lines, stepped cutoff lines in which a lower cutoff line and an upper cutoff line are connected via an inclined portion; The shape of each of the shades of the first and second lamp units is set so that the inclination angle of the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line formed by the shade of the second lamp unit is smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line formed by the shade of the first lamp unit.

[0012] The "shade" is not particularly limited in its specific configuration, as long as it is configured to block a portion of the reflected light from the reflector in order to form a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern.

[0013] The specific inclination angles of the inclined portions of the above-mentioned "first stepped cutoff line" and "second stepped cutoff line" are not particularly limited, as long as the inclination angle of the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line is set to a value smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises first and second lamp units, each of which is configured to form a cutoff line of a low beam light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of the light emitted from the light source and reflected by the reflector using a shade arranged between the reflector and the projection lens, thereby making it easy to form a low beam light distribution pattern with a desired light distribution using light emitted from the first and second lamp units.

[0015] In this case, the shades of the first and second lamp units are configured to form a stepped cutoff line in which a lower cutoff line and an upper cutoff line are connected via an inclined portion as the cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern, but the shapes of the shades of the first and second lamp units are set so that the inclination angle of the inclined portion in the second stepped cutoff line formed by the shade of the second lamp unit is smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined portion in the first stepped cutoff line formed by the shade of the first lamp unit, and therefore the following effects can be obtained.

[0016] In other words, the low beam light distribution pattern is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of a first stepped cutoff line with a large inclination angle of the inclined portion and a second stepped cutoff line with a small inclination angle of the inclined portion. Therefore, if the optical axis adjustment of the first and second lamp units is performed integrally, it becomes easy to adjust the optical axis in the left-right direction using the first stepped cutoff line, and it becomes easy to ensure visibility in the long-distance area of ​​the road ahead of the vehicle using the second stepped cutoff line.

[0017] Thus, according to the present invention, in a vehicle lamp having first and second lamp units for forming a low beam light distribution pattern, it is possible to ensure long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle while facilitating adjustment of the optical axis in the left-right direction.

[0018] In the above configuration, if the shade of the first lamp unit and the shade of the second lamp unit are configured to be integrally formed, the number of parts of the vehicle lamp can be reduced. On the other hand, when such a configuration is adopted, the optical axis adjustment of the first and second lamp units is necessarily performed integrally, and the first stepped cut-off line can be used to facilitate the left-right optical axis adjustment, as described above. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and ease of left-right optical axis adjustment while reducing the number of parts of the vehicle lamp.

[0019] In the above configuration, if the connection position between the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the upper cutoff line and the connection position between the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line and the upper cutoff line are set to the same position, then when attempting to achieve both ensuring long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and facilitating left-right adjustment of the optical axis as a low beam distribution pattern, it is possible to make this one that emphasizes improving long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle.

[0020] On the other hand, in the above configuration, if the connection position between the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the lower cutoff line and the connection position between the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line and the lower cutoff line are set to the same position, then when attempting to achieve a low beam light distribution pattern that ensures long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and facilitates adjustment of the optical axis in the left and right directions, it can be made to emphasize the glare prevention function for drivers of oncoming vehicles and drivers of vehicles in front, etc.

[0021] Alternatively, in the above configuration, if the connection positions of the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line and the upper and lower cutoff lines are set to positions on both the left and right sides of the connection positions of the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the upper and lower cutoff lines, then when attempting to achieve a low beam light distribution pattern that ensures long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and facilitates left-right adjustment of the optical axis, this can be a pattern that balances improved long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle with glare prevention functionality for drivers of oncoming vehicles and drivers of vehicles in front, etc.

[0022] In the above configuration, if the shades of the first and second lighting units are each configured to have an upward reflective surface that reflects the reflected light from the reflector upward toward the projection lens, and are configured to form first and second stepped cutoff lines at the front edges of the upward reflective surface, respectively, the luminous flux utilization rate of the light emitted from the light source can be increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a lamp unit assembly of the vehicle lamp; [Figure 3] Cross section of line III-III in Figure 2 [Figure 4] (a) is a detailed view of part IVa in Figure 1, and (b) is a detailed view of part IVa in Figure 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the lamp unit assembly. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a low-beam light distribution pattern formed by light emitted from the vehicle lamp. [Figure 7] Detailed view of part VII in Figure 6 [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a first modified example of the embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating the operation of the first modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a second modification of the embodiment; [Figure 11] FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating the operation of the second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a lamp unit assembly 20 of the vehicle lamp 10.

[0026] 1 and 2, the direction indicated by X is "forward of the lamp," the direction indicated by Y is "leftward" ("rightward" when viewed from the front of the lamp) perpendicular to "forward of the lamp," and the direction indicated by Z is "upward." This is the same in other figures.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 10 of this embodiment is a headlamp placed at the front end of the vehicle, and is configured so that a lamp unit assembly 20 is housed within a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body 12 and a transparent cover 14 attached to the front end opening.

[0028] The lamp unit assembly 20 is configured such that first and second lamp units 30A and 30B for forming a low beam light distribution pattern are integrally formed.

[0029] The first and second lamp units 30A, 30B are both configured as projector-type lamp units and are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction). Specifically, the first lamp unit 30A is located on the right side, and the second lamp unit 30B is located on the left side.

[0030] The first lighting unit 30A includes a projection lens 32A having an optical axis Ax extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the lighting fixture, a light source 34A arranged rearward of the rear focus F of the projection lens 32A (more precisely, the rear focus in the vertical cross section), a reflector 36A arranged to cover the light source 34A from above and reflect the light emitted from the light source 34A toward the projection lens 32A, and a shade 38A arranged between the reflector 36A and the projection lens 32A and blocking part of the light reflected from the reflector 36A.

[0031] Like the first lighting unit 30A, the second lighting unit 30B is configured to include a projection lens 32B, a light source 34B, a reflector 36B, and a shade 38B, but the configuration of the shade 38B is slightly different from that of the first lighting unit 30A.

[0032] Next, the specific configuration of each of the first and second lamp units 30A and 30B will be described.

[0033] First, the specific configuration of the first lamp unit 30A will be described.

[0034] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4(a) is a detailed view of IVa in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the lamp unit assembly 20.

[0035] 3 and 5, the projection lens 32A is a plano-convex aspherical lens with a convex front surface 32Aa and a flat rear surface 32Ab, and projects a light source image formed on a rear focal plane that includes the rear focal point F as an inverted image onto a virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp. This projection lens 32A has an outer shape that is horizontally elongated and rectangular when viewed from the front of the lamp.

[0036] The light source 34A is a light-emitting element (specifically, a white light-emitting diode) and has a light-emitting surface 34Aa in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape. The light source 34A is supported by the substrate 40 with the light-emitting surface 34Aa facing upward on the optical axis Ax.

[0037] The reflector 36A is configured to make the light emitted from the light source 34A incident on the projection lens 32A as light that converges in the left-right direction.

[0038] Specifically, the reflecting surface 36Aa of the reflector 36A is configured as a substantially ellipsoidal curved surface with the light emission center of the light source 34A as its first focus, and its eccentricity is set to gradually increase from the vertical cross section to the horizontal cross section. As a result, the reflector 36A converges the light emitted from the light source 34A to a point located on the front side of the lamp from the rear focal point F in the vertical cross section, and displaces the convergence position further forward in the horizontal cross section.

[0039] The shade 38A is formed with an upward-facing reflective surface 38Aa that reflects a portion of the light reflected from the reflector 36A upward toward the projection lens 32A. The upward-facing reflective surface 38Aa is formed so that its front edge 38Aa1 curves and extends forward of the lamp from the rear focal point F of the projection lens 32A to both the left and right, and its rear edge 38Aa2 also curves and extends forward of the lamp to both the left and right. The upward-facing reflective surface 38Aa is formed so that its rear edge 38Aa2 is located further forward of the lamp than the front edge 36Aa1 of the reflective surface 36Aa of the reflector 36A, thereby preventing the shade 38A and the reflector 36A from overlapping in a plan view.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4A, the upward reflective surface 38Aa of the shade 38A has a left region 38AaA located to the left of the optical axis Ax (the right side when viewed from the front of the lamp) and formed as a horizontal plane including the optical axis Ax. A right region 38AaB located to the right of the optical axis Ax has a horizontal plane one step lower than the left region 38AaA, with a short sloped region 38AaC interposed between them. The sloped region 38AaC is formed as a flat surface with a relatively large inclination angle (specifically, a 45° inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane). Thus, a connection position C1 between the sloped region 38AaC and the left region 38AaA is located on the optical axis Ax, and a connection position C2 between the sloped region 38AaC and the right region 38AaB is located diagonally downward and to the right by 45° from the connection position C1.

[0041] Next, the specific configuration of the second lamp unit 30B will be described.

[0042] As described above, the configurations of the projection lens 32B, light source 34B and reflector 36B of the second lighting unit 30B are the same as those of the first lighting unit 30A, and the basic configuration of the shade 38B is also the same as that of the first lighting unit 30A, but the shape of its upward reflecting surface 38Ba is partially different from that of the first lighting unit 30A.

[0043] FIG. 4(b) is a detailed view of IVb in FIG.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4(b), the upward reflecting surface 38Ba of the shade 38B also has a left side area 38BaA located to the left of the optical axis Ax, which is composed of a horizontal plane including the optical axis Ax, and a right side area 38BaB located to the right of the optical axis Ax, which is composed of a horizontal plane one step lower than the left side area 38BaA via a short sloped area 38BaC.

[0045] The sloped region 38BaC is formed flat with a relatively small inclination angle (specifically, a 15° inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane). The connection position C3 between the sloped region 38BaC and the left region 38BaA is located to the left of the optical axis Ax, and the connection position C4 between the sloped region 38BaC and the right region 38BaB is located to the right of the optical axis Ax. Specifically, the rightward displacement of the connection position C4 from the optical axis Ax is set to the same value as the connection position C2 between the sloped region 38AaC and the right region 38AaB on the upward reflecting surface 38Aa of the shade 38A. As a result, the connection position C3 is set at a position considerably farther left from the optical axis Ax.

[0046] The lamp unit assembly 20 is configured such that the light sources 34A and 34B of the first and second lamp units 30A and 30B are supported on a metal heat sink 50 via a common substrate 40, and this heat sink 50 is supported on a resin holder 60.

[0047] The holder 60 has a horizontal flange portion 60a that extends along a horizontal plane and surrounds the outer peripheral edges of the reflectors 36A and 36B of the first and second lamp units 30A and 30B. The two reflectors 36A and 36B are formed integrally with the holder 60.

[0048] The heat sink 50 includes a main body 52 extending laterally along a horizontal plane, and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 54 formed to extend downward from the underside of the main body 52. ​​The plurality of heat dissipation fins 54 are spaced apart in the left-right direction. The heat sink 50 is supported by the holder 60 with the main body 52 abutting against a horizontal flange 60a of the holder 60 from below.

[0049] The shades 38A and 38B of the first and second lamp units 30A and 30B are also formed integrally with the holder 60.

[0050] The projection lenses 32A and 32B of the first and second lamp units 30A and 30B are integrally formed as a projection lens assembly 22 and are supported by a holder 60.

[0051] That is, a frame portion 60b extending along a vertical plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the lamp is formed at the front end of the holder 60. This frame portion 60b is formed in a horizontally elongated U-shape when viewed from the front of the lamp, and has an L-shaped cross section. The projection lens assembly 22 is supported by the holder 60 with the peripheral portions of the rear surfaces of the two projection lenses 32A, 32B abutting against the frame portion 60b of the holder 60 from the front side of the lamp.

[0052] In this way, the lamp unit assembly 20 is formed integrally with the reflectors 36A, 36B and shades 38A, 38B of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B and the holder 60, thereby enabling the vehicle lamp 10 to perform integral adjustment of the optical axes of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B.

[0053] In addition, in the lighting unit assembly 20, the reflectors 36A, 36B, the shades 38A, 38B, and the holder 60 have no overlapping parts when viewed in a plane, so when these are molded into a single injection-molded product, the structure of the mold used for this is simple.

[0054] When the lamp unit assembly 20 is incorporated into the vehicle lamp 10, the optical axes Ax of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B are arranged to extend downward by approximately 0.5 to 0.6° toward the front of the lamp relative to the horizontal plane.

[0055] FIG. 6(c) is a perspective view showing a low beam light distribution pattern PL formed by the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 10. As shown in FIG.

[0056] The low-beam light distribution pattern PL shown in Fig. 6(c) is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of the first light distribution pattern PLA shown in Fig. 6(a) and the second light distribution pattern PLB shown in Fig. 6(b). In this case, the first light distribution pattern PLA is a light distribution pattern formed by light irradiated from the first lamp unit 30A, and the second light distribution pattern PLB is a light distribution pattern formed by light irradiated from the second lamp unit 30B.

[0057] 6(c), the low-beam light distribution pattern PL is a low-beam light distribution pattern with left-hand light distribution, and its cutoff line is formed as a stepped cutoff line CL. This stepped cutoff line CL is a cutoff line that extends horizontally with a step on the left and right sides with respect to a VV line that passes vertically through HV, which is a vanishing point in the front direction of the lamp, as a boundary, and the portion to the right of the VV line (i.e., on the side of the oncoming lane) is formed as a lower cutoff line CL1, and the portion to the left of the VV line (i.e., on the side of the own lane) is formed as an upper cutoff line CL2 that is stepped up from the lower cutoff line CL1 via an inclined portion CL3.

[0058] In the low beam light distribution pattern PL, the elbow point E, which is the intersection of the lower cutoff line CL1 and the VV line, is located about 0.5 to 0.6° below HV. This is because the optical axes Ax of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B extend downward by about 0.5 to 0.6° toward the front of the lamp relative to the horizontal plane.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 6(a), the first light distribution pattern PLA has a stepped cutoff line CLA, and as shown in Fig. 6(b), the second light distribution pattern PLB has a stepped cutoff line CLB. And as shown in Fig. 6(c), the stepped cutoff line CL of the low-beam light distribution pattern PL is formed by superimposing these two stepped cutoff lines CLA, CLB.

[0060] FIG. 7 is a detailed view of portion VII in FIG. 6, showing a main part of the low-beam light distribution pattern PL.

[0061] 7, the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B of the two stepped cutoff lines CLA and CLB constituting the inclined portion CL3 of the stepped cutoff line CL is set to a smaller value than the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3A. Specifically, the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3A is set to 45°, and the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B is set to 15°.

[0062] In the stepped cutoff line CLA of the first light distribution pattern PLA, a connection position Ab between the inclined portion CL3A and the lower cutoff line CL1A is located on the line VV, and this connection position Ab forms an elbow point E of the low beam light distribution pattern PL. In this stepped cutoff line CLA, a connection position At between the inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A is located diagonally upward to the left at 45° from the connection position Ab (i.e., the elbow point E).

[0063] This is because the first light distribution pattern PLA is formed by projecting the light source image of the light source 34A, which is formed on the rear focal plane of the projection lens 32A by the light emitted from the light source 34A reflected by the reflector 36A, as an inverted projection image onto the above-mentioned virtual vertical screen by the projection lens 32A, and at that time, a stepped cutoff line CLA is formed as an inverted projection image of the front edge 38Aa of the upward reflecting surface 38Aa.

[0064] That is, the connection position C1 between the inclined region 38AaC of the upward reflecting surface 38Aa shown in Figure 4(a) and the left side region 38AaA corresponds to the connection position Ab (i.e., elbow point E) shown in Figure 7, and the connection position C2 between the inclined region 38AaC of the upward reflecting surface 38Aa shown in Figure 4(a) and the right side region 38AaB corresponds to the connection position At shown in Figure 7.

[0065] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, in the stepped cutoff line CLB of the second light distribution pattern PLB, the connection position Bt between the inclined portion CL3B and the upper cutoff line CL2B coincides with the connection position At of the stepped cutoff line CLA.

[0066] This is because the rightward displacement amount from the optical axis Ax of the connection position C4 shown in Figure 4(b) is set to the same value as the rightward displacement amount from the optical axis Ax of the connection position C2 shown in Figure 4(a).

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7, the inclined portion CL3B of the stepped cutoff line CLB is formed at an inclination angle of 15°, so the connection position Bb between the inclined portion CL3B and the lower cutoff line CL1B is significantly displaced to the right from the line VV.

