Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp having excellent conspicuity during lighting and non-lighting.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp comprises a lamp chamber S formed by a lamp body 10 and an outer lens 20. In the lamp chamber S, provided are a light source 42, and an inner lens 30 that is a light guide member containing a light diffusion material R and emits light by guiding light source light made incident into its edge part, where the inner lens 30 is laminated on the outer lens 20 of a narrow and elongated shape; a light incident part 32b for light source light incidence is formed on at least one of edge parts 31b, 31c in a transverse direction of the inner lens 30 facing rearward in the lamp chamber S; the light from the light source 42 made incident into the light incident part 32b is guided within a lens 30 and then is diffusely reflected by the light diffusion material R; and an entire region of the outer lens 20 on which the inner lens 30 is laminated emits light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A conventional vehicle lighting fixture includes an inner lens made of a light guide with a reflective step on the back side inside a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a transparent outer lens, and the inner lens acts as a light emitter, transmitting the light emitted from the inner lens through the outer lens to emit light (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, there is a lighting fixture in which, instead of an inner lens provided with a reflective step, the inner lens is formed of a light guide containing a light diffusing material, and light emitted from the inner lens is transmitted through the outer lens to emit light (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-12460 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-147145 A (Patent No. 6704263) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, when the lamp is not lit, the reflective steps of the inner lens are visible as white through the outer lens, resulting in poor appearance (visibility) when the lamp is not lit.

[0006] Furthermore, in both the lamps in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the lamp is turned on, the outer lens itself does not emit light, but rather the light emitted from the inner lens inside the outer lens is visible through the outer lens, which results in poorer appearance (visibility) compared to lamps in which the outer lens itself emits light.

[0007] Furthermore, since the light source is positioned so that light from the light source is incident on the edge of the inner lens, which is positioned parallel to the outer lens, when the lamp is turned on, the area of ​​the outer lens that is not layered with the inner lens (the light source placement area) does not emit light, and since the light-emitting area of ​​the outer lens is small, the appearance (visibility) is poor.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a vehicle lamp that has excellent appearance (visibility) both when lit and when not lit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A vehicle lamp includes a lamp chamber formed by sealing a peripheral portion of a light-transmitting outer lens to the peripheral portion of an opening of a container-shaped lamp body, and a light source and a light-transmitting inner lens, which is a light-guiding member containing a light diffusing material and emits light by guiding light from the light source that is incident on a light entrance portion formed on the edge of the light-guiding member, The inner lens is laminated on at least a part of the outer lens, which has a narrow and elongated shape when viewed from the front, and a light entrance portion for the light from the light source is formed on at least one of the short edge portions of the inner lens facing the rear of the lamp chamber, The light source light incident on the light entrance portion is guided within the lens, is diffused and reflected by the light diffusing material, and is emitted as diffused light from the outer lens.

[0010] (Operation) In this mode, when the lamp is turned on, the light from the light source that enters the light entrance section and is guided within the inner lens is diffused and reflected by the light diffusing material contained in the inner lens, and is emitted as diffused light from the surface of the outer lens that is laminated on the inner lens, causing the outer lens itself to emit light. Therefore, the light emitted from the inner lens is not visible through the outer lens, but rather the light emitted from the outer lens that is laminated on the inner lens itself is visible, improving the visibility of the lamp when turned on.

[0011] In particular, since the outer lens (inner lens) is formed in a narrow, long shape when viewed from the front, light from the light source that enters the light entrance portion formed on one edge of the inner lens in the short direction is easily guided within the lens to the other edge of the inner lens in the short direction, and the outer lens emits light up to the side opposite the light entrance portion of the inner lens in the short direction.

[0012] When the lamp is turned on, the light emitted from the inner lens is not visible through the outer lens, but the light emitted from the entire area where the inner lenses of the outer lens are layered is directly visible, and moreover, in a configuration in which the lamp (outer lens) is arranged horizontally (left and right) relative to the vehicle body, the upper front side, which is the design surface of the outer lens and is easily visible to drivers and pedestrians, emits light particularly brightly, so the lamp has excellent visibility when turned on, especially at a distance.For this reason, in a configuration in which the lamp (outer lens) is arranged horizontally (left and right) relative to the vehicle body, the visibility of the lamp when turned on is not impaired even if the inner lens is layered only in the area corresponding to the upper front side, which is the design surface of the outer lens.

[0013] Furthermore, even if a reflective step is not actively provided on the inner lens, the outer lens itself emits light when the lamp is turned on, so there is no problem with the reflective step of the inner lens appearing cloudy and white through the outer lens when the lamp is turned off.The sense of depth of the lamp chamber is maintained through the outer lens, and the lamp is highly visible when not lit.

[0014] Furthermore, the outer lens and the inner lens are laminated together to form a single member that is in close contact with each other without any gaps at the interface, thereby reducing the number of components of the lamp.

[0015] In the above aspect, The area of ​​the outer lens where the inner lens is laminated is formed into a shape that is bent or curved and bulges forward, It is also preferable to form a light entrance portion for the light from the light source at the other edge portion in the shorter direction of the inner lens.

[0016] (Function) Generally, the farther away from the light entrance portion forming side of the inner lens, the weaker the intensity of the light guided within the inner lens, and the smaller the amount of diffused light that is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing material within the inner lens and exits from the front surface of the outer lens (the amount of light emitted by the outer lens). In particular, if a bent or curved area is formed in the outer lens (inner lens), the light from the light source that is incident on the light entrance portion is not sufficiently guided to the tip of the light guide path within the lens due to the long light guide path within the inner lens or light leakage at the bent or curved area, and the amount of light emitted by the outer lens corresponding to the side of the inner lens opposite to the side of the inner lens where the light entrance portion is formed is inferior to the amount of light emitted by the outer lens corresponding to the side of the inner lens where the light entrance portion is formed.

[0017] In this embodiment, the light from the light source is also incident on the light entrance portion (second light entrance portion) formed on the other edge portion of the inner lens in the short direction, so the intensity of the guided light at the other edge portion of the inner lens in the short direction is increased, and the amount of light emitted from the outer lens corresponding to the other edge portion of the inner lens in the short direction is ensured. In other words, the entire outer lens that is bent or curved and bulges forward emits light uniformly.

[0018] In the above aspect, The area of ​​the outer lens where the inner lens is laminated is formed into a shape that is bent or curved and bulges forward, A first light source is disposed in an upper portion of the lamp chamber, and a second light source is disposed in a lower portion of the lamp chamber, a first light incident portion into which the first light source light is incident is formed at one end edge portion in the short length direction of the inner lens; It is also preferable that a second light incident portion into which the second light source light is incident is formed at the other edge portion in the shorter length direction of the inner lens.

[0019] (Function) In this embodiment, a first light source and a second light source are provided within the lamp chamber, and the outer lens emits light by guiding the first light source light that is incident on the first light entrance portion formed on one edge of the inner lens in the short direction, and the outer lens also emits light by guiding the second light source light that is incident on the second light entrance portion formed on the other edge of the inner lens in the short direction, so the amount of light emitted by the outer lens is accordingly greater.

[0020] In the above aspect, It is also preferable to dispose a second light guiding member in the lamp chamber that guides the light from the light source to the light entrance portion.

[0021] (Effect) The light source is, for example, a configuration in which light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are mounted in a row at equal intervals on a light source substrate. However, since the light emitted by the light-emitting elements is directional, the light source light (light from multiple light-emitting elements) that directly enters the light entrance part of the inner lens and the respective guided light within the inner lens are also affected by the directionality, which may result in uneven light emission in the outer lens.

[0022] However, in this embodiment, the directional light source light (light emitted from each of the multiple light-emitting elements) is guided through the second light-guiding member, and becomes light with the effects of directionality mitigated before entering the light-entering portion of the inner lens.Therefore, the directionality of the light-emitting elements does not become apparent in the light guided within the inner lens, and uneven light emission does not occur in the outer lens.

[0023] Furthermore, considering the efficiency of light from the light source entering the light entrance portion of the inner lens, it is desirable to position the light source so that it faces the light entrance portion of the inner lens directly. However, even if the light entrance portion of the inner lens and the light source are not directly facing each other, by using a second light-guiding member, the light from the light source can be made to enter the light entrance portion of the inner lens as light that faces directly.

[0024] For example, if a second light guide member that directs part of the light source light (emitted downward) into the light entrance portion of the inner lens is placed between the light source placed facing downward above the lamp chamber and the light entrance portion formed on one edge of the inner lens in the short length direction, the light can be made to enter the light entrance portion of the inner lens as light from the light source that faces directly, even if the light source is not placed so as to face the light entrance portion. In other words, the degree of freedom in the attitude (orientation) and position of the light source placed in the lamp chamber increases.

[0025] In the above aspect, The light source is disposed in an upper portion of the lamp chamber facing downward, The area of ​​the outer lens where the inner lens is laminated is formed into a shape that is bent or curved and bulges forward, a light-entering portion for the light from the light source is formed at each of the short-length edge portions of the inner lens facing rearward into the lamp chamber; A second light guiding member is disposed between the light source and one edge portion of the inner lens in the short length direction, and the second light guiding member guides a part of the light source light to the light entrance portion (first light entrance portion) formed on one edge portion of the inner lens, A reflector is disposed below the light source in the lamp chamber, and the reflector guides a portion of the light from the light source to the light entrance portion (second light entrance portion) formed on the other edge portion of the inner lens and to the entire back surface of the inner lens; If necessary, it is also preferable to dispose a second inner lens in front of the reflector to diffuse the light reflected by the reflector toward the entire rear surface of the inner lens.

[0026] (Operation) In this embodiment, with only the light source located at the top of the lamp chamber, the light emitted from the outer lens due to diffuse reflection by the light diffusing material as the light from the light source incident on the first and second light entrance sections is guided within the inner lens, and the light emitted from the outer lens when the light from the light source reflected by the reflector (diffused light to the left and right) passes through the inner and outer lenses overlap, causing the entire outer lens to emit a uniformly bright light. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention, when the lamp is turned on, the area where the inner lens of the outer lens is laminated itself emits light, and a specific area of ​​the outer lens that is particularly easy to see by drivers and pedestrians emits a bright light.When the lamp is not turned on, a sense of depth is created in the lamp chamber through the outer lens, improving the visibility of the lamp both when turned on and when not turned on.

[0028] Furthermore, since the outer lens and inner lens are made up of a single component, the number of components of the lamp is reduced, resulting in a simpler lamp structure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the lamp (a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1). [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the shape of a reflecting surface of a reflector. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lamp (a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0031] Figures 1 to 4 show a vehicle lamp 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the lamp 100, Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lamp 100 (cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1), Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lamp 100, and Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the shape of a reflective surface 51 of a reflector 50 arranged in a lamp chamber S.

[0032] The lamp 100 is, for example, a tail and stop lamp mounted on the rear of a vehicle, and as shown in Fig. 1, is formed into an elongated shape that is long and narrow from side to side when viewed from the front, with the vertical dimension being smaller than the horizontal dimension. The lamp 100 is fixed to a recess formed in a rear panel 102 by fixing means 104 such as a fastening screw and nut (see Fig. 2). Note that Fig. 1 omits the approximate center of the lamp 100 in the horizontal direction.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lamp body 10 has a rectangular container-like shape and is elongated from side to side, and the peripheral edge of the outer lens 20 has a rectangular container-like shape and is elongated from side to side, opening to the rear, and is attached to the peripheral edge of the opening of the lamp body 10, which has a rectangular container-like shape and is elongated from side to side, opening to the front, thereby forming a lamp chamber S that is rectangular when viewed from the front and is long and horizontal.

[0034] The outer lens 20 is formed in a narrow, elongated shape when viewed from the front, and a flange portion 22 with seal legs 24 extending rearward is formed on its peripheral edge, while a flange portion 12 corresponding to the seal legs 24 of the outer lens 20 is formed on the peripheral edge of the opening of the lamp body 10. The seal legs 24 of the outer lens 20 are welded to the flange portion 12 of the lamp body 10, thereby sealing the attachment portion between the outer lens 20 and the lamp body 10.

[0035] In addition, the outer lens 20 has upper, lower, left, and right side walls 20b to 20e bent at approximately right angles to the front wall 20a, and the upper, lower, left, and right side walls 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e adjacent in the circumferential direction are also bent at approximately right angles, forming a design surface 21 (see Figure 2) that bulges out in front of the flange portion 22 in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape.

[0036] An inner lens 30 is laminated inside the forward bulging region of the outer lens 20 that forms the design surface 21, and the inner lens 30 is also formed in a narrow, elongated shape when viewed from the front, following the shape of the outer lens 20 (its design surface 21).

[0037] Specifically, the outer lens 20 is made of a red translucent acrylic resin, while the inner lens 30 is made of a clear translucent polycarbonate resin containing titanium dioxide particles R, which are a light diffusing material. The outer lens 20 and the inner lens 30 are integrated into one component by, for example, injection molding. The two lenses 20 and 30 may also be integrated by adhesive bonding.

[0038] The light diffusing material R contained in the inner lens 30 is, for example, titanium dioxide particles having an average particle diameter of 170 to 450 nm, and the content of the light diffusing material R is, for example, 0.1 to 100 mass ppm. The visible light transmittance in the normal direction (thickness direction) of at least a part of the surface side (the side in close contact with the outer lens 20) of the inner lens 30 having a plate thickness of 4 mm is, for example, 60% or more and 92% or less.

[0039] Furthermore, the haze value in the normal direction (thickness direction) of at least a part of the surface side (side in close contact with the outer lens 20) of the 4 mm thick inner lens 30 is, for example, 1.1 to 50%.

[0040] The inner lens 30 is configured such that the light source light incident through the light entrance portions 32b, 32c formed on the edge portions 31b, 31c described below is diffusely reflected within the lens 30 by the diffusing material R, and this diffusely reflected light is emitted from the surface side of the inner lens 30 (the side that is in close contact with the outer lens 20), and the inner lens 30 itself has high translucency.

[0041] Furthermore, because the refractive index of acrylic resin is smaller than that of polycarbonate resin, of the light guided within the inner lens 20, light that has a relatively small angle of incidence on the outer lens 20 is totally reflected at the interface between the lenses 30, 20. For this reason, less light is incident on the outer lens 20 from the inner lens 30, and therefore most of the light source light that is incident on light entrance portions 32b, 32c (described below) of the inner lens 30 is guided within the inner lens 30 and diffusely reflected by the light diffusing material R dispersed within the inner lens 30. As a result, a greater amount of light is emitted as diffused light from the design surface 21 of the outer lens 20, and the amount of light emitted by the outer lens 20 increases.

[0042] As shown in Figure 2, the inner lens 30 is laminated from the front wall 20a of the outer lens 20 to the inside of the upper, lower, left, and right side walls 20b to 20e, so that on the inside of the flange portion 22 of the outer lens 20, the edge portion 31 (see Figure 1) of the inner lens 30, which extends in a thin string-like manner in the inward direction along the inner surfaces of the side walls 20b to 20e of the outer lens 20, is exposed in a form facing the rear of the lamp chamber S.

[0043] When viewed from inside the lamp chamber S, the edge portion 31 of the inner lens 30 extends endlessly in the inner circumferential direction of the side walls 20b to 20e of the outer lens 20, and first and second light entrance portions 32b and 32c (areas shown by diagonal lines in Figure 1) for entering light from the light source are formed in the first and second edge portions 31b and 31c in the short length direction (up and down direction in Figure 1) of the inner lens 30, which are areas extending parallel to the left and right direction when viewing the lamp 100 from the front.

[0044] Meanwhile, a light source substrate 40, which is equipped with light-emitting elements 42 such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) serving as light sources, is arranged in the upper part of the lamp chamber S with its light-emitting element mounting surface (light-emitting surface) facing downwards. The light source substrate 40 is formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape with a length that roughly matches the left-right width of the design surface 21 of the outer lens 20, and a large number of light-emitting elements 42 that emit white light are arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction on the substrate 40.

[0045] In addition, a light-guiding member 60 is arranged between the light-emitting element 42 mounted on the light source substrate 40 at the top of the lamp chamber S and the first light-entering portion 32b formed on the first edge portion 31b of the inner lens 30, for guiding a portion La of the light emitted (emitted light) from the light-emitting element 42 to the first light-entering portion 32b of the inner lens 30.

[0046] The light guide member 60 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate in cross section having a light exit surface 60b that matches the area of ​​the first light entrance portion 32b formed on the edge portion 31b of the inner lens 30. An inclined incident surface 60a that faces the light emitting element 42 and onto which a portion La of the light emitted from the light emitting element 42 is incident is formed on the rear end side of the light guide member 60, and the light exit surface 60b that faces the first light entrance portion 32b of the inner lens 30 is formed on the front end side of the light guide member 60. Cylindrical steps 61 (see FIG. 3) that diffuse the emitted light in the left-right direction are formed on the light exit surface 60b.

[0047] In addition, at the rear of the lamp chamber S, directly below the light source substrate 40, a reflector 50 is arranged, which has a reflective surface 51 of a size that roughly matches the size of the inner lens 30, and which reflects the downward light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 forward.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 4, the reflecting surface 51 of the reflector 50 has a structure in which cylindrical step elements 51s, each having a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, are formed continuously at equal intervals in the left-right direction, with a vertical cross section formed in a concave arc shape and a horizontal cross section formed in a convex arc shape. The reflecting surface 51 is formed so that the distance d between adjacent light-emitting elements 42, 42, the width d of each step element 51s forming the reflecting surface 51 of the reflector 50, and the left-right arrangement pitch d of the step elements 51s are the same, and for example, one light-emitting element 42 corresponds to one step element 51s.

[0049] As a result, the downward light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 located at the top of the lamp chamber S is reflected by the reflective surface 51 of the reflector 50, and becomes light Lb that is diffused in the left-right direction and parallel to the up-down direction, and travels toward the front of the lamp chamber S.

[0050] Further, in front of the reflector 50 in the lamp chamber S, a second inner lens 70 is arranged, the front surface of which is formed with a grain or micro-diffusion steps.

[0051] The majority of the left and right diffused light reflected by the reflector 50 passes through the second inner lens 70, becoming light Lb that is further diffused up, down, left, and right and is incident on the entire back side of the inner lens 30, while the left and right diffused light Lc that is reflected near the front edge of the reflector 50 is incident on the second light entrance portion 32c formed on the second end edge portion 31c in the short length direction of the inner lens 30.

[0052] The light source substrate 40, the light-guiding member 60, the reflector 50 and the second inner lens 70 are integrated as a light source-reflector unit U on a bracket (not shown), so that they are held in a position relative to each other, and are fixed to the lamp body 10 by a fixing means (not shown), so that they are arranged at a predetermined position within the lamp chamber S.

[0053] 2 denotes a light-blocking member attached to the rear surface side of the flange portion 22 of the outer lens 20 in order to prevent light leakage from the lamp chamber S. Instead of the light-blocking member 26, a light-blocking coating may be applied.

[0054] In addition, a colored layer 90 made of black polycarbonate resin is laminated on the surface side of the flange portion 22, which suppresses light emission from the flange portion 22 due to light guided within the outer lens 20 when the lamp is turned on, and when the lamp is not turned on, the seal leg 24 is not visible through it, so that the boundary between the design surface 21 of the outer lens 20 and the rear panel 102 that constitutes the vehicle body can be clearly recognized. Therefore, the red translucent outer lens 30, the clear inner lens 20, and the colored layer 90 are integrated by, for example, three-color molding.

[0055] Furthermore, the lamp 100 functions as a tail and stop lamp by controlling the amount of power supplied to the light-emitting element 42 so as to change the brightness of the light emitted by the outer lens 20. That is, when the amount of power supplied to the light-emitting element 42 is small, the outer lens 20 functions as a tail lamp that emits weak, uniform light, and when the amount of power supplied to the light-emitting element 42 is large, the outer lens 20 functions as a stop lamp that emits strong, bright light.

[0056] The operation and effects of the vehicle lamp 100 according to the first embodiment will be described below.

[0057] A portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 arranged facing downward at the top inside the lamp chamber S enters the first light entrance portion 32b formed at the first edge portion 31b in the short direction of the inner lens 30 through the light-guiding member 60, and the guided light inside the inner lens 30 is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing material R dispersed within the lens 30, and is emitted as diffused light from the surface of the outer lens 20 laminated on the inner lens 30, causing the outer lens 20 to emit light.

[0058] In addition, a portion of the light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 is reflected by the reflector 50 and enters the second light entrance portion 32c formed at the second edge portion 31c in the short length direction of the inner lens 30, and the guided light within the inner lens 30 is diffusely reflected by the light diffusion material R dispersed within the lens 30, and is emitted as diffused light from the surface of the outer lens 20 laminated on the inner lens 30, causing the outer lens 20 to emit light.

[0059] In addition, a portion (most) of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 of the light source substrate 40 is reflected by the reflector 50, passes through the second inner lens 70, and then passes through the inner lens 30 and the outer lens 20 before being emitted, causing the outer lens 20 to emit light.

[0060] A portion of the light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 that enters the first light entrance portion 32b is guided from the upper wall 30b of the inner lens 30 to the front wall 30a and the lower wall 30c, but the intensity of the guided light is weakened at the front wall 30a and the lower wall 30c where the light guide path from the light entrance portion 32b is longer and there are bends along the light guide path.

[0061] In addition, a portion of the light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 that enters the second light entrance portion 32b is guided from the lower wall 30c of the inner lens 30 to the front wall 30a and upper wall 30b, but the strength of the light guided is weakened at the front wall 30a and upper wall 30b where there are bends along the way and the light guide path from the light entrance portion 32c is longer.

[0062] Similarly, for the left and right side walls 30d, 30e of the inner lens 30, a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 that enters the first light entrance portion 32b and the second light entrance portion 32c, respectively, is guided from the top wall 30b to the left and right side walls 30d, 30e and from the bottom wall 30c to the left and right side walls 30d, 30e, respectively, but because there are bends in the respective light guide paths, the strength of the guided light is weakened in the left and right side walls 30d, 30e. Note that the right side wall 30e of the inner lens 30 is not shown in the drawing.

[0063] Therefore, when only the light source light is incident on the first light entrance portion 32b and the second light entrance portion 32c, the intensity of the light emitted from the front wall 20a and the left and right side walls 20d, 20e is somewhat weaker than the intensity of the light emitted from the top wall 20b and bottom wall 20c of the outer lens 20.

[0064] However, in the lighting fixture 100, most of the downward light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 located at the top of the lamp chamber S is reflected by the reflective surface 51 of the reflector 50 to become diffused light to the left and right, and further passes through the second inner lens 70 to become diffused light up, down, left and right, and is guided to the entire inside of the inner lens 30, including the left and right side walls 30d, 30e of the inner lens 30, so as to compensate for the lack of light emission on the front wall 20a and the left and right side walls 20d, 20e of the outer lens 20.

[0065] That is, in the lighting fixture 100, the outer lens 20 emits light (first emission) due to the light source light entering the first light entrance portion 32b formed on the first edge portion 31b of the inner lens 30 and being guided within the lens 30, the outer lens 20 emits light (second emission) due to the light source light entering the second light entrance portion 32b formed on the second edge portion 31c of the inner lens 30 and being guided within the lens 30, and most of the light source light is reflected by the reflector 50 and then passes through the second inner lens 70 to become diffused light in all directions, and the outer lens 20 emits light (third emission) due to the transmission of this diffused light in all directions through the inner lens 30 and outer lens 20, which combine to cause the entire design surface 21 of the outer lens 20 to emit a uniformly bright light.

[0066] Furthermore, the vehicle lamp 100 also provides the following functions and effects.

[0067] A part of the light emitted from the light emitting element 42 is guided to the first light entrance portion 32b of the inner lens 30 via the light guide member 60, thereby suppressing the occurrence of uneven light emission in the outer lens 20.

[0068] In other words, it is possible to directly input a portion of the light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 into the first light entrance portion 32b formed on the first edge portion 31b of the inner lens 30 without using the light-guiding member 60, but since the light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 is directional, the light source light (light from the multiple light-emitting elements 42) that directly enters the light entrance portion 32b of the inner lens 30 and the respective guided lights within the inner lens 30 are also affected by the directionality, which may result in uneven light emission in the outer lens 30.

[0069] However, in the lighting fixture 100, the directional light source light (emission from each of the multiple light-emitting elements 42) is guided through the light-guiding member 60, whereby the effects of directionality are reduced and the light is incident on the light entrance portion 32b of the inner lens 30. Therefore, the directionality of the light-emitting elements 42 does not become apparent when the light source light (emission from each of the multiple light-emitting elements 42) is guided within the inner lens 30, and uneven light emission does not occur in the outer lens 20.

[0070] Furthermore, since the inner lens 30 is not provided with any reflective step elements, when the lamp is not lit, the sense of depth of the lamp chamber S is apparent through the design surface 21 of the outer lens 20, resulting in a good appearance.

[0071] Furthermore, when only a portion of the outer lens 20 is made to emit strong light or when a predetermined light distribution intensity is to be secured on the side of the vehicle (for a viewing angle), a reflective step is formed at a predetermined position on the inner lens 30, but since the range in which the reflective step is formed is small, there is no problem in that the reflective step appears white when the light is not turned on, and the sense of depth of the lamp chamber S is not impaired.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lamp 100 has been described as a tail and stop lamp, but by controlling the on / off of power supply to the light-emitting elements 42 arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction for each light-emitting element 42, the lamp 100 can be used, firstly, as a sequential lamp in which the flashing area of ​​the outer lens 20 moves left-right when lit. Secondly, it can be used as a so-called "hospitality lamp" that is turned on when a user such as a driver or passenger of an automobile approaches their parked vehicle or when getting in or out of the vehicle.

[0073] Furthermore, in the lamp 100, if the outer lens 20 is made of clear resin, it can be used as a sidelight or daytime running lamp, and if the outer lens 20 is made of amber-colored resin, it can also be used as a turn signal lamp.

[0074] Furthermore, even if a light emitting element 42 that emits amber light is used and the outer lens 20 is made of clear resin, it can still be used as a turn signal lamp.

[0075] Figures 5 and 6 show a vehicle lamp 100A according to a second embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 5 being a front view of the lamp 100A and Figure 6 being a vertical cross-sectional view of the lamp 100A (a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 5). Note that Figure 5 omits the vicinity of the approximate center in the left-right direction of the lamp 100A.

[0076] In the lamp 100 according to the first embodiment described above, a bent portion with a small radius of curvature (large curvature) is formed in the forward bulging region (region on the inside of which the inner lens 30 is laminated) of the outer lens 20 that forms the design surface 21. Therefore, if only a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 is incident on the light entrance portions 32b, 32c formed on the short edge portions 31b, 31c of the inner lens 30, the amount of light guided in the front wall 30a and the left and right side walls 30d, 30e of the inner lens 30 is small, and the amount of light emitted in the front wall 20a and the left and right side walls 20d, 20e of the outer lens 20 is also small. Therefore, in the lamp 100, a reflector 50 is disposed in the lamp chamber S that guides most of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 42 to the entire back surface of the inner lens 30 as diffused light, thereby increasing the amount of light emitted in the front wall 20a and the left and right side walls 20d, 20e of the outer lens 20.

[0077] On the other hand, the lighting fixture 100A according to the second embodiment also has an outer lens 20A made of red translucent acrylic resin and having a narrow, elongated shape when viewed from the front, and an inner lens 30A made of clear translucent polycarbonate resin containing titanium dioxide particles R, which is a light diffusing material, laminated on top of the outer lens 20A, and the inner lens 30A is also formed in a narrow, elongated shape when viewed from the front that imitates the shape of the outer lens 20A when viewed from the front, which is similar to the lighting fixture 100.

[0078] Furthermore, the visible light transmittance in the normal direction (thickness direction) and the haze value in the normal direction (thickness direction) of the inner lens 30A are the same as the visible light transmittance and haze value of the inner lens 30 used in the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0079] However, in the lamp 100A, the entire forward bulging region of the outer lens 20A that forms the design surface 21A (the front wall 20Aa of the outer lens on which the inner lens 30A is laminated) is formed as a smooth convex surface with a relatively small curvature. Therefore, the interface between the outer lens 20A and the inner lens 30A and the back surface of the inner lens 30A are also formed as smooth convex surfaces with a relatively small curvature.

[0080] As will be explained in detail later, the short edge portions 31Ab, 31Ac of the inner lens 30A laminated on the outer lens 20A are shaped to face the rear of the lamp chamber SA, and the light source light incident on the light entrance portions 32Ab, 32Ac formed on the edge portions 31Ab, 31Ac, respectively, can be guided smoothly within the inner lens 30A without light leakage.

[0081] More specifically, like the lamp 100 of the first embodiment, the lamp 100A is, for example, a tail and stop lamp mounted on the rear of a vehicle, and is formed in a shape that is elongated from side to side when viewed from the front.

[0082] In the lighting fixture 100A, the peripheral portion of a long, left-right container-shaped outer lens 20A that opens to the rear is attached to the peripheral portion of the opening of a long, left-right container-shaped lamp body 10A that opens to the front, thereby forming a horizontally elongated lamp chamber SA with arc-shaped ends on both the left and right sides when viewed from the front.

[0083] That is, in the lighting fixture 100A, the left and right side walls of the lamp body 10A and the left and right sides of the front wall 20Aa of the outer lens 20A are each formed in an arc shape when viewed from the front, and the design surface 21A formed in the area forward of the flange portion 22 of the outer lens 20A is formed as a convex curved surface with a small curvature that curves greatly forward, as described above.

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the inner lens 30A is laminated on the inside of the curved front wall 20Aa of the outer lens 20A, so that the edge portion 31A of the inner lens 30A, which extends endlessly in a thin string-like manner in the inner circumferential direction along the inner surface of the front wall 20Aa of the outer lens 20A, is exposed on the inside of the flange portion 22 of the outer lens 20A, facing the rear of the lamp chamber SA.

[0085] When viewed from inside the lamp chamber SA, the edge portion 31A of the inner lens 30A extends endlessly in the inner circumferential direction of the front wall 20Aa of the outer lens 20A, and first and second light entrance portions 32Ab, 32Ac (areas shown by diagonal lines in Figure 5) for entering light from the light source are formed in first and second edge portions 31Ab, 31Ac in the short length direction (up and down direction in Figure 5) of the inner lens 30A, which are areas that extend parallel to the left and right direction when viewing the lamp 100A from the front.

[0086] In addition, the edge portion 31A of the inner lens 30A facing the rear within the lamp chamber SA is formed at a position P2 offset by d1 rearward within the lamp chamber SA from the position P1 corresponding to the base of the flange portion 22, so that the area of ​​the light entrance portions 32Ab, 32Ac formed at the edge portion 31A of the inner lens 30A, which constitute the entrance surface for the light emitted from the light-emitting element 42, is increased, thereby increasing the incidence efficiency of the light from the light source.

[0087] Furthermore, in the upper part of the lamp chamber SA, a light source substrate 40A having mounted thereon light emitting elements 42 that emit white light is arranged with its light emitting element mounting surface (light emitting surface) facing forward, and in the lower part of the lamp chamber SA, a light source substrate 40B having mounted thereon light emitting elements 42 that emit white light is arranged with its light emitting element mounting surface (light emitting surface) facing forward. The light source substrates 40A, 40B are each formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape with a length substantially equal to the left-right length of the light entrance portions 32Ab, 32Ac of the inner lens 30A, and a large number of light emitting elements 42 are arranged on the substrates 40A, 40B at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the substrates.

[0088] In addition, the light source substrates 40A, 40B carrying the light emitting element 42 are each fixed to the inside of the flange portion 12 of the lamp body 10A by a bracket 44, and are positioned so that the optical axis of the light emitting element 42 faces directly toward the light entrance portions 32Ab, 32Ac of the inner lens 30, respectively.

[0089] Furthermore, the lamp 100A according to the second embodiment also functions as a tail and stop lamp, just like the lamp 100 according to the first embodiment, by controlling the amount of power supplied to the light-emitting element 42 so as to change the brightness of the light emitted by the outer lens 30A.

[0090] The lighting fixture 100A according to the second embodiment has the following functions and effects.

[0091] Generally, the strength of the light guided within the inner lens weakens on the side opposite to the side where the light entrance section is formed, which is farther away from the side where the light entrance section is formed, so the light is diffused and reflected by the light diffusing material within the inner lens, and the amount of diffused light emitted from the front surface of the laminated outer lens (the amount of light emitted by the outer lens) decreases.

[0092] In particular, when a large curved region is formed in the outer lens 20A (inner lens 30A) as in this embodiment, the light guide path within the lens 30A is long, and furthermore, due to light leakage at the curved portion, the light from the light source entering the light entrance portion is not sufficiently guided to the tip of the light guide path within the lens 30A, and there is a risk that the amount of light emitted by the outer lens 30A corresponding to the side of the inner lens 30A where the light entrance portion is formed will be inferior to the amount of light emitted by the outer lens 20A corresponding to the side where the light entrance portion is formed.

[0093] However, in the lamp 100A, first, the inner lens 30A is laminated on the back side thereof, and the front region 20Aa of the outer lens 20A, which forms the design surface 21A, is formed as a convex curved surface with a relatively small curvature, so the inner lens 30A is also formed as a convex curved surface with a relatively small curvature. As a result, most of the light source light incident on the light entrance portions 32Ab, 32Ac of the inner lens 30A is guided to the entire inner lens 30A, including both left and right ends of the inner lens 30A, without leaking from the inner lens 30A, which serves as the light guide path. In other words, since there is less light leakage during light guidance, the entire design surface 21A of the outer lens 20A emits uniformly bright light.

[0094] Second, when viewing the inner lens 30A from the front, light from the light-emitting elements 42 of the first light source substrate 40A is incident on the light entrance portion 32Aa formed on the first edge portion 31Ab of the inner lens 30A, and light from the light-emitting elements 42 of the second light source substrate 40B is incident on the light entrance portion 32Ac formed on the second edge portion 31Ac of the inner lens 30A, so the strength of the light guide throughout the inner lens 30A increases, and the amount of diffused light (light emission amount of the outer lens 20A) emitted from the front wall 20Aa (design surface 21A) of the outer lens 20A increases accordingly. In other words, the entire design surface 21A of the outer lens 20A, which bulges out significantly forward, emits uniformly bright light.

[0095] Thirdly, since the inner lens 30A is not provided with any reflective step elements, when the lamp is not lit, the sense of depth of the lamp chamber SA is apparent through the front region 20Aa of the outer lens 20A, resulting in a good appearance.

[0096] Furthermore, when only a portion of the outer lens 20A is made to emit strong light or when a predetermined light distribution intensity is to be secured on the side of the vehicle (for a viewing angle), a reflective step is formed at a predetermined position on the inner lens 30A, but since the range in which the reflective step is formed is small, there is no problem in that the reflective step appears white when the light is not turned on, and the sense of depth of the lamp chamber SA is not impaired.

[0097] In this embodiment, the light emitted from the light-emitting elements 42, which are the light sources of the first and second light source substrates 40A and 40B, is directly incident on the light entrance portion 32Ab (32Ac) of the inner lens 30A, respectively. However, the fixed positions of the first and second light source substrates 40A and 40B may be shifted rearward within the lamp chamber SA, and a light-guiding member 60 such as that used in the first embodiment may be placed between the light entrance portion 32Ab (32Ac) of the inner lens 30A and the light-emitting elements 42, and the light emitted from the light-emitting elements 42 of the first and second light source substrates 40A and 40B may be incident on the light entrance portion 32Ab (32Ac) of the inner lens 30A, respectively, via the light-guiding member 60.

[0098] With this configuration, the directional light source light (light emitted from each of the multiple light-emitting elements 42) is guided through the light-guiding member 60, becoming light with the effects of directionality mitigated, and is incident on the light entrance portion 32Ab (32Ac) of the inner lens 30A, thereby reliably suppressing the occurrence of uneven light emission in the outer lens 20A.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lamp 100A has been described as a tail and stop lamp, but by controlling the on / off of the power supply to the light-emitting elements 42 arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction for each light-emitting element 42, the lamp 100A can be used, firstly, as a sequential lamp in which the flashing area of ​​the outer lens 20A moves left-right when lit. Secondly, it can be used as a so-called "hospitality lamp" that is turned on when users such as the driver or passengers of an automobile approach their parked vehicle or when getting in or out of the vehicle.

[0100] Furthermore, in the lamp 100A, if the outer lens 20A is made of clear resin, it can be used as a sidelight or daytime running lamp, and if the outer lens 20A is made of amber-colored resin, it can also be used as a turn signal lamp.

[0101] Furthermore, even if a light emitting element 42 that emits amber light is used and the outer lens 20A is made of clear resin, it can still be used as a turn signal lamp.

[0102] Furthermore, the design surfaces 21, 21A of the outer lenses 20, 20A of the lamps 100, 100A in the above-described embodiments are formed in a shape that bulges forward greatly, but this is not limited to a shape that bulges forward greatly, and may also be a flat shape that does not bulge forward greatly.

[0103] Furthermore, although the lighting fixtures 100, 100A in the above-described embodiment are arranged linearly in the left-right direction on a flat area of ​​the rear panel 102, the lighting fixtures 100, 100A may also be arranged linearly in the vertical or diagonal direction on a flat area of ​​the rear panel 102.

[0104] Furthermore, the lamps 100, 100A in the above-described embodiments have horizontal cross sections formed linearly in the left-right direction and are described as lamps that are attached to a flat area of ​​the rear panel 102, but they may also be lamps that are attached from the rear of the vehicle to the side of the vehicle (lamp that wraps around from the rear of the vehicle to the side), and in such lamps that wrap around from the rear of the vehicle to the side, the horizontal cross section of the lamps 100, 100A has a curved shape that bulges outward to imitate the curved shape of the rear panel that forms the corner of the vehicle (a shape in which the horizontal cross section is curved convexly). [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 100,100A lighting equipment 10,10A lamp body 12 Flange 20,20A outer lens 20a, 20Aa Front wall of outer lens 20b Top wall of outer lens 20c Lower wall of outer lens 20d Left side wall of outer lens 20e Right side wall of outer lens 21, 21A Outer lens design surface 22 Flange 24 Seal leg S,SA light room 30,30A inner lens R Light Diffuser 31, 31A The edge of the inner lens facing the rear of the lamp chamber 31b, 31Ab: First edge portion in the short length direction of the inner lens 31c, 31Ac: second edge portion in the short direction of the inner lens 32b, 32Ab: First light entrance portion for light source light incidence 32c, 32Ac: Second light input section for inputting light from the light source 40,40A,40B Light source board 42 Light-emitting element that is a light source 50 Reflector 51 Reflective surface 51s Cylindrical Step Element 60 Light guide member 61 Diffusion Step 70 Second inner lens

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp includes a lamp chamber formed by sealing a peripheral portion of a translucent outer lens to the peripheral portion of an opening of a container-shaped lamp body, and a light source and a first translucent inner lens that emits light by guiding light from the light source that is incident on a light entrance portion formed on the edge of the lamp chamber using a first light guiding member containing a light diffusing material, The first inner lens is laminated on at least a part of the outer lens having a narrow and elongated shape when viewed from the front, and the light entrance portion for the light source light is formed on at least one of the short edge portions of the first inner lens facing rearward inside the lamp chamber, The light source light incident on the light entrance portion is guided within the first inner lens, is diffused and reflected by the light diffusing material, and is emitted as diffused light from the outer lens, The light source is disposed in an upper portion of the lamp chamber and faces downward, A reflector is disposed below the light source in the lamp chamber, and guides a portion of the light source light to a second light entrance portion formed on the other edge portion of the first inner lens and to the entire back surface of the first inner lens. A vehicle lamp characterized by:

2. The area of ​​the outer lens where the first inner lens is laminated is formed into a shape that is bent or curved and bulges forward, The light entrance portion for the light source light is also formed on the other end edge portion in the short length direction of the first inner lens.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a second light guide member disposed in the lamp chamber for guiding the light from the light source to the light entrance portion.

4. A second inner lens is disposed in front of the reflector to diffuse the light reflected by the reflector and directed toward the entire back surface of the first inner lens.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

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