Vehicle lighting device

Abstract

To provide a vehicular light body device capable of efficiently emitting light from an entire region of an emission surface of a light guide member.SOLUTION: A vehicular light body device includes a light source and a light guide member 11. The light guide member 11 includes an incidence part 17, an emission wall 18, an intermediate light guide wall 19, a first reflection surface 20, and a second reflection surface 21. One end side of the emission wall 18 directed to a vehicle front-back direction is an emission surface. The first reflection surface 20 internally reflects the light made incident on the incidence part 17 as first parallel light directed to the other end side of the emission wall 18 radially. The second reflection surface 21 is sectioned into a plurality of surface elements 21a by a plurality of step parts 22 whose step part ridge lines 22r extend in a direction intersecting with a contour line along the contour of the emission wall 18. The plurality of surface elements 21a disposed at a position separated in a vehicle width direction from the first reflection surface 20 along the contour line are sectioned by the step parts 22 whose step part ridge lines 22r are inclined at a fixed angle with respect to the contour line in a vehicle front-back direction view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Known vehicle lighting devices, such as turn signal lamps and brake lamps, guide light emitted from a light source such as an LED to an exit surface via a light-guiding member as parallel light directed in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The vehicle lighting device described in Patent Document 1 includes a light source and a light-guiding member, and the light-guiding member's exit surface facing the vehicle's longitudinal direction is formed so as to substantially follow the contour of the lighting device. The light-guiding member includes an incident portion into which light from the light source is incident, an exit wall extending along the vehicle's longitudinal direction and having an exit surface at its distal end in the extension direction, and an intermediate light-guiding wall guiding the light incident on the incident portion to the proximal end of the exit wall. The incident region of the intermediate light-guiding wall is provided with a first reflecting surface that internally reflects the light incident on the incident portion as first parallel light that travels toward the proximal end of the exit wall. The proximal end of the exit wall is provided with a second reflecting surface that internally reflects the first parallel light guided by the intermediate light-guiding wall as second parallel light that travels toward the distal end of the exit wall. The light-guiding member's exit surface is provided with an uneven diffusing portion that diffuses the light emitted to the outside in multiple directions.

[0004] The light-guiding member's exit wall has contoured portions extending along the vehicle width direction above and below the first reflecting surface, and the second reflecting surface is separated into a plurality of surface elements by a plurality of steps. The step ridges of the steps separating the plurality of surface elements extend in a direction intersecting the contour line of the exit wall. Each surface element reflects the first reflected light emitted in the radial direction from the first reflecting surface toward the front of the exit wall as second parallel light. Here, if the center of the first reflecting surface is referred to as the radiation center when viewed in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, each step ridge of the second reflecting surface is inclined so that one end faces the radiation center.

[0005] This vehicle lighting device is capable of emitting light emitted from the light source to the outside from the emission surface as parallel light that substantially follows the contour due to internal reflection by the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface of the light-guiding member. In the case of this vehicle lighting device, parallel light that follows the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is emitted from the emission surface, and therefore, from the outside, it is visually recognized as a bright linear light that substantially follows the contour. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-243734 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the vehicle lighting device described in Patent Document 1, the second reflecting surface of the light-guiding member is composed of multiple surface elements, and the step ridgelines of the steps that define each surface element are inclined so as to face the radiation center. This means that each step ridgeline is inclined at a different angle relative to the upper and lower contour lines, and the inclination becomes greater (approaching horizontality) as it moves away from the first reflecting surface in the vehicle width direction. As a result, between the multiple surface elements located at a position away from the first reflecting surface in the vehicle width direction, a dead space that is approximately triangular in shape when viewed in the vehicle front-rear direction is created, where no surface element can be formed. Therefore, in the vehicle lighting device described in Patent Document 1, the dead space where no surface element exists prevents the first collimated light from being emitted to the front exit surface of the exit wall, resulting in an area on the exit surface of the exit wall where little second collimated light is emitted.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lighting device that can efficiently emit light from the entire area of ​​the light-emitting surface of the light-guiding member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention employs the following configuration. That is, the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention includes a light source and a light guide member that guides light incident from the light source to an exit surface facing the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the light guide member including an incident portion into which light from the light source is incident, an exit wall having a contour portion that extends substantially along the vehicle width direction at least either above or below the incident portion, the exit wall having one end facing the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as the exit surface, an intermediate light guide wall that guides the light incident on the incident portion to the other end side of the exit wall facing the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a first parallel light guide that is disposed in an incident region of the intermediate light guide wall and directs the light incident on the incident portion toward the other end side of the exit wall. The vehicle is provided with a first reflecting surface that internally reflects the first parallel light radially as light, and a second reflecting surface that is arranged on the other end side of the exit wall and internally reflects the first parallel light as second parallel light toward one end side of the exit wall, wherein the second reflecting surface is divided into a plurality of surface elements by a plurality of step portions whose step ridge lines extend in a direction that intersects with a contour line along the contour portion, and the plurality of surface elements that are arranged along the contour line at a distance from the first reflecting surface in the vehicle width direction are divided by the step portions whose step ridge lines are inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0010] In the above configuration, when light is emitted from the light source, the light is input to the incident portion of the light-guiding member. The light input to the incident portion is guided to the other end of the exit wall as first parallel light through the intermediate light-guiding wall by internal reflection by the first reflecting surface. The first parallel light guided to the other end of the exit wall is guided to one end of the exit wall as second parallel light through the exit wall by internal reflection by each surface element of the second reflecting surface, and is then emitted to the outside from the exit surface. In this case, the multiple surface elements arranged along the contour line at a position spaced apart from the first reflecting surface in the vehicle width direction are partitioned by a step whose ridgeline is inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line in a vehicle longitudinal direction view. Therefore, the multiple surface elements in this region maintain a shape that reflects the first parallel light radially reflected from the first reflecting surface toward the exit surface as second reflected light, while not creating dead space between the surface elements in a vehicle longitudinal direction view that does not contribute to the generation of the second reflected light.

[0011] When the center line in the vehicle width direction passing through the center of the first reflective surface is used as a reference, the surface elements positioned within a range in which the central angle centered on the center of the first reflective surface does not exceed a predetermined angle may be shaped so that, when viewed in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction, the width in the direction along the contour line gradually increases from the side of the first reflective surface toward the side where the contour line is located.

[0012] As long as the central angle around the center of the first reflecting surface does not exceed a predetermined angle, the number of steps that define the surface element can be reduced, thereby reducing light-guiding loss at the steps. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, light emitted from the light source can be efficiently guided to the light-emitting surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention, a plurality of surface elements arranged along the contour line at a position spaced apart in the vehicle width direction from the first reflecting surface are partitioned by a step whose ridgeline is inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, the surface elements in this region maintain a shape that reflects the first parallel light radially reflected from the first reflecting surface as the second reflected light toward the exit surface, while no dead space that does not contribute to the generation of the second reflected light is formed between the surface elements when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention is employed, light can be efficiently emitted from the entire area of ​​the emission surface of the light guide member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the light guide member according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the light guide member according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] An enlarged view of a portion of Figure 4. [Figure 7]FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, an arrow FR pointing forward of the vehicle, an arrow UP pointing upward of the vehicle, and an arrow LH pointing to the left side of the vehicle are shown at appropriate locations.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a front view of a turn signal lamp 1, which is one form of a vehicle lamp, and Fig. 2 is a front view showing a part of the turn signal lamp 1 in a cutaway view. Also, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the turn signal lamp 1 taken along line III-III in Fig. 1. The blinker lamp 1 shown in the drawings is a blinker lamp located on the front right side of a motorcycle. The blinker lamp 1 is equipped with a lamp unit 12 including a light-emitting element 10 such as an LED as a light source and a light-guiding member 11 made of a transparent resin material such as acrylic resin. The lamp unit 12 is located inside a lamp housing 13.

[0017] The lamp housing 13 includes a base 13a attached to the vehicle body and a unit receiving portion 13b extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the base 13a. The unit receiving portion 13b is open toward the front of the vehicle, and the lamp unit 12 is received in the opening 13c. When viewed from the front, the opening 13c of the unit receiving portion 13b is formed in a generally polygonal shape that is elongated in the vehicle width direction (a generally pentagonal shape formed by combining a triangle shape with a rectangular shape that extends elongated in the vehicle width direction at the outer end of the vehicle width direction). The front side of the opening 13c of the lamp housing 13 is closed by an outer lens 14 attached to the front of the unit receiving portion 13b.

[0018] 3, the outer lens 14 includes a substantially flat lens main wall 14a disposed in front of the opening 13c, and a peripheral wall 14b protruding rearward from the peripheral edge of the lens main wall 14a. The outer lens 14 is fixed to the lamp housing 13 in this state by means of a concave-convex engagement, screw fastening, or the like, with the end face of the peripheral wall 14b abutting against the peripheral edge of the opening 13c of the lamp housing 13. The outer lens 14 is made of a transparent resin material that allows light to pass through.

[0019] The lighting unit 12 comprises the above-mentioned light-emitting element 10, a substrate 15 on which the light-emitting element 10 is mounted on the front surface, the above-mentioned light-guiding member 11, and a shielding cover 16 that shields the area in the center of the front surface of the light-guiding member 11 where no light guiding is required.

[0020] Fig. 4 is a rear view of the light guide member 11, and Fig. 5 is a side view of the light guide member 11. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a front view of the light guide member 11. The light-guiding member 11 includes an incident portion 17 into which light from the light-emitting element 10 is incident, an exit wall 18 disposed substantially along a portion of the opening 13c of the unit accommodating portion 13b (the upper side 13cu, the inclined sides 13ci and 13cj, and the lower side 13cl), and an intermediate light-guiding wall 19 that guides the light that has entered the incident portion 17 to the base side (the other end side) of the exit wall 18. The tip surface of the exit wall 18 facing the front side of the vehicle is an exit surface 50 that emits the light that has entered the incident portion 17 from the light-emitting element 10 toward the front side of the vehicle. The exit surface 50 is provided with a diffusion portion 51 having a fine uneven shape for diffusing the light that is to be emitted toward the front side of the vehicle in multiple directions.

[0021] The intermediate light-guiding wall 19 is slightly smaller than the opening 13c of the unit accommodating portion 13b and has a shape similar to that of the opening 13c when viewed from the front. The intermediate light-guiding wall 19 is a light-guiding wall that stands upright with its front surface facing directly ahead of the vehicle. The incident portion 17 is located in the central region of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 when viewed from the rear. The incident portion 17 bulges in a truncated cone shape from the rear surface of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0022] 3, a contact seat 40 that contacts the front surface of the substrate 15 is protruded from the rear surface of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19. The substrate 15 is supported by a support rib 39 that protrudes from within the unit accommodating portion 13b of the lamp housing 13, and the contact seat 40 of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 contacts the front surface of the substrate 15. A boss 41 that penetrates the substrate 15 and the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 is protruded from within the unit accommodating portion 13b of the lamp housing 13. A threaded hole (not shown) is formed on an end surface of the boss 41. A shank of a screw 42 that penetrates the shielding cover 16 from the front side is threadedly engaged with the threaded hole. When the shielding cover 16 is tightened into the boss 41 by the screw 42, the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 is pressed against the substrate 15, and the light-guiding member 11 is fixed to the lamp housing 13.

[0023] The exit wall 18 rises from the peripheral edge of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 toward the front of the vehicle. The rising direction of the exit wall 18 is approximately perpendicular to the extending direction of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19. In this embodiment, the exit wall 18 rises from the peripheral edge of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19, excluding the inner side in the vehicle width direction, toward the front of the vehicle. The exit wall 18 has a curved or bent contour shape so as to surround the outer region of the incident portion 17 in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , the exit wall 18 has contour portions OL1 that extend linearly above and below the incident portion 17 approximately along the vehicle width direction, and contour portions OL2 and OL3 that curve and extend downward or upward in each end region on the outer and inner sides in the vehicle width direction.

[0024] 3, the tip region of the exit wall 18, which stands from the peripheral edge of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 toward the front of the vehicle, protrudes further toward the front of the vehicle than the front end surface of the unit accommodating portion 13b of the lamp housing 13. In other words, a part of the outer side surface of the exit wall 18 faces the inner surface of the peripheral wall 14b of the outer lens 14, which is positioned further toward the front of the vehicle than the unit accommodating portion 13b.

[0025] A first reflecting surface 20 is provided in the incident region of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 (a region in front of the incident portion 17) to internally reflect the light incident on the incident portion 17 as a first parallel light L1 that travels toward the base end of the exit wall 18. The first reflecting surface 20 is configured as a curved surface of revolution that is recessed in a substantially conical shape toward the vehicle rear with respect to the front surface of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19. The curved surface of revolution that forms the first reflecting surface 20 is a curved surface of revolution about an axis o that passes through the centers of the incident portion 17 and the light-emitting element 10 (or near the centers). The light that has entered the incident portion 17 from the light-emitting element 10 is radially internally reflected (total reflected) by the substantially conical first reflecting surface 20 and travels inside the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 toward the base end of the exit wall 18 as the first parallel light L1. An axis o passing through the center of the incident portion 17 and the light emitting element 10 (or near the center of each) coincides with the radiation center that radially reflects the incident light from the incident portion 17 when the first reflecting surface 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the center of the first reflecting surface 20 when viewed from the front of the vehicle may be referred to as the "radiation center o."

[0026] A second reflecting surface 21 is provided in an incident region on the base end side of the exit wall 18 (an outer end region of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19) to internally reflect the first parallel light L1 that has reached the incident region as second parallel light L2 that travels toward the tip end side of the exit wall 18 (toward the front of the vehicle). The second reflecting surface 21 reflects the light (first parallel light L1) that has been internally reflected evenly in the radial direction from the substantially conical first reflecting surface 20 as second parallel light L2 toward the front of the vehicle on the outer circumferential side of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19. For this reason, the second reflecting surface 21 is not a single continuous surface, but is configured by being divided into a plurality of surface elements 21a in a direction along the outer circumferential edge of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19.

[0027] 4, when the light-guiding member 11 is viewed from the rear, a line along the upper and lower contour portions OL1 of the exit wall 18 is referred to as a contour line 18L, and lines along contour portions OL2, OL3 on the outer and inner sides of the contour portion OL1 in the vehicle width direction are referred to as a contour line 18La. The second reflecting surface 21 is divided into a plurality of surface elements 21a by a plurality of steps 22 extending in a direction in which step ridge lines 22r intersect with the contour lines 18L, 18La. Each surface element 21a divided by the steps 22 reflects the first parallel light L1 (see FIG. 3) that has traveled radially from the first reflecting surface 20 toward an area on the exit surface 50 located in front of each surface element 21a as a second parallel light L2 (see FIG. 3).

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the multiple surface elements 21a of the second reflecting surface 21 arranged on the base end side of the exit wall 18 are arranged along the contour lines 18L and 18La of the exit wall 18. The surface elements 21a-1 arranged directly above and below the radiation center o of the first reflecting surface 20 are formed in an isosceles trapezoidal shape whose width narrows toward the radiation center o of the first reflecting surface 20. The surface element 21a-2 arranged adjacent to the outer side of the surface element 21a-1 in the vehicle width direction is formed in a trapezoidal shape whose entire shape is distortedly inclined outward in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the surface element 21a-3 arranged adjacent to the outer side of the surface element 21a-2 in the vehicle width direction is formed in a trapezoidal shape whose entire shape is further distortedly inclined outward in the vehicle width direction. The surface elements 21a-1, 21a-2, and 21a-3 have gradually narrower widths at the portions contacting the contour line 18L in this order. The other surface elements 21a arranged further outward in the vehicle width direction than the surface element 21a-3 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape with a width in the direction along the contour line 18L narrower than the surface elements 21a-1 to 21a-3.

[0029] Furthermore, the surface element 21a-4, which is arranged adjacent to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the surface element 21a-1 arranged directly above and below the radiation center o of the first reflecting surface 20, is formed into a trapezoidal shape that is distortedly inclined inward in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the surface element 21a-5, which is arranged adjacent to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the surface element 21a-4, is formed into a trapezoidal shape that is even more distortedly inclined inward in the vehicle width direction. The surface elements 21a-1, 21a-4, and 21a-5 have gradually narrower widths of their portions that contact the contour line 18L in this order. The other surface elements 21a, which are arranged more inward in the vehicle width direction than the surface element 21a-5, are formed into a substantially rectangular shape that has a narrower width along the contour line 18L than the surface elements 21a-4 and 21a-5.

[0030] In the direction along contour line 18L, surface elements 21a-1 to 21a-5 of exit wall 18 located close to first reflecting surface 20 are partitioned by steps 22 whose step ridge lines 22r extend toward the direction of radiation center o. In other words, the inclination angle of step ridge lines 22r of each step 22 in this region relative to contour line 18L of exit wall 18 extending substantially along the vehicle width direction is not constant, but varies depending on the position.

[0031] Furthermore, the surface elements 21a-1 to 21a-5 in this region are formed in a generally trapezoidal shape in which the width gradually increases in the direction along the contour line 18L from the side of the first reflecting surface 20 (the side of the radiation center o) toward the side where the contour line 18L is located, as viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the surface elements 21a formed in this generally trapezoidal shape are positioned within a range in which the central angle around the radiation center o does not exceed a predetermined angle α, when the center line c in the vehicle width direction that passes through the radiation center o (center) of the first reflecting surface 20 is used as a reference. The predetermined angle α is preferably, for example, 45°.

[0032] In contrast, in the direction along the contour line 18L, in the multiple surface elements 21a of the exit wall 18 located at a position away from the first reflecting surface 20 (for example, a position where the central angle about the radiation center o exceeds the predetermined angle α), the adjacent step ridge lines 22r do not face toward the radiation center o. All the surface elements 21a in this region are partitioned by the step portions 22 with the step ridge lines 22r inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line 18L when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, the inclination angle of the step ridge 22r in this region (the inclination angle with respect to a vertical line perpendicular to the contour line 18L) is larger than the inclination angle of the radial line extending from each position on the contour line 18L in this region toward the radiation center o. In other words, the inclination angle of the step ridge 22r in this region remains constant and does not change (gradually decrease) even when the intersection position with the contour line 18L is displaced in a direction away from the first reflecting surface 20. Therefore, when the light-guiding member 11 is viewed in the vehicle front-rear direction, no dead space that does not contribute to the generation of the second parallel light L2 is formed between adjacent surface elements 21a. However, each surface element 21a in this region is formed into a curved surface shape that can reflect the light radially guided from the first reflecting surface 20 toward the front of the vehicle as the second parallel light L2. In addition, in Figs. 4 and 6, the step 22 and step ridge 22r in this region are denoted by the reference numerals 22A and 22Ar to distinguish them from the step 22 and step ridge 22r in other regions.

[0034] 6, the unevenness of the surface of the cut portion when the multiple surface elements 21a and the step portion 22 are cut in a direction perpendicular to the axis o is shown by a chain line 60. As shown by this chain line 60, in the direction along the contour line 18L, the bending angle between the multiple surface elements 21a-s of the exit wall 18 located at a position away from the first reflecting surface 20 and the adjacent step portion 22A gradually narrows toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0035] Furthermore, some of the surface elements 21a arranged on the outer and inner contour portions OL2, OL3 of the exit wall 18 in the vehicle width direction are defined by steps 22 whose step ridge lines 22r are inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line 18L when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the remaining are defined by steps 22 whose step ridge lines 22r extend toward the radiation center o when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. When viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the step lines 22r of the steps 22 arranged in this region face the radiation center o in areas where no dead space that does not contribute to the generation of the second parallel light L2 occurs between adjacent surface elements 21a.

[0036] The winker lamp 1 configured as described above can irradiate the light emitted from the light emitting element 10 to the outside of the vehicle in the following manner.

[0037] When light is emitted from the light-emitting elements 10 on the substrate 15, the light is input to the incident portion 17 of the light-guiding member 11. As shown in Fig. 3 , the light input to the incident portion 17 is radially guided as first parallel light L1 inside the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 toward the base end side of the exit wall 18 by internal reflection (total reflection) by the first reflecting surface 20 of the light-guiding member 11. At this time, the first parallel light L1 is guided to the base end side of the entire area of ​​the exit wall 18, which extends approximately along the outer edge of the intermediate light-guiding wall 19.

[0038] The first parallel light L1 travels in the radial direction centered on the radiation center o and is internally reflected by each surface element 21a of the second reflecting surface 21 on the base end side of the exit wall 18. The light internally reflected by each surface element 21a is guided as second parallel light L2 toward the exit surface 50 on the tip side of the exit wall 18. The light guided to the exit surface 50 is diffused in multiple directions by the diffusion section 51 and emitted toward the front of the vehicle. The light thus emitted passes through the outer lens 14 and becomes visible from the front of the vehicle.

[0039] Furthermore, as described above, there are no dead spaces between the surface elements 21a of the second reflecting surface 21 that do not contribute to the generation of the second parallel light L2, among the surface elements 21a that are located along the contour line 18L and are arranged in a spaced relationship from the first reflecting surface 20. Therefore, the light guided by the intermediate light-guiding wall 19 to the base end side of the exit wall 18 is guided uniformly as the second parallel light L2 from the surface elements 21a toward the exit surface 50 over the entire area along the contour line 18L of the exit wall 18. As a result, a substantially uniform amount of light is emitted from the exit surface 50 over the entire area.

[0040] <Effects of the embodiment> In the turn signal lamp 1 of this embodiment, the multiple surface elements 21a of the second reflecting surface 21, which are arranged at a position spaced apart from the first reflecting surface 20 along the contour line 18L, are partitioned by steps 22 in which the step ridge lines 22r are inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line 18L when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, the multiple surface elements 21a in this region maintain a shape that reflects the first parallel light L1 radially reflected from the first reflecting surface 20 as the second parallel light L2 toward the emission surface 50, while not creating dead space between the surface elements 21a that does not contribute to the generation of the second parallel light L2 when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the winker lamp 1 of this embodiment is used, light can be emitted efficiently from the entire area of ​​the emission surface 50 of the light guide member 11.

[0041] Furthermore, in the winker lamp 1 of this embodiment, the surface elements 21a (21a-1 to 21a-5) positioned within a range in which the central angle about the radiation center o of the first reflecting surface 20 does not exceed a predetermined angle α are shaped so that the width in the direction along the contour line 18L gradually increases from the first reflecting surface 20 side toward the side where the contour line 18L is located, as viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, within a range in which the central angle about the radiation center o of the first reflecting surface does not exceed the predetermined angle α, the number of step portions 22 that define the surface elements 21a can be reduced, and light guiding loss at the step portions 22 can be reduced. Therefore, when the winker lamp 1 of this embodiment is used, the light emitted from the light emitting element 10 can be guided to the light emitting surface 50 efficiently.

[0042] In particular, when the predetermined angle α is set to 45° as in the example of this embodiment, the inclination angle (inclination angle with respect to the vertical line) of the step ridge line 22Ar, which is a constant angle positioned in a range exceeding the predetermined angle α, can be made sufficiently small. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, dead space that does not contribute to the generation of the second parallel light L2 is less likely to occur on the exit wall 18.

[0043] As described above, the turn signal lamp 1 (vehicle lighting device) of this embodiment can increase the visibility of the light emitted to the outside, thereby stabilizing the quality of the turn signal lamp 1 (vehicle lighting device) and making it possible to contribute to Goal 7 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all."

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the above-described embodiments illustrate a turn signal lamp 1 disposed on the front right side of a motorcycle as an example of a vehicle lighting device, but the vehicle lighting device is not limited to this. The vehicle lighting device may also be a turn signal lamp disposed on the front left side of the vehicle or a turn signal lamp disposed on the rear side of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle lighting device is not limited to a turn signal lamp, and may be a brake lamp, a sidelight, or any other type of lighting device that irradiates light to the front or rear of the vehicle.

[0045] Furthermore, the vehicle to which the vehicle lighting device is applied is not limited to motorcycles, but may be other types of vehicles such as three-wheeled vehicles, four-wheeled vehicles, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle lighting device can also be installed in vehicles that do not have a drive source such as an engine or a motor.

[0046] Furthermore, the light source of the vehicle-mounted device is not limited to an LED, and may be any type other than an LED as long as it can input light to the incident portion of the light-guiding member. Furthermore, the number of light sources is not limited to one, and two or more light sources may be provided.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the exit wall 18 of the light-guiding member 11 has a shape including upper and lower contour portions OL1 extending substantially along the vehicle width direction and contour portions OL2 and OL3 that are inclined and connected to the outer and inner ends of the contour portion OL1 in the vehicle width direction. However, the contour shape of the exit wall 18 of the light-guiding member 11 is not limited to this. The exit wall 18 of the light-guiding member 11 may have a shape including a contour portion 18L that extends substantially along the vehicle width direction on at least one of the upper and lower sides of the incident portion 17. For example, the exit wall 18 may have only a contour portion 18L that extends linearly substantially along the vehicle width direction on the upper or lower side of the incident portion 17. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1... turn signal lamp (vehicle lamp), 10... light emitting element (light source), 11... light guide member, 12... lamp unit, 13... lamp housing, 13a... base, 13b... unit accommodating section, 13c... opening, 13cu... upper edge, 13ci, 13cj... inclined edges, 13cl... lower edge, 14... outer lens, 14a... lens main wall, 14b... peripheral wall, 15... substrate, 16... shielding cover, 16a... reflective surface covering section, 17... incident section, 18... exit wall, 18L, 18La... contour line, 19... intermediate guide Light wall, 20...first reflecting surface, 21...second reflecting surface, 21a, 21a-1, 21a-2, 21a-3, 21a-4, 21a-5, 21a-s...surface element, 22, 22A...step portion, 22r, 22Ar...step portion ridge line, 23...arc surface, 39...support rib, 40...abutment seat, 41...boss portion, 42...screw, 50...exit surface, 51...diffusing portion, c...center line in vehicle width direction, L1...first parallel light, L2...second parallel light, L3...bent reflected light, o...axis line (radiation center), OL1, OL2, OL3...contour portion

Claims

1. A light source and a light guide member that guides the light incident from the light source to an exit surface facing the front-rear direction of the vehicle, The light guide member is an incident portion to which light is incident from the light source; an exit wall having a contour portion extending substantially along the vehicle width direction at least either above or below the incident portion, and one end side facing the vehicle front-rear direction is the exit surface; an intermediate light-guiding wall that guides the light incident on the incident portion toward the other end of the exit wall that faces the vehicle front-rear direction; a first reflecting surface disposed in an incident region of the intermediate light-guiding wall, the first reflecting surface radially internally reflecting the light incident on the incident portion as a first parallel light beam directed toward the other end of the exit wall; a second reflecting surface that is disposed on the other end side of the exit wall and that internally reflects the first parallel light as second parallel light that travels toward the one end side of the exit wall, the second reflecting surface is divided into a plurality of surface elements by a plurality of step portions whose step ridgelines extend in a direction intersecting with a contour line along the contour portion, A vehicle lighting device characterized in that the plurality of surface elements arranged along the contour line at a position spaced apart in the vehicle width direction from the first reflective surface are partitioned by the step portion, whose step ridge line is inclined at a certain angle with respect to the contour line when viewed in the vehicle front-rear direction.

2. 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the surface elements positioned within a range in which a central angle centered on the center of the first reflective surface does not exceed a predetermined angle when a center line in the vehicle width direction passing through the center of the first reflective surface is used as a reference, have a shape in which the width in the direction along the contour line gradually increases from the side of the first reflective surface toward the side where the contour line is located, as viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

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