[0068] As a result, in the low beam light distribution pattern PL, a wedge-shaped region W is formed near the upper side of the elbow point E (i.e., near the right side of the inclined portion CL3A) where light from the first light distribution pattern PLA is not present and only light from the second light distribution pattern PLB is present. The formation of such a wedge-shaped region W improves long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle compared to when the first light distribution pattern PLA is formed twice as a low beam light distribution pattern.

[0069] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0070] The vehicle lamp 10 of this embodiment includes first and second lamp units 30A, 30B, each of which is configured to form a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern PL by using shades 38A, 38B arranged between the reflectors 36A, 36B and the projection lenses 32A, 32B to block a portion of the light emitted from the light sources 34A, 34B and reflected by the reflectors 36A, 36B, thereby making it easy to form the low beam light distribution pattern PL with the desired light distribution by using the light irradiated from the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B.

[0071] In this case, the shades 38A, 38B of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B are configured to form a stepped cutoff line CL in which a lower cutoff line CL1 and an upper cutoff line CL2 are connected via an inclined portion CL3 as a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern PL. However, the shapes of the shades 38A, 38B of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B are set so that the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B in the stepped cutoff line CLB formed by the shade 38B of the second lamp unit 30B is smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3A in the stepped cutoff line CLA formed by the shade 38A of the first lamp unit 30A, and therefore the following effects can be obtained.

[0072] That is, the low beam light distribution pattern PL is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of a first light distribution pattern PLA having a stepped cutoff line CLA with a large inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3A and a second light distribution pattern PLB having a stepped cutoff line CLB with a small inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B, and the optical axis adjustment of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B is performed integrally. Therefore, the stepped cutoff line CLA makes it easy to adjust the optical axis in the left-right direction, and the stepped cutoff line CLB makes it easy to ensure visibility in the long-distance area of ​​the road ahead of the vehicle.

[0073] Specifically, in this embodiment, the inclined portion CL3A in the stepped cutoff line CLA of the first light distribution pattern PLA is configured to extend diagonally upward to the left at an angle of 45° from the elbow point E, and the connection position At between this inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A is set to the same position as the connection position Bt between the inclined portion CL3B in the stepped cutoff line CLB of the second light distribution pattern PLB and the upper cutoff line CL2B, so the following effects can be obtained.

[0074] That is, in the low beam light distribution pattern PL, a wedge-shaped region W is formed above and near the elbow point E where light from the first light distribution pattern PLA is not present but light from the second light distribution pattern PLB is present, thereby improving the long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle compared to a case where the first light distribution pattern PLA is formed twice as a low beam light distribution pattern.

[0075] Furthermore, when adjusting the optical axis in the left-right direction, the optical axis can be easily adjusted based on the connection position Ab between the inclined portion CL3A of the stepped cutoff line CLA and the lower cutoff line CL1A or the connection position At between the inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A. If the second light distribution pattern PLB were formed as a double low-beam light distribution pattern, the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B would be small, making the left-right positions of the connection position Bt with the upper cutoff line CL2B and the connection position Bb with the lower cutoff line CL1B unclear. Therefore, it is not easy to adjust the optical axis in the left-right direction based on these connection positions Bb or Bt.

[0076] Thus, according to this embodiment, in a vehicle lamp 10 equipped with first and second lamp units 30A, 30B for forming a low beam light distribution pattern PL, it is possible to ensure long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle while facilitating adjustment of the optical axis in the left-right direction.

[0077] Moreover, in this embodiment, the connection position At between the inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A in the stepped cutoff line CLA of the first light distribution pattern PLA is set to the same position as the connection position Bt between the inclined portion CL3B and the upper cutoff line CL2B in the stepped cutoff line CLB of the second light distribution pattern PLB, so that the low beam light distribution pattern PL can be formed with a wedge-shaped region W formed in the vicinity above the elbow point E. Therefore, when attempting to ensure long-distance visibility of a road ahead of the vehicle and facilitate lateral adjustment of the optical axis as the low beam light distribution pattern PL, it is possible to make the pattern prioritize improved long-distance visibility of a road ahead of the vehicle.

[0078] In addition, in this embodiment, the shade 38A of the first lamp unit 30A and the shade 38B of the second lamp unit 30B are formed integrally, thereby reducing the number of parts in the vehicle lamp 10 and achieving both long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and easy adjustment of the optical axis in the left-right direction.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shades 38A, 38B of the first and second lamp units 30A, 30B each have upward reflecting surfaces 38Aa, 38Ba that reflect the reflected light from the reflectors 36A, 36B upward toward the projection lenses 32A, 32B, and are configured to form first and stepped cutoff lines CLA, CLB at their front edges 38Aa1, 38Ba1, respectively, thereby increasing the luminous flux utilization rate of the light emitted from the light sources 34A, 34B.

[0080] In the above embodiment, it has been described that the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3A in the stepped cutoff line CLA formed by the shade 38A of the first lamp unit 30A is set to 45°, and the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B in the stepped cutoff line CLB formed by the shade 38B of the second lamp unit 30B is set to 15°, but it is also possible to set the inclination angle to a value other than those mentioned above as long as the inclination angle of the inclined portion CL3B is smaller than that of the inclined portion CL3A.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the shade 38A of the first lighting unit 30A is formed so that the front end edge 38Aa1 and the rear end edge 38Aa2 of its upward reflecting surface 38Aa extend in a curved manner toward the front of the lighting fixture on both the left and right sides, and the shade 38B of the second lighting unit 30B is described as having a similar configuration, but it is also possible to configure them so that they extend in a straight line toward both the left and right sides.

[0082] Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0083] First, a first modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0084] FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a main part of a vehicle lamp according to this modified example.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 8, the basic configuration of this modified example is the same as that of the above embodiment, but the configuration of the shade 138B of the second lamp unit 130B is partially different from that of the above embodiment.

[0086] 8(b), in the shade 138B of this modification, the upward reflecting surface 138Ba has a left region 138BaA that is formed of a horizontal plane including the optical axis Ax, and a right region 138BaB that is formed of a horizontal plane that is one step lower than the left region 138BaA via a short sloped region 138BaC. In this case, the inclination angle of the sloped region 138BaC is set to the same value (i.e., 15°) as the inclination angle of the sloped region 38BaC in the above embodiment.

[0087] In the shade 138B of this modification, the connection position C3 between the sloped surface region 138BaC and the left region 138BaA is located on the optical axis Ax, and as a result, the connection position C4 between the sloped surface region 138BaC and the right region 138BaB is set at a position considerably farther to the right than the optical axis Ax.

[0088] FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing a main part of a low beam light distribution pattern PL-1 formed by light emitted from a vehicle lamp according to this modified example.

[0089] As shown in Figure 9, the low beam light distribution pattern PL-1 is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of a first light distribution pattern PLA formed by light irradiated from the first lamp unit 30A and a second light distribution pattern PLB-1 formed by light irradiated from the second lamp unit 130B, and its cutoff line is formed as a stepped cutoff line CL-1 in which a lower cutoff line CL1-1 and an upper cutoff line CL2-1 are connected via an inclined portion CL3-1.

[0090] In this case, in the stepped cutoff line CLB-1 of the second light distribution pattern PLB-1, the connection position Bb between its inclined portion CL3B-1 and the lower cutoff line CL1B-1 is located on the VV line, and the connection position Bt between the inclined portion CL3B-1 and the upper cutoff line CL2B-1 is significantly displaced to the left from the VV line.

[0091] That is, the connection position C3 between the inclined region 138BaC of the upward reflecting surface 138Ba and the left region 138BaA shown in Figure 8(b) corresponds to the connection position Bb (i.e., elbow point E) shown in Figure 9, and the connection position C4 between the inclined region 138BaC of the upward reflecting surface 138Ba and the right region 138BaB shown in Figure 8(b) corresponds to the connection position Bt shown in Figure 9.

[0092] As a result, in the low beam light distribution pattern PL-1 shown in Fig. 9, a wedge-shaped region W-1 is formed on the left side of the inclined portion CL3A, where light of the first light distribution pattern PLA is present but light of the second light distribution pattern PLB-1 is not present. By forming such a wedge-shaped region W-1, the left shoulder of the road ahead of the vehicle is prevented from becoming excessively bright, compared to when the first light distribution pattern PLA is formed twice as a low beam light distribution pattern, and the long-distance visibility of the left shoulder of the road ahead of the vehicle is improved, compared to when the second light distribution pattern PLB-1 is formed twice as a low beam light distribution pattern.

[0093] In the vehicle lamp according to this modified example, when adjusting the optical axis in the left-right direction, the optical axis can be easily adjusted based on the connection position Ab between the inclined portion CL3A in the stepped cutoff line CLA and the lower cutoff line CL1A or the connection position At between the inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A.

[0094] In this way, even in this modified example, a vehicle lamp equipped with first and second lamp units 30A, 130B for forming a low beam light distribution pattern PL-1 can ensure long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle while facilitating left-right adjustment of the optical axis.

[0095] In this case, in this modified example, when the low beam light distribution pattern PL-1 is intended to achieve both long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and easy adjustment of the optical axis in the left and right directions, it can be made to emphasize the glare prevention function for drivers of oncoming vehicles and drivers of vehicles ahead, etc.

[0096] Next, a second modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a main part of a vehicle lamp according to this modified example.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 10, the basic configuration of this modified example is the same as that of the above embodiment, but the configuration of the shade 238B of the second lamp unit 230B is partially different from that of the above embodiment.

[0099] 10(b), in the shade 238B of this modification, the upward reflecting surface 238Ba has a left region 238BaA that is formed of a horizontal plane including the optical axis Ax, and a right region 238BaB that is formed of a horizontal plane that is one step lower than the left region 238BaA via a short sloped region 238BaC. In this case, the sloped region 238BaC has an inclination angle that is set to the same value (i.e., 15°) as the inclination angle of the sloped region 38BaC in the above embodiment.

[0100] In the shade 238B of this modified example, the connection position C3 between the inclined region 238BaC and the left region 238BaA is located to the left of the optical axis Ax, and the connection position C4 between the inclined region 238BaC and the right region 238BaB is located to the right of the connection position C2 between the inclined region 38AaC and the right region 38BaB on the upward reflective surface 38Aa of the shade 38A shown in Figure 10(a).

[0101] FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing a main part of a light distribution pattern PL-2 for low beam formed by light emitted from a vehicle lamp according to this modified example.

[0102] As shown in Figure 11, the low beam distribution pattern PL-2 is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of a first light distribution pattern PLA formed by light irradiated from the first lamp unit 30A and a second light distribution pattern PLB-2 formed by light irradiated from the second lamp unit 230B, and its cutoff line is formed as a stepped cutoff line CL-2 in which a lower cutoff line CL1-2 and an upper cutoff line CL2-2 are connected via an inclined portion CL3-2.

[0103] In this case, in the stepped cutoff line CLB-2 of the second light distribution pattern PLB-2, the connection position Bb between the inclined portion CL3B-2 and the lower cutoff line CL1B-2 is located to the right of the VV line, and the connection position Bt between the inclined portion CL3B-1 and the upper cutoff line CL2B-2 is located to the left of the connection position At between the inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A in the stepped cutoff line CLA.

[0104] As a result, in the low beam light distribution pattern PL-2, a wedge-shaped region W-2A is formed on the right side of the inclined portion CL3A where light from the first light distribution pattern PLA is not present but light from the second light distribution pattern PLB-2 is present, and a wedge-shaped region W-2B is formed on the left side of the inclined portion CL3A where light from the first light distribution pattern PLA is present but light from the second light distribution pattern PLB-2 is not present. By forming such wedge-shaped regions W-2A and W-2B, the left shoulder of the road ahead of the vehicle is prevented from becoming excessively bright, and long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle is improved, compared to a case where the first light distribution pattern PLA is formed twice as a low beam light distribution pattern.

[0105] In the vehicle lamp according to this modified example, when adjusting the optical axis in the left-right direction, the optical axis can be easily adjusted based on the connection position Ab between the inclined portion CL3A in the stepped cutoff line CLA and the lower cutoff line CL1A or the connection position At between the inclined portion CL3A and the upper cutoff line CL2A.

[0106] In this way, even in this modified example, a vehicle lamp equipped with first and second lamp units 30A, 230B for forming a low beam light distribution pattern PL-2 can ensure long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle while facilitating adjustment of the optical axis in the left-right direction.

[0107] In this case, in this modified example, when the low beam light distribution pattern PL-2 is intended to achieve both long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle and easy adjustment of the optical axis in the left and right directions, it can be designed to balance improved long-distance visibility of the road ahead of the vehicle with the function of preventing glare for drivers of oncoming vehicles and drivers of vehicles ahead, etc.

[0108] It should be noted that the numerical values ​​shown as the specifications in the above embodiment and its modified examples are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these may be set to different values ​​as appropriate.

[0109] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiment and its modifications, and various other modified configurations can be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 10 Vehicle lighting fixtures 12 Lamp body 14 Translucent cover 20 Lighting unit assembly 22 Projection lens assembly 30A 1st lighting unit 30B, 130B, 230B second lamp unit 32A, 32B projection lenses 32Aa front 32Ab rear 34A, 34B light source 34Aa Light-emitting surface 36A, 36B reflectors 36Aa reflective surface 36Aa1 Front edge 38A, 38B, 138B, 238B shades 38Aa, 38Ba, 138Ba, 238Ba upward-facing reflector 38Aa1 Front edge 38Aa2 posterior edge 38AaA, 38BaA, 138BaA, 238BaA left area 38AaB, 38BaB, 138BaB, 238BaB right area 38AaC, 38BaC, 138BaC, 238BaC Slope area 40 boards 50 Heatsink 52 Main body 54 Heat dissipation fin 60 Holder 60a Horizontal flange 60b Frame section Ab, Bb Connection position between the slope and the lower cutoff line At, Bt Connection position between the slope and the upper cutoff line Ax optical axis C1, C3 Connection point between the slope area and the left area C2, C4 Connection point between the slope area and the right area CL, CL-1, CL-2 stepped cut-off line CLA stepped cutoff line (first stepped cutoff line) CLB, CLB-1, CLB-2 stepped cutoff line (second stepped cutoff line) CL1, CL1A, CL1B, CL1-1, CL1B-1, CL1-2, CL1B-2 Lower cutoff line CL2, CL2A, CL2B, CL2-1, CL2B-1, CL2-2, CL2B-2 Upper cutoff line CL3, CL3A, CL3B, CL3-1, CL3B-1, CL3-2, CL3B-2 Inclined section E Elbow point F back focus PL, PL-1, PL-2 low beam light distribution pattern PLA 1st light distribution pattern PLB, PLB-1, PLB-2 Second light distribution pattern W, W-1, W-2A, W-2B wedge-shaped area

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp including first and second lamp units for forming a low beam light distribution pattern, Each of the first and second lamp units includes a projection lens, a light source disposed rearward of the rear focal point of the projection lens, a reflector disposed so as to cover the light source from above and reflecting light emitted from the light source toward the projection lens, and a shade disposed between the reflector and the projection lens and blocking a portion of the reflected light from the reflector to form a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern, the shades of the first and second lamp units are configured to form, as the cutoff line, a stepped cutoff line in which a lower cutoff line and an upper cutoff line are connected via an inclined portion, A vehicle lamp characterized in that the shapes of the shades of the first and second lamp units are set so that the inclination angle of the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line formed by the shade of the second lamp unit is smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line formed by the shade of the first lamp unit.

2. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the shade of said first lamp unit and the shade of said second lamp unit are integrally formed.

3. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein a connection position between the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the upper cutoff line is set to the same position as a connection position between the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line and the upper cutoff line.

4. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein a connection position between the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the lower cutoff line is set to the same position as a connection position between the inclined portion of the second stepped cutoff line and the lower cutoff line.

5. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the connection positions of the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the upper and lower cutoff lines in the second stepped cutoff line are set on both the left and right sides of the connection positions of the inclined portion of the first stepped cutoff line and the upper and lower cutoff lines in the second stepped cutoff line.

6. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein each of the shades of the first and second lamp units has an upward reflecting surface that reflects the reflected light from the reflector upward toward the projection lens, and is configured to form the first and second stepped cutoff lines at the front end edges of the upward reflecting surface, respectively.

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