Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp that can easily visually recognize a road surface near a vehicle even with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp 10 mounted on a vehicle, comprises: a light source 1 that emits light in an irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp 10; an inner lens 3 that is arranged on the irradiation direction side with respect to the light source 1, and transmits light; and a first reflective part 4 arranged between the light source 1 and the inner lens 3 in the irradiation direction. The first reflective part 4 is provided on at least one of the upper right side and the upper left side of the light source 1, and reflects the light emitted from the light source 1 toward the inner lens 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a motorcycle headlamp that includes a lamp unit for forming a low beam light distribution pattern and a pair of auxiliary lamp units on the left and right for forming auxiliary light distribution patterns that reinforce the brightness of the low beam light distribution pattern when the vehicle body leans. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-137031 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, for example, a vehicle lamp equipped with a monofocus lens may have difficulty in irradiating an appropriate amount of light onto the road surface ahead near the vehicle (for example, a road surface near the vehicle that is approximately 3 to 10 meters away from the vehicle in the forward direction). Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle lamp equipped with a monofocus lens that makes it easier to see the road surface, such as the road surface ahead near the vehicle in the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp. On the other hand, there is also a need for the configuration of the vehicle lamp to be as simple as possible.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle lamp that has a simple configuration but can make the road surface near the vehicle more visible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, a light source that emits light in an irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp; an inner lens that is disposed on the irradiation direction side of the light source and transmits the light; a first reflecting portion disposed between the light source and the inner lens in the irradiation direction; The first reflecting portion is provided on at least one of the upper right and upper left sides of the light source, and reflects the light emitted from the light source toward the inner lens.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the vehicle lamp includes a light source, an inner lens, and a first reflecting portion. In this way, the configuration of the vehicle lamp according to the above configuration is simple. Furthermore, the first reflecting portion is provided on at least one of the upper right and upper left sides of the light source, and reflects light emitted from the light source toward the inner lens. Therefore, a vehicle lamp including such a first reflecting portion can irradiate an appropriate amount of light onto a road surface near the vehicle in the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp. In this way, according to the above configuration, visibility on a road surface near the vehicle can be improved while maintaining a simple configuration. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that has a simple configuration but can make the road surface near the vehicle more visible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the inside of a vehicle lamp. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the inside of a vehicle lamp. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0011] Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the "left-right direction," "up-down direction," and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 100 on which the vehicle lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted. Here, the "left-right direction" includes the "left direction" and the "right direction." The "up-down direction" includes the "upward direction" and the "downward direction." The "front-rear direction" includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction." The front-rear direction is a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Note that in each figure, the symbol U shown in the figure indicates the upward direction. The symbol D indicates the downward direction. The symbol F indicates the forward direction. The symbol B indicates the rearward direction. The symbol L indicates the leftward direction. The symbol R indicates the rightward direction.

[0012] First, with reference to FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 equipped with a vehicle lamp 10 will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vehicle 100 equipped with the vehicle lamp 10. In this embodiment, the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 is the forward direction. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 is, for example, a two-wheeled motor vehicle such as a motorcycle. The vehicle 100 is equipped with the vehicle lamp 10. However, the vehicle lamp 10 may also be equipped on a vehicle other than a two-wheeled motor vehicle (for example, a four-wheeled motor vehicle). In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is equipped with two vehicle lamps 10, but may also be equipped with one vehicle lamp 10 or three or more vehicle lamps 10. The vehicle lamp 10 is, for example, a low-beam headlamp mounted on a motorcycle. The low-beam headlamp can illuminate the road surface, for example, approximately 40 meters ahead from the vehicle. Since the cutoff line in a low beam headlight mounted on a motorcycle is linear, a monofocus lