Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture equipped with an inner lens capable of materializing required light distribution even if a light emission surface of a light source is not turned in an optimal direction.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture is equipped with a light source 1 that emits light, and an inner lens 4 that functions as an optical system 2 permeating and deflecting light emitted from the light source 1. The inner lens 4 is equipped with a light-incident side lens 41 where the light from the light source 1 is incident, a light-emission side lens 42 where the light emitted from the light-incident side lens 41 is incident. A cavity exists between the light-incident side lens 41 and the light-emission side lens 42. The light-incident side lens 41 includes deflection steps 411 and 412 deflecting the incident light in a first direction to emit, and the light-emission side lens 42 includes a deflection step 421 further deflecting the incident light in the first direction to emit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp suitable for installation in a vehicle such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] As an automotive lighting fixture, a lighting fixture equipped with an inner lens as an optical system for controlling the light emitted from a light source such as an LED (light emitting diode) to a required light distribution has been proposed. Patent Document 1 proposes an inner lens having a hollow structure, which includes a first lens portion and a second lens portion arranged with a required gap between them and connected by a connecting plate portion. This inner lens can be made lighter than a lens with a solid structure, i.e., a lens without a gap between the first lens portion and the second lens portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-112065 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in automotive lighting fixtures, the placement position of the light source, particularly the orientation of the light-emitting surface such as the light-emitting surface that emits light from the light source, is sometimes restricted due to space requirements when installing the fixture on the vehicle body, and it may not be possible to orient the light-emitting surface in the optimal direction to achieve the required light distribution. In such cases, it is necessary to use an inner lens to control the deflection of the light beam or light beam (a group of multiple light beams) emitted from the light-emitting surface. For example, a lighting fixture may be configured such that a refractive step is formed in the inner lens and the light beam is deflected by this refractive step.

[0005] In such a lamp, if the deflection angle of the light beam in the inner lens increases, it is necessary to increase the deflection means of the inner lens, i.e., the inclination angle of the light refracting surface of the refraction step formed in the inner lens. However, because ordinary inner lenses are formed by molding translucent resin, molding a refraction step with a large inclination angle makes it difficult to form a refraction step with high precision due to "sink marks" that occur during molding, and therefore makes it difficult to achieve the required deflection control or light distribution control.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp equipped with an inner lens that can achieve the required light distribution even when the light emission surface of the light source is not facing in the optimal direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention includes a light source that emits light and an inner lens that transmits and deflects the light emitted from the light source. teeth, Incident from the light source The light passes through and exits The light incident side lens and the light emitted from the light incident side lens And the light from the light source that is not transmitted through the light-input lens There is a gap between the light-input lens and the light-output lens, and the light-input lens reflects the incident light. Inward in the vehicle width direction A deflection step is provided to deflect the light in a first direction and emit the light, and the light-emitting side lens is From the light-entering lens a deflection step of further deflecting the incident light in a first direction and emitting the deflected light; a deflection step of deflecting the light from the light source that is not transmitted through the light-entering-side lens in a second direction, which is the outward direction in the vehicle width direction, and emitting the deflected light; Equipped with.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light-entering lens and the light-emitting lens are formed as elongated plates, and are connected at one longitudinal end of each lens by an end plate and at the lateral edges of each lens along the longitudinal direction by side plates. It is preferable that the light-entering lens and the end plate are connected so as to intersect at an obtuse angle, and the light-emitting lens and the end plate are connected so as to intersect at an acute angle.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light source is composed of a plurality of light-emitting elements mounted on a substrate, and the light-input lens is not disposed opposite some of the light-emitting elements, while the light-output lens is disposed opposite some of the light-emitting elements. The light-output lens has a deflection step that deflects light emitted from some of the light sources in a second direction different from the first direction. Furthermore, it is preferable that the inner lens is configured as a second inner lens, and that a first inner lens is disposed between the light source and the second inner lens to convert the light emitted from the light source into a parallel beam, and a third inner lens is disposed between the second inner lens and the outer lens to diverge or diffuse the light emitted from the second inner lens.

[0010] In one embodiment of the vehicular lamp of the present invention, when the lamp is installed in a vehicle, for example, the light emitting surface of the light source is directed in a direction inclined horizontally relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In this case, the inner lens is preferably configured to deflect the light emitted from the light source in a first direction that is the inward direction in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, it is preferable that the inner lens be configured to deflect the light in a direction different from the first direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the light from the light source can be deflected in each of the light-entering lens and the light-exiting lens of the inner lens. As a result, even if the light-emitting surface (light-exiting surface) of the light source is not oriented in the optimal direction, the light can be deflected in a direction that satisfies the required light distribution. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied and a rear lamp, viewed obliquely from behind; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic, partially exploded perspective view of an outer lamp. [Figure 3] A horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the first inner lens. [Figure 5]10A and 10B are perspective views of the appearance of a second inner lens, in which (a) is a partially cutaway view seen from diagonally above, and (b) is a view seen from diagonally below. [Figure 6] Enlarged view of part A in Figure 5(a). [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the optical path of a ray bundle. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the optical path of a ray bundle. [Figure 9] Schematic plan view of a car showing the light distribution of the TL unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention, in which the vehicle lamp is applied to rear lamps R-RL, L-RL of a combination structure disposed at the left and right rear portions of the body of an automobile CAR. The left and right rear lamps R-RL, L-RL are composed of an outer lamp oRL disposed on the vehicle body side and an inner lamp iRL disposed on the trunk lid side. The present invention is applied to this outer lamp oRL. That is, as shown in the partially cutaway enlarged view of FIG. 1, the outer lamp oRL is provided with an outer tail lamp unit oTLU and a turn signal lamp unit TSLU. Note that the inner lamp iRL is provided with an inner tail lamp unit and a backup lamp unit, although explanation using reference numerals will be omitted as they are not relevant to the present invention.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a schematic, partially exploded perspective view of the outer lamp oRL of the right rear lamp R-RL, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 1. In the following description, the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction are based on the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the automobile. Furthermore, with regard to the emission direction and deflection direction of the light beam bundle described below, the direction toward the center of the automobile in the vehicle width direction is referred to as the inward direction of the automobile, and the opposite direction toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction is referred to as the outward direction of the automobile. Therefore, for the outer lamp oRL in Figs. 2 and 3, the right direction is the outward direction of the automobile, and the left direction is the inward direction of the automobile.

[0015] The outer lamp oRL has a lamp housing 100 composed of a partially open, container-shaped lamp body 101 and an outer cover (outer lens) 102 attached to the opening of the lamp body 101. The lamp body 101 has a wraparound shape extending from the rear to the right side of the vehicle body, and the trunk of the automobile CAR is located behind the lamp body 101. Therefore, the inner bottom surface of the lamp body 101 is inclined at a required angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the automobile CAR, and the interior depth from the opening to the inner bottom surface is formed shallow. Furthermore, the opening of the lamp body 101 is open in a region facing from the rear to the side so that the light distribution required for the outer tail lamp unit oTLU, i.e., the required angular region from the rear to the side of the automobile CAR, can be irradiated. The outer cover 102 is made of a colorless, transparent, translucent material and is formed with a curved surface that follows the curved shape from the rear to the right side of the vehicle body.

[0016] As described above, the outer tail lamp unit oTLU and the turn signal lamp unit TSLU are disposed within the lamp housing 100. Furthermore, a pseudo reflector called an extension 103 shown in Fig. 1 is disposed in an area of ​​the lamp housing 100 where the outer tail lamp unit oTLU and the turn signal lamp unit TALU are not disposed. This extension 103 prevents the interior of the lamp housing 100 from being exposed through the outer cover 102, thereby improving the external appearance of the outer lamp oRL.

[0017] The outer tail lamp unit (hereinafter referred to as TL unit) oTLU, as shown in exploded view in Figure 2, is equipped with a light source 1 and an optical system 2, and is configured to control the red light emitted by the light source 1 so that it has a required light distribution in the optical system 3, and to emit the controlled light through the outer cover 102.

[0018] The light source 1 includes semiconductor light-emitting elements, in this case multiple LEDs (light-emitting diodes) 11 that each emit red light. The multiple LEDs 11 are mounted in a row on the surface of a light source substrate 10, and the light-emitting surface of each LED 11, i.e., the light-emitting surface, faces the same direction as the surface of the light source substrate 10. These LEDs 11 are supplied with the required power through a power supply circuit (not shown) configured on the light source substrate 10, and are thereby made to emit light.

[0019] The light source substrate 10 is fixedly supported on the inner bottom surface of the lamp body 101 with its back surface facing approximately vertical so that the mounted LEDs 11 are aligned horizontally. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, the light source substrate 10 is disposed with its front surface facing outward in the width direction of the automobile CAR and tilted at a required angle toward the rear. Therefore, if an axis perpendicular to the light-emitting surface at the center of the light-emitting surface of each LED 11 is defined as a main light-emitting axis Ox, the light-emitting surface of each LED 11 is disposed with its main light-emitting axis Ox tilted toward the outward in the width direction of the automobile CAR with respect to the longitudinal and lateral directions.

[0020] The optical system 3 includes a first inner lens 3, a second inner lens 4, and a third inner lens 5, which are arranged on the light-emitting surface side of the LED 11, i.e., from the light source substrate 10 toward the outer cover 102. Each of the inner lenses 3, 4, and 5 is formed of a colorless, light-transmitting material, in this case, a colorless, transparent resin. Each of the inner lenses 3, 4, and 5 is supported on the lamp body 101 by a support member (not shown). The light source 1 and the optical system 2 may be supported on the lamp body 101 individually, or the light source 1 and the optical system 2 may be sub-assembled and configured as an integrated unit, and this unit may be supported on the lamp body 101.

[0021] The first inner lens 3 is disposed parallel to the surface of the light source substrate 10 with a required gap therebetween. As shown in a partially enlarged perspective view in FIG. 4, the first inner lens 3 is formed in the shape of a flat plate extending horizontally. The side facing the light source substrate 10 is a light incident surface (hereinafter referred to as the first lens incident surface) 3i, and the opposite side is configured as a light exit surface (hereinafter referred to as the first lens exit surface) 3o. The first lens incident surface 3i is formed with a Fresnel step 31 that forms a convex lens whose lens optical axis is aligned with the main light-emitting axes Ox of the multiple LEDs 11 of the light source 1. The focal point of the convex lens formed by this Fresnel step 31 is positioned at the center of the light-emitting surface of the LED 11. Therefore, when the light emitted in a divergent state from the LED 11 enters the first lens incident surface 31, it is controlled by the Fresnel step 31 to be a parallel bundle of rays.

[0022] The first lens exit surface 3o is formed with deflection steps that deflect the parallel light beams controlled at the first lens entrance surface 3i. The deflection steps are composed of refracting steps 32, 33 that refract the light beams and deflect them horizontally, and are configured in a vertical stripe pattern with a large number of refracting steps 32, 33, each with a sawtooth-like cross section in the horizontal direction, aligned horizontally. Most of the refracting steps 32 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction have a step shape in which the surface angle of the light refracting surface is set so that the transmitted light beams are refracted at a required angle toward the inner side of the vehicle width with respect to the main light emission axis Ox. In this embodiment, the large number of refracting steps 32 are formed so that the refraction angles of the respective light beams are equal.

[0023] On the other hand, the refraction step 33 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, i.e., the refraction step 33 through which the light beam emitted from the LED (hereinafter referred to as the outermost LED) 11x located furthest outward in the vehicle width direction shown in Fig. 3 passes, is configured as a refraction step that refracts and deflects the light in the opposite direction to the refraction step 32 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. That is, this refraction step 33 has a step shape in which the surface angle of the light refracting surface is set so as to refract the light beam toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the main light emission axis Ox.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 5(a) as a partially cutaway perspective view seen from diagonally above and Fig. 5(b) as a perspective view seen from diagonally below, the second inner lens 4 includes a light-entering lens 41 and a light-emitting lens 42, each of which is a thin, horizontally elongated flat plate. The light-entering lens 41 and the light-emitting lens 42 are disposed substantially parallel to each other with a required gap between them, and the ends of the lenses 41, 42 in the vehicle width direction and one side edge along the length of the lenses 41, 42, in this case the upper side edge, are connected by an end plate 43 and a side plate 44, forming a square gutter shape. The end of the light-emitting lens 42 in the vehicle width direction is configured as an extension 45 that extends horizontally beyond the end of the light-entering lens 41. Since this second inner lens 4 has the light-entering side lens 41, the light-exiting side lens 42, the extension portion 45, the end plate 43 and the side plate 44 formed by integral molding of translucent resin, it can also be said that the second inner lens 4 is configured as a lens with a hollow structure.

[0025] 6 is an enlarged view of portion A in FIG. 5(a), and shows that deflection steps are formed on the light incident surface (light incident lens incident surface) 41i and the light exit surface (light incident lens exit surface) 41o of the light incident-side lens 41. Similar to the refractive steps 32 and 33 on the first lens exit surface 3o, these deflection steps are configured in a vertical stripe pattern with numerous refractive steps 411 and 412, each of which has a sawtooth-like cross section in the horizontal direction, arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The refractive steps 411 and 412 are configured such that the surface angle of the light refracting surface is set so that the bundle of rays incident on the light incident-side lens incident surface 41i is refracted inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the light emission main axis Ox, and exits from the light incident-side lens exit surface 41o.

[0026] Refraction steps 421 are also formed as deflection steps on the light incident surface (light-emitting-side lens incident surface) 42i of the light-emitting-side lens 42. Similar to the refraction steps 411 of the light-incoming-side lens 41, these refraction steps 421 are configured in a vertical stripe pattern with a large number of refraction steps, each with a sawtooth-like horizontal cross section, aligned horizontally. The refraction steps 421 are configured such that the surface angle of the light refraction surface is set so as to refract the bundle of rays incident on the light-emitting-side lens incident surface 42i toward the inside of the vehicle width with respect to the light-emission main axis Ox.

[0027] Here, the second inner lens 4 is configured so that the light beam deflected by the second inner lens 4 and emitted from the light-emitting-side lens emission surface 42o has a larger deflection angle when emitted from the inner region in the vehicle width direction than when emitted from the outer region in the vehicle width direction. That is, the refraction steps 411, 412, 421 formed on the light-entering-side lens incident surface 41i, the light-entering-side lens emission surface 41o, and the light-emitting-side lens incident surface 42i, respectively, have a gradually increasing angle of the light refraction surface from the outer region in the vehicle width direction toward the inner region, and the second inner lens 4 as a whole is configured so that the deflection angle is larger on the inside than on the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0028] On the other hand, the light-emitting lens exit surface 42o is formed with refracting steps 422 for diverging the light beam in the vertical direction within a required angular range. Here, the refracting steps 422, each with a curved surface shape with a gentle curvature in vertical cross section and extending in the horizontal direction, are aligned vertically.

[0029] In the extension portion 45 of the light-emitting side lens 42, deflection steps are formed on each of its incident surface (extension portion incident surface 45i) and its exit surface (extension portion exit surface) 45o. These deflection steps are configured in a vertical stripe pattern in which a large number of refraction steps 451, 452, each with a sawtooth-like cross section in the horizontal direction, are aligned horizontally, and are configured as refraction steps that refract and deflect the bundle of rays toward the outside of the vehicle width with respect to the light-emitting main axis Ox.

[0030] The second inner lens 4 is arranged so that the light-entering lens incident surface 41i is parallel to the first lens exit surface 3o of the first inner lens 3. In this case, the light-entering lens 41 is arranged to face the other LEDs 11 except for the outermost LED 11x, but is not arranged to face the outermost LED 11x. Only the extension 45 of the light-exiting lens 42 is arranged to face the outermost LED 11x.

[0031] When the second inner lens 4 is disposed in the lamp housing 100, the end plate 43 connecting the light-entering lens 41 and the light-emitting lens 42 at their ends in the vehicle width direction is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to prevent interference with the lamp body 101 and to prevent the light beam emitted from the LED 11 from being blocked by the end plate 43. Therefore, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the angle θb at the connection point between the light-entering lens 41 and the end plate 43 is an obtuse angle, and the angle θa at the connection point between the light-emitting lens 42 and the end plate 43 is an acute angle. In other words, each corner is an angle other than a right angle.

[0032] The third inner lens 5 is configured as a curved plate that generally conforms to the inner surface of the outer cover 102, and is disposed so as to cover substantially the entire surface of the light-emitting lens 42 of the second inner lens 4. The light incident surface (third lens incident surface) 5i of the third inner lens 5 is configured as a smooth surface, and the light exit surface (third lens exit surface) 5o is formed with a number of diverging steps 51 that diverge light horizontally. These diverging steps are a number of vertical cylindrical steps that have an arc-shaped cross section in the horizontal direction and extend vertically, and are arranged horizontally. The diverging steps can also be configured as diffusion steps that diffuse a portion of the emitted light.

[0033] When the above-described TL unit oTLU is turned on, each LED 11 emits light and red light is emitted from its light-emitting surface. FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the optical path of the light when the TL unit is turned on, and FIG. 8 is a side view. The light emitted in a divergent state from the light-emitting surface of each LED 11 is controlled to a parallel bundle of rays by the Fresnel step 31 on the first lens entrance surface 3i of the first inner lens 3. The main light-emitting axis Ox of each LED 11 is inclined at a required angle toward the rear of the vehicle, outward across the vehicle width, so that the controlled parallel bundle of rays is directed in the direction of the main light-emitting axis Ox, i.e., diagonally toward the right rear of the vehicle.

[0034] The light beams that pass through the first lens 3 and are emitted from the first lens emission surface 3o are refracted by the refraction steps 32 of the first lens emission surface 3o and deflected with respect to the main light-emitting axis Ox. That is, the light beams from the LEDs 11 other than the outermost LED 11x on the outer side of the vehicle width are deflected inward with respect to the main light-emitting axis Ox. On the other hand, the light beams from the outermost LED 11x are deflected outward with respect to the main light-emitting axis Ox.

[0035] The light beams emitted from the first lens exit surface 3o, excluding the light beams from the outermost LED 11x, are incident on the light-entering lens incident surface 41i of the second inner lens 4 and emitted from the light-entering lens exit surface 41o. At this time, the light beams are refracted and deflected at a required refraction angle toward the inward direction of the vehicle width with respect to the light-emission main axis Ox by the refraction steps 411, 412 of the light-entering lens incident surface 41i and the light-entering lens exit surface 41o. Furthermore, the light beams emitted from the light-entering lens exit surface 41o are incident on the light-emission lens incident surface 42i and emitted from the light-emission lens exit surface 42o. At this time, the refraction steps 421 of the light-emission lens incident surface 42i deflect each light beam toward the inward direction of the vehicle width at an even larger angle with respect to the light-emission main axis Ox. Then, the light beam emitted from the light-emitting lens exit surface 42o is diverged by the divergence step 422 so that the amount of light (luminous intensity) becomes approximately uniform in the horizontal direction.

[0036] On the other hand, as described above, the light beam from the outermost LED 11x is deflected toward the outside of the vehicle width with respect to the main light-emitting axis Ox when it passes through the first inner lens 3, and therefore is incident on the extended portion incident surface 45i of the second inner lens 4 and emitted from the extended portion exit surface 45o without passing through the light-entering side lens 41 of the second inner lens 4. At this time, the refraction steps 451, 452 provided on the extended portion incident surface 45i and the extended portion exit surface 45o deflect the light beam toward the outside of the vehicle width at an even larger angle with respect to the main light-emitting axis Ox.

[0037] All light beams emitted from the light-emitting lens exit surface 42o and the extension exit surface 45o of the second inner lens 4 are transmitted through the third inner lens 5, but are diverged horizontally by the vertical cylindrical step 51 provided on the third lens exit surface 5o. As a result, the TL unit oTLU as a whole has a light distribution in which light is irradiated over a wide area extending from the rear to the right side of the automobile CAR, as shown in Fig. 9. The diverging step 51 provided on the third lens exit surface 5o may be configured as a fly's eye lens in which a large number of tiny convex or concave lenses are arranged in a grid pattern.

[0038] In this way, the light beams emitted from the other LEDs 11 except the outermost LED 11x, passing through the first inner lens 3 and the second inner lens 4, and then passing through the third inner lens 5 to be emitted from the third lens exit surface 5o are deflected inwardly of the vehicle width relative to the main light-emitting axis Ox of the LED 11 by the deflection steps (refraction steps) formed in the light-entering side lens 41, the light-exiting side lens 42 of the second inner lens 4, and the third inner lens 5.

[0039] On the other hand, the light beam emitted from the outermost LED 11x is deflected outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the main light-emitting axis Ox of the outermost LED 11x by the deflection steps (refraction steps) 451, 452 formed on the incident surface 45i and the exit surface 45o of the extension 45 of the second inner lens 4. As a result, even though the light-emitting surface of the outermost LED 11x is directed diagonally rearward of the automobile CAR, the emitted light beam is directed toward the right side of the automobile CAR, and the LED can function as a so-called side marker lamp.

[0040] In this way, the TL unit oTLU of the embodiment obtains a light distribution that illuminates a required area from the rear to the right side of the vehicle by deflecting the light of the LEDs 11, which has been controlled to a parallel beam by the first inner lens 3, using the second inner lens 4, and diverging it by the third inner lens 5. Therefore, even though it is difficult to arrange the light-emitting surface of the LEDs 11 facing the rear of the vehicle due to restrictions on the shape and size of the rear lamp, and the light-emitting surface of each LED 11 is facing diagonally rearward of the vehicle, the light distribution required for a tail lamp can be satisfied.

[0041] Furthermore, the second inner lens 4 constituting the optical system 2 of the TL unit oTLU is configured as a hollow lens with a gap between the light-entering lens 41 and the light-exiting lens 42. This allows for four surfaces—the light-entering lens incident surface 41i, the light-entering lens exit surface 41o, the light-exiting lens incident surface 42i, and the light-exiting lens exit surface 42o—to be configured as refractive surfaces. This configuration doubles the number of refractive surfaces compared to a solid lens consisting of two refractive surfaces, the incident surface and the exit surface. This makes it possible to form refractive steps with smaller refraction angles on each surface of the second inner lens 4 than solid lenses. For example, the refraction angles of the refractive steps formed on each surface can be made smaller. This prevents sink marks that occur during resin molding when the refraction steps are designed with a large inclination angle to increase the refraction angle, enabling the manufacture of highly accurate refraction steps.

[0042] Furthermore, by providing a gap between the light-entering lens 41 and the light-exiting lens 42, the second inner lens 4 can increase the optical path length of the ray bundle from the light-entering lens incident surface 41o to the light-exiting lens exit surface 42o. This increases the amount of displacement in the vehicle width direction of the ray bundle that enters the light-entering lens incident surface 41i and exits from the light-exiting lens exit surface 42o, which is advantageous for expanding the light distribution area in the vehicle width direction. Even with this increased optical path length, the hollow structure with a gap between the light-entering lens and the light-exiting lens allows for a lighter weight than a solid lens.

[0043] Furthermore, in the second inner lens 4 of the embodiment, the angle at the connection between the end plate 43 and the light-entering lens 41 is an obtuse angle, and the angle at the connection between the end plate 43 and the light-emitting lens 42 is an acute angle. Therefore, the end plate 43 can be oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the dimensions of the end plate 43 protruding inward and outward in the vehicle width direction can be reduced. This prevents the light emitted from the LED 11 from being blocked by the end plate 43, and also reduces the increase in the dimension of the TL unit oTLU in the vehicle width direction, which is effective in expanding the trunk volume.

[0044] The second inner lens 4 of the embodiment has an integrated configuration in which the light-entering lens 41 and the light-emitting lens 42 are connected by the end plates 43 and the side plates 44, which is effective in preventing deformation when the second inner lens 4 is molded. Therefore, when the second inner lens 4 is molded from resin, the optical characteristics due to deformation of the second inner lens 4, such as the surface accuracy of the entrance and exit surfaces of the light-entering lens 41 and the light-emitting lens 42, and the shapes and dimensions of the refractive steps formed on these surfaces, can be formed with high precision. If there is no risk of deformation that deteriorates such optical characteristics when the second inner lens 4 is molded, one of the end plates 43 and the side plates 44 may be omitted.

[0045] If the horizontal divergence angle of the divergence steps 51 on the third lens exit surface 5o can be designed to be large, the refractive steps formed on the second inner lens 4, i.e., the refractive steps on the light-incoming-side incident surface 41i, the light-incoming-side exit surface 41o, and the light-outgoing-side incident surface 42i, may each be formed with a uniform shape and dimensions. In this case, the deflection angle of the light beams from each LED 11 on the second inner lens 4 becomes uniform, and the light distribution required by the divergence of light on the third inner lens 5 can be satisfied. This makes it easier to design and manufacture the refractive steps on each surface of the second inner lens 4.

[0046] Here, the outermost LED 11x may be composed of a plurality of LEDs arranged in the outward direction of the vehicle width. Furthermore, the outermost LED 11x may be configured as a turn signal lamp by controlling the blinking of the outermost LED 11x by control of a light emitting circuit. In this case, it is preferable that the outermost LED 11x be composed of an LED that emits amber light.

[0047] In the present invention, the inner lens constituting the optical system may be configured to include at least the second inner lens. That is, the first inner lens may be configured as part of the light source, and the third inner lens may not be specifically provided. Therefore, in such a case, the inner lens in the present invention is configured as the second inner lens.

[0048] The above description is of an embodiment applied to a right rear lamp disposed on the right rear of the vehicle body, but it can also be applied to a left rear lamp disposed on the left rear of the vehicle body. In this case, the TL unit in particular has a bilaterally symmetrical structure. Therefore, the configuration of each of the first to third inner lenses constituting the optical system, particularly the left-right relationship in the inward and outward vehicle width directions in the deflection direction due to the deflection steps formed on the second inner lens and the third inner lens, is opposite to that of the embodiment.

[0049] The present invention can also be applied to lamp units for various auxiliary lamps installed in automobile headlamps, such as clearance lamps, daytime running lamps, and fog lamps, in which the light source is composed of an LED that emits white light.

[0050] In the present invention, although a description of an embodiment is omitted, when applied to various lamps, the first direction in the present invention is not necessarily specified as the inward direction of the vehicle width as described in the embodiment, but may be the forward or rearward direction of the vehicle. Also, the second direction may be at least a direction different from the first direction, and is not specified as the outward direction of the vehicle width as described in the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 light source 2 Optical system 3. First inner lens 4. Second inner lens 5. Third inner lens 31 Fresnel Step 32 Refraction step (deflection step) 41 Light input lens 411,412 Refraction step (deflection step) 42 Light output lens 421 Refraction Step (Deflection Step) 43 End plate 44 Side panel 45 Extension 100 Lamp Housing CAR R-RL, L-RL rear lamp oTLU Outer tail lamp unit

Claims

1. a light source that emits light; and an inner lens that transmits and deflects the light emitted from the light source, the inner lens comprising a light-entering lens that transmits and emits light incident from the light source, and a light-exiting lens into which the light emitted from the light-entering lens and light from the light source that is not transmitted through the light-entering lens are incident, wherein there is a gap between the light-entering lens and the light-exiting lens, and the light-entering lens has a deflection step that deflects the incident light in a first direction that is an inward direction in the vehicle width direction and emits it, and the light-exiting lens has a deflection step that further deflects the light incident from the light-entering lens in the first direction and emits it, and a deflection step that deflects the light from the light source that is not transmitted through the light-entering lens in a second direction that is an outward direction in the vehicle width direction and emits it.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light-entering lens and the light-exiting lens are formed in the shape of elongated plates, and are connected by an end plate at at least one end of each lens in the longitudinal direction, and by a side plate at a side edge portion along the longitudinal direction of each lens.

3. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the light-entering lens and the end plate are connected to each other so as to intersect at an obtuse angle, and the light-emitting lens and the end plate are connected to each other so as to intersect at an acute angle.

4. A vehicle lighting fixture as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each deflection step of the light-entering lens and the light-exiting lens is composed of a refraction step having a sawtooth-shaped horizontal cross section.

5. 5. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source is composed of a plurality of light-emitting elements mounted on a substrate, and the light-entering lens is not positioned opposite some of the light-emitting elements, and the light-emitting lens is positioned opposite some of the light-emitting elements.

6. A vehicle lighting fixture as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inner lens is configured as a second inner lens, and a first inner lens is provided between the light source and the second inner lens to control the light emitted from the light source into a parallel beam, and a third inner lens is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the light-emitting side lens of the second inner lens to diverge or diffuse the light emitted from the second inner lens.

7. 7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle lamp is mounted on a vehicle, the light source has a light emitting surface facing in a direction inclined horizontally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

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