Lighting unit and vehicle lighting fixture

Abstract

To reduce manufacturing cost of a lighting fixture unit and a vehicular lighting fixture.SOLUTION: A lighting fixture unit (3) comprises: a first low beam illumination unit (7a) constituted so as to emit a first low beam light distribution pattern comprising a horizontal cutoff line; a second low beam illumination unit (7d) constituted so as to emit a second low beam light distribution pattern comprising an oblique cutoff line; and high beam illumination units (7b and 7c) arranged between the first low beam illumination unit (7a) and the second low beam illumination unit (7d), and constituted so as to emit a high beam light distribution pattern. The first low beam illumination unit (7a), the high beam illumination units (7b and 7c), and the second low beam illumination unit (7d) are arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the lighting fixture unit (3).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lamp unit and a vehicle lamp equipped with the lamp unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a left-side vehicle lamp having a left-side lamp unit mounted thereon and a right-side vehicle lamp having a right-side lamp unit mounted thereon. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-078477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the left-side and right-side vehicle lamps disclosed in Patent Document 1, a left-side lamp unit to be mounted on the left-side vehicle lamp and a right-side lamp unit to be mounted on the right-side vehicle lamp must be manufactured separately. Because two different lamp units must be manufactured for the left-side and right-side vehicle lamps, the manufacturing costs of the lamp units and vehicle lamps increase. From this perspective, there is room for further study on methods to reduce the manufacturing costs of the lamp units and vehicle lamps.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to reduce the manufacturing costs of lighting units and vehicle lighting fixtures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A lighting unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first low beam lighting unit configured to emit a first low beam light distribution pattern having a first cut-off line; a second low beam lighting unit configured to emit a second low beam light distribution pattern having a second cutoff line; and a high beam lighting unit arranged between the first low beam lighting unit and the second low beam lighting unit and configured to emit a high beam light distribution pattern. The first low beam lighting unit, the second low beam lighting unit, and the high beam lighting unit are arranged side by side in a first direction.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the high beam lighting unit is disposed between the first low beam lighting unit and the second low beam lighting unit. Therefore, when a low beam light distribution pattern is emitted from the vehicle, the first low beam lighting unit and the second low beam lighting unit are turned on, while the high beam lighting unit is turned off. In this way, the appearance of the lamp unit emitting a low beam is symmetrical with respect to a predetermined position of the lamp unit.

[0008] Therefore, when the same lamp unit is installed in both the left and right vehicle lamps, the appearances of the left and right vehicle lamps emitting low beams are substantially the same, so the same lamp unit can be applied to both the left and right vehicle lamps. In this way, it is no longer necessary to manufacture two different lamp units for the left and right vehicle lamps, respectively, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the lamp units. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing costs of the lighting unit and the vehicle lighting fixture. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a left-side vehicle lamp. [Figure 3]FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a heat sink, a circuit board, a light-emitting element, and an inner lens. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a lens unit of the first low beam lighting unit. [Figure 7] (a) is a front view schematically showing a first low beam lighting unit, (b) is a front view schematically showing a high beam lighting unit, and (c) is a front view schematically showing a second low beam lighting unit. [Figure 8] 1A is a diagram schematically illustrating a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual screen when a low beam is emitted, and FIG. 1B is a diagram schematically illustrating a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual screen when a high beam is emitted. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram simply illustrating the electrical connection relationship between light-emitting elements of the lighting unit. [Figure 10] 1A is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the timing of turning on the high beam lighting unit and the timing of turning off the second low beam lighting unit, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the timing of turning off the high beam lighting unit and the timing of turning on the second low beam lighting unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0012] In the description of this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the "left-right direction," "up-down direction," and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the lighting unit 3 shown in FIG. 3. Here, the "left-right direction" is a direction that includes the "left direction" and the "right direction." The "up-down direction" is a direction that includes the "upward direction" and the "downward direction." The "front-rear direction" is a direction that includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction." One of the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction is assumed to be perpendicular to the remaining two directions.

[0013] In this embodiment, the "horizontal direction" is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction) and includes the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. In the description of this embodiment, the directions (left-right direction, up-down direction, front-rear direction) set for the lighting unit 3 are assumed to match the directions (left-right direction, up-down direction, front-rear direction) set for the vehicle 1 and the left-side vehicle lamp 2L.

[0014] First, a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a front view of the vehicle 1 equipped with a left-side vehicle lamp 2L and a right-side vehicle lamp 2R. As shown in Fig. 1, the left-side vehicle lamp 2L is disposed on the left front side of the vehicle 1, and the right-side vehicle lamp 2R is disposed on the right front side of the vehicle 1. The left-side vehicle lamp 2L and the right-side vehicle lamp 2R each have the same lamp unit 3 mounted thereon.

[0015] Next, the left-side vehicle lamp 2L will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The configuration of the left-side vehicle lamp 2L is generally the same as the configuration of the right-side vehicle lamp 2R, so a description of the right-side vehicle lamp 2R will be omitted. Fig. 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the left-side vehicle lamp 2L. As shown in Fig. 2, the left-side vehicle lamp 2L includes a lamp housing 12, a lamp cover 14 that covers the opening of the lamp housing 12, and a lamp unit 3. The lamp unit 3 is disposed in a lamp chamber S formed by the lamp housing 12 and the lamp cover 14.

[0016] Next, the structure of the lighting unit 3 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lighting unit 3. Fig. 4 is a front view of the lighting unit 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the heat sink 6, circuit board 8, light-emitting elements 5a to 5d, and inner lens 4 of the lighting unit 3. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the lighting unit 3 includes the heat sink 6, bracket 9, circuit board 8, light-emitting elements 5a to 5d, and inner lens 4. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the light-emitting elements 5a to 5d may be collectively referred to as light-emitting element 5.

[0017] The heat sink 6 is configured to release heat emitted from the light emitting element 5 into the air within the lamp chamber S. The heat sink 6 is formed, for example, by extruding an aluminum plate. The bracket 9 is formed, for example, from a resin material such as polycarbonate or nylon, and has a first bracket portion 9a and a second bracket portion 9b that are completely separate from each other.

[0018] The first bracket portion 9a is fixed to one end of the heat sink 6 and is connected to an aiming screw 92 that functions as an optical axis adjustment mechanism and a fulcrum screw 95 that functions as a fulcrum mechanism (see FIG. 4). The aiming screw 92 is configured to adjust the optical axis Ax of the lamp unit 3 in the vertical direction. The second bracket portion 9b is fixed to the other end of the heat sink 6 and is connected to an aiming screw 93 (see FIG. 4) that functions as an optical axis adjustment mechanism. The aiming screw 93 is configured to adjust the optical axis Ax of the lamp unit 3 in the horizontal direction.

[0019] The circuit board 8 is disposed on the front surface 60 of the heat sink 6. The circuit board 8 is electrically connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). In this regard, the power supply circuit may be mounted on the circuit board 8. The light-emitting elements 5a to 5d are disposed on the circuit board 8 and electrically connected to a light source drive circuit (not shown) via the circuit board 8. The light-emitting elements 5 are, for example, semiconductor light-emitting elements such as LEDs. The light-emitting elements 5 are configured to emit white light to the outside and may include, for example, a blue LED and a yellow phosphor. The light-emitting elements 5a to 5d are arranged on the same straight line in the left-right direction (an example of a first direction). The light-emitting element 5b constituting the high beam lighting unit 7b and the light-emitting element 5c constituting the high beam lighting unit 7c are disposed in the left-right direction between the light-emitting element 5a constituting the first low beam lighting unit 7a and the light-emitting element 5d constituting the second low beam lighting unit 7d.

[0020] Each of the light-emitting elements 5a to 5c is arranged on the circuit board 8 so that its lower end is parallel to the left-right direction, while the light-emitting element 5d is arranged on the circuit board 8 so that its lower end is oblique to the left-right direction. Because the lower end of the light-emitting element 5d is oblique to the left-right direction, the second low beam illumination unit 7d can form a low beam light distribution pattern P2 (an example of a second low beam light distribution pattern) having an oblique cutoff line L2 (an example of a second cutoff line), as will be described later (see FIG. 8(a)).

[0021] The inner lens 4 is disposed on the front surface 60 of the heat sink 6 so as to cover each of the light emitting elements 5a to 5d. The inner lens 4 is formed of a transparent resin material such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin. The inner lens 4 has lens units 40a to 40d arranged on the same straight line in the left-right direction. Each of the lens units 40a to 40d is integrally formed.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 5, the lens unit 40a (an example of a first lens unit) faces the light-emitting element 5a (an example of a first light-emitting element) in the front-rear direction. The lens unit 40a is configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern P1 (an example of a first low-beam light distribution pattern) having a horizontal cutoff line L1 (an example of a first cutoff line) by emitting light emitted from the light-emitting element 5a toward the outside of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 8(a)). Here, FIG. 8(a) is a diagram schematically illustrating a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual screen located 25 m ahead of the vehicle 1 when a low beam is emitted. FIG. 8(b) is a diagram schematically illustrating a light distribution pattern formed on the virtual screen when a high beam is emitted. The low-beam light distribution pattern P1 is formed to extend along the line HH.

[0023] The lens unit 40a has a central light-transmitting portion 42a and a peripheral light-transmitting portion 43a. The central light-transmitting portion 42a faces the light-emitting element 5a in the front-rear direction and is configured to transmit a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5a toward the outside of the vehicle 1. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43a is provided to surround the central light-transmitting portion 42a and is configured to totally reflect another portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5a toward the outside of the vehicle 1. A low-beam light distribution pattern P1 is formed by combining the light distribution pattern formed by the central light-transmitting portion 42a and the light distribution pattern formed by the peripheral light-transmitting portion 43a.

[0024] Two recesses 54a and 56a are formed in the lens unit 40a. The recess 54a is connected to the recess 56a, and the diameter of the recess 56a is larger than the diameter of the recess 54a. The central light-transmitting portion 42a has an exit surface 52a that forms the bottom surface of the recess 54a and an incident surface 47a. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43a has an exit surface 53a that forms the bottom surface of the recess 56a, an incident surface 49a, and a total reflection surface 46a. In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 5a and the lens unit 40a form a first low beam lighting unit 7a that is configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern P1.

[0025] The lens unit 40b (an example of a third lens unit) faces the light-emitting element 5b (an example of a third light-emitting element) in the front-rear direction. The lens unit 40b is configured to form a high-beam light distribution pattern P3 by emitting light emitted from the light-emitting element 5b toward the outside of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 8(b)). The lens unit 40b has a central light-transmitting portion 42b and a peripheral light-transmitting portion 43b. The central light-transmitting portion 42b faces the light-emitting element 5b in the front-rear direction and is configured to emit a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5b toward the outside of the vehicle 1. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43b is provided to surround the central light-transmitting portion 42b and is configured to totally reflect another portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5b toward the outside of the vehicle 1. The high-beam light distribution pattern P3 is formed by combining the light distribution pattern formed by the central light-transmitting portion 42b and the light distribution pattern formed by the peripheral light-transmitting portion 43b.

[0026] Two recesses 54b, 56b are formed in the lens unit 40b. The recess 54b is connected to the recess 56b, and the diameter of the recess 56b is larger than the diameter of the recess 54b. The central light-transmitting portion 42b has an exit surface 52b that forms the bottom surface of the recess 54b and an incident surface 47b. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43b has an exit surface 53b that forms the bottom surface of the recess 56b, an incident surface 49b, and a total reflection surface 46b. In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 5b and the lens unit 40b form a high beam illumination unit 7b that is configured to form a high beam light distribution pattern P3.

[0027] The lens unit 40c (an example of a third lens unit) faces the light-emitting element 5c (an example of a third light-emitting element) in the front-rear direction. The lens unit 40c has the same configuration as the lens unit 40b and is configured to form a high-beam light distribution pattern P4 by emitting light emitted from the light-emitting element 5c toward the outside of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 8(b)). In the description of this embodiment, the high-beam light distribution pattern P4 formed by the lens unit 40c is assumed to completely overlap the high-beam light distribution pattern P3 formed by the lens unit 40b. The lens unit 40c has a central light-transmitting portion 42c and a peripheral light-transmitting portion 43c. The central light-transmitting portion 42c faces the light-emitting element 5c in the front-rear direction and is configured to emit a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5c toward the outside of the vehicle 1. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43c is provided to surround the central light-transmitting portion 42c and is configured to totally reflect the other portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5c toward the outside of the vehicle 1. A high beam light distribution pattern P4 is formed by combining the light distribution pattern formed by the central light transmitting portion 42c and the light distribution pattern formed by the peripheral light transmitting portion 43c.

[0028] Two recesses 54c, 56c are formed in the lens unit 40c. The recess 54c is connected to the recess 56c, and the diameter of the recess 56c is larger than the diameter of the recess 54c. The central light-transmitting portion 42c has an exit surface 52c that forms the bottom surface of the recess 54c and an incident surface 47c. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43c has an exit surface 53c that forms the bottom surface of the recess 56c, an incident surface 49c, and a total reflection surface 46c. In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 5c and the lens unit 40c form a high beam illumination unit 7c that is configured to form a high beam light distribution pattern P4.

[0029] The lens unit 40d (an example of a second lens unit) faces the light-emitting element 5d (an example of a second light-emitting element) in the front-rear direction. The lens unit 40d is configured to form a low-beam light distribution pattern P2 having an oblique cutoff line L2 by emitting light emitted from the light-emitting element 5d toward the outside of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 8(a)). As shown in FIG. 8(a), the low-beam light distribution pattern P2 is formed to extend obliquely with respect to the HH line. A light distribution pattern during low-beam emission is formed by the low-beam light distribution pattern P1 formed by the lens unit 40a and the low-beam light distribution pattern P2 formed by the lens unit 40d. The lens unit 40d has a central light-transmitting portion 42d and a peripheral light-transmitting portion 43d. The central light-transmitting portion 42d faces the light-emitting element 5d in the front-rear direction and is configured to emit a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5d toward the outside of the vehicle 1. The peripheral light transmitting portion 43d is provided so as to surround the central light transmitting portion 42d, and is configured to totally reflect another portion of the light emitted from the light emitting element 5d toward the outside of the vehicle 1. The light distribution pattern formed by the central light transmitting portion 42d and the light distribution pattern formed by the peripheral light transmitting portion 43d are combined to form a low beam light distribution pattern P2.

[0030] Two recesses 54d, 56d are formed in the lens unit 40d. The recess 54d is connected to the recess 56d, and the diameter of the recess 56d is larger than the diameter of the recess 54d. The central light-transmitting portion 42d has an exit surface 52d that forms the bottom surface of the recess 54d and an incident surface 47d. The peripheral light-transmitting portion 43d has an exit surface 53d that forms the bottom surface of the recess 56d, an incident surface 49d, and a total reflection surface 46d. In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 5d and the lens unit 40d form a second low beam illumination unit 7d that is configured to form a low beam light distribution pattern P2.

[0031] As described above, in this embodiment, the lamp unit 3 includes a first low beam lighting unit 7a (hereinafter simply referred to as "lighting unit 7a"), high beam lighting units 7b and 7c (hereinafter simply referred to as "lighting units 7b and 7c"), and a second low beam lighting unit 7d (hereinafter simply referred to as "lighting unit 7d"). As shown in Fig. 5, these lighting units 7a to 7d are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The lighting units 7b and 7c are arranged between the lighting unit 7a and the lighting unit 7d in the left-right direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the emission surfaces 52a to 52d of the central light transmitting portions 42a to 42d are located on the same plane, and the emission surfaces 53a to 53d of the peripheral light transmitting portions 43a to 43d are located on the same plane.

[0033] Next, the lens unit 40a will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the lens unit 40a. As shown in FIG. 6, a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5a is incident on the incident surface 47a of the central light-transmitting portion 42a and then reaches the exit surface 52a. The light that reaches the exit surface 52a is then diffused by the diffusing lens elements 48a formed on the exit surface 52a and emitted to the outside. Meanwhile, another portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 5a is incident on the incident surface 49a of the peripheral light-transmitting portion 43a and then totally reflected by the total reflection surface 46a. The light that is totally reflected by the total reflection surface 46a then reaches the exit surface 53a and then diffused by the diffusing lens elements 48a formed on the exit surface 53a and emitted to the outside. In this manner, the low-beam light distribution pattern P1 is formed by the lens unit 40a.

[0034] The lens units 40b to 40d have the same configuration as the lens unit 40a. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 4, the light exit surfaces of the lens units 40b to 40d also have diffusing lens elements 48b to 48d. As shown in the figure, the diffusing lens elements 48a to 48c formed on the lens units 40a to 40c are each formed to extend substantially parallel to the up-down direction. On the other hand, the diffusing lens element 48d formed on the lens unit 40d is formed to extend obliquely at an angle α with respect to the up-down direction because the lower end of the light-emitting element 5d is oblique at an angle α (α>0°, for example, α=15°) with respect to the left-right direction.

[0035] Next, referring to FIG. 7, the configurations of the peripheral light transmitting portion 43a of the lens unit 40a, the peripheral light transmitting portion 43b of the lens unit 40b, and the peripheral light transmitting portion 43d of the lens unit 40d will be described below. FIG. 7(a) is a front view schematically illustrating the lighting unit 7a. FIG. 7(b) is a front view schematically illustrating the lighting unit 7b. FIG. 7(c) is a front view schematically illustrating the lighting unit 7d. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the peripheral light transmitting portion 43a of the lens unit 40a is provided so as to surround the central light transmitting portion 42a in the circumferential direction. The peripheral light transmitting portion 43a is divided into eight reflective regions R1 to R8 along the circumferential direction. Each of the reflective regions R1 to R8 has an angular region of 45° from the center of the lens unit 40a. Each of the reflective regions R1 to R8 has a total reflective surface 46a with a different outer shape.

[0036] 7(b), the peripheral light transmitting portion 43b of the lens unit 40b is provided to surround the central light transmitting portion 42b in the circumferential direction. The peripheral light transmitting portion 43b is not divided into multiple reflective regions in the circumferential direction. Note that the lens unit 40c has a similar configuration to the lens unit 40b, and therefore the peripheral light transmitting portion 43c of the lens unit 40c is also not divided into multiple reflective regions in the circumferential direction.

[0037] As shown in Figure 7(c), the peripheral light transmitting portion 43d of the lens unit 40d is provided to surround the central light transmitting portion 42d in the circumferential direction. The peripheral light transmitting portion 43d is divided into eight reflective regions R10 to R17 along the circumferential direction. Each of the reflective regions R10 to R17 has an angular region of 45° from the center of the lens unit 40d. Each of the reflective regions R10 to R17 has a total reflective surface 46d with a different shape.

[0038] Next, the effects of the lighting unit 3 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0039] According to this embodiment, lighting units 7b and 7c are disposed between lighting units 7a and 7d. Therefore, when low-beam light distribution patterns P1 and P2 are emitted from the vehicle 1, lighting units 7a and 7b are turned on, while lighting units 7b and 7c are turned off. Thus, the appearance of the lamp unit 3 emitting a low beam is symmetrical about the center position of the lamp unit 3 in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the same lamp unit 3 is installed in the left-side vehicle lamp 2L and the right-side vehicle lamp 2R, the appearance of the lamp unit 3 of the left-side vehicle lamp 2L emitting a low beam is substantially the same as the appearance of the lamp unit 3 of the right-side vehicle lamp 2R emitting a low beam. Therefore, the same lamp unit 3 can be used in both the left-side vehicle lamp 2L and the right-side vehicle lamp 2R. This eliminates the need to manufacture two different lamp units for each of the left-side vehicle lamp 2L and the right-side vehicle lamp 2R, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the lamp unit 3 and the vehicle lamp.

[0040] Furthermore, in the lamp unit 3 according to this embodiment, each of the lens units 40a to 40d forms a light distribution pattern based on the light emitted from the light-emitting element, so that positional adjustment between the lens unit and the light-emitting element is important. In this regard, in this embodiment, the lens units 40a to 40d are integrally formed within the inner lens 4, so that the positional adjustment between the lens unit 40a and the light-emitting element 5a, the positional adjustment between the lens unit 40b and the light-emitting element 5b, the positional adjustment between the lens unit 40c and the light-emitting element 5c, and the positional adjustment between the lens unit 40d and the light-emitting element 5d can be performed all at once.

[0041] In this embodiment, each of the lens units 40a to 40d has a central light-transmitting portion and a peripheral light-transmitting portion, which allows the central light-transmitting portion and the peripheral light-transmitting portion of the lens unit to form a light distribution pattern with improved utilization efficiency of light emitted from the light-emitting elements.

[0042] Next, the light distribution patterns when a low beam is emitted and when a high beam is emitted will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8(a), when the lamp unit 3 emits a low beam, the low beam light distribution patterns P1 and P2 are emitted to the outside of the vehicle 1, while the high beam light distribution patterns P3 and P4 are not emitted to the outside of the vehicle 1. In other words, when the lamp unit 3 emits a low beam, the lighting units 7a and 7d are turned on, while the lighting units 7b and 7c are turned off.

[0043] 8(b), when the lamp unit 3 emits a high beam, the high beam light distribution patterns P3 and P4 and the low beam light distribution pattern P1 are emitted, but the low beam light distribution pattern P2 is not emitted. That is, when the lamp unit 3 emits a high beam, the illumination units 7a, 7b, and 7c are turned on, but the illumination unit 7d is turned off. In this way, because the illumination unit 7d is turned off while the lamp unit 3 is emitting a high beam, the power consumption of the lamp unit 3 can be reduced, and the amount of heat radiated from the lamp unit 3 can be reduced.

[0044] Next, the electrical connection relationship between the light-emitting elements 5a to 5d of the lighting units 7a to 7d will be described below with reference to FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the light-emitting element 5a is connected to the light-emitting elements 5d and 5b. The light-emitting element 5d and the selector switch 21 are connected in series, and the light-emitting elements 5b and 5c are connected in series to the selector switch 22. Furthermore, the group consisting of the light-emitting element 5d and the selector switch 21 is connected in parallel to the group consisting of the light-emitting elements 5b and 5c and the selector switch 22. The selector switches 21 and 22 are realized, for example, by field-effect transistors (FETs). When the lighting unit 3 emits a low beam, the selector switch 21 is turned ON, while the selector switch 22 is turned OFF. When the lighting unit 3 emits a high beam, the selector switch 21 is turned OFF, while the selector switch 22 is turned ON.

[0045] Next, with reference to (a) of Fig. 10, the relationship between the lighting timing of the lighting units 7b and 7c and the lighting timing of the lighting unit 7d when the beam emitted from the lamp unit 3 is switched from a low beam to a high beam will be described. In this case, the lighting timing t when the lighting units 7b and 7c transition from an off state (OFF state) to a lighting state (ON state) is on is the timing t when the lighting unit 7d changes from the ON state to the OFF state. offSpecifically, the timing at which the selector switch 22 changes from OFF to ON is earlier than the timing at which the selector switch 21 changes from ON to OFF. In this way, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the lighting unit 7d is turned off just before the lighting units 7b and 7c are turned on.

[0046] Next, with reference to (b) of Fig. 10, the relationship between the timing of turning off the lighting units 7b and 7c and the timing of turning on the lighting unit 7d when the beam emitted from the lamp unit 3 is switched from a high beam to a low beam will be described. In this case, the timing t when the lighting unit 7d transitions from the off state to the on state is on is the timing t when the lighting units 7b and 7c change from the ON state to the OFF state. off Specifically, the timing at which the selector switch 21 changes from OFF to ON is earlier than the timing at which the selector switch 22 changes from ON to OFF. In this way, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the lighting units 7b and 7c are turned off just before the lighting unit 7d is turned on.

[0047] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0048] For example, in this embodiment, the lamp unit 3 includes two high beam illumination units, but the number of high beam illumination units is not particularly limited. For example, the number of high beam illumination units provided in the lamp unit 3 may be one.

[0049] In this regard, assume that there is one high-beam lighting unit provided in the lamp unit 3. For example, assume that in the lamp unit 3, the lighting unit 7a, the lighting unit 7b, and the lighting unit 7d are arranged in the left-right direction. In this case, it is preferable that the distance D between the outer edge of the lens unit 40a and the outer edge of the lens unit 40d in the left-right direction of the lamp unit 3 satisfies 0 mm < D < 75 mm. When the distance D satisfies 0 mm < D < 75 mm, while the lamp unit 3 is emitting a low beam, it becomes difficult to visually recognize from the outside of the vehicle 1 that the lighting unit 7b is turned off due to the lighting of the lighting unit 7a and the lighting of the lighting unit 7d.

[0050] Also, in the description of the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is described as a four-wheel automobile, but the vehicle of the present embodiment is not limited to a four-wheel automobile. In this regard, the vehicle 1 may be a motorcycle or a three-wheeled automobile.

[0051] Also, in the present embodiment, the lighting unit 7d is configured to emit a low-beam light distribution pattern P2 having an oblique cut-off line L2, but the cut-off line of the low-beam light distribution pattern P2 may be a horizontal cut-off line. In this regard, when the vehicle 1 is a motorcycle or a three-wheeled automobile, the cut-off line of the low-beam light distribution pattern P2 becomes a horizontal cut-off line. Thus, since the low-beam light distribution pattern P2 has a horizontal cut-off line, the lamp unit 3 can emit a low beam for a motorcycle or a three-wheeled automobile.

[0052] This application appropriately incorporates the content disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-025176) filed on February 18,

Claims

1. a first low beam lighting unit configured to emit a first low beam light distribution pattern having a first cutoff line; a second low beam lighting unit configured to emit a second low beam light distribution pattern having a second cutoff line; a high beam lighting unit configured to emit a high beam light distribution pattern, When the high beam lighting unit is turned on, the first low beam lighting unit is turned on, while the second low beam lighting unit is turned off, The first low beam lighting unit is a first light-emitting element that emits light; a first lens unit configured to face a light emitting surface of the first light emitting element and to form the first low beam light distribution pattern by emitting light emitted from the first light emitting element, The second low beam lighting unit is a second light-emitting element that emits light; a second lens unit configured to face the light emitting surface of the second light emitting element and to form the second low beam light distribution pattern by emitting light emitted from the second light emitting element, The high beam lighting unit includes: a third light-emitting element that emits light; a third lens unit configured to face the light-emitting surface of the third light-emitting element and to form the high beam light distribution pattern by emitting light emitted from the third light-emitting element.

2. The lamp unit according to claim 1 , wherein the light exit surface of the first lens unit, the light exit surface of the second lens unit, and the light exit surface of the third lens unit are located on the same plane.

3. the first light-emitting element, the second light-emitting element, and the third light-emitting element are arranged on the same circuit board; The lamp unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first lens unit, the second lens unit, and the third lens unit are integrally formed.

4. The first lens unit is a central light transmitting portion facing the first light emitting element and configured to transmit a portion of the light emitted from the first light emitting element toward the outside of the vehicle; a peripheral light transmitting portion that is provided so as to surround the central light transmitting portion and is configured to totally reflect another part of the light emitted from the first light emitting element toward the outside of the vehicle, The peripheral light transmitting portion is divided into a plurality of reflective regions along its circumferential direction. A lamp unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the timing at which the high beam lighting unit transitions from an off state to an on state is earlier than the timing at which the second low beam lighting unit transitions from an on state to an off state; In a state where the second low beam lighting unit is turned on, the first low beam lighting unit is turned on, and the high beam lighting unit is turned off, 5. The lamp unit according to claim 1, wherein the timing at which the second low beam lighting unit transitions from an off state to an on state is earlier than the timing at which the high beam lighting unit transitions from an on state to an off state.

6. A vehicle lamp comprising the lamp unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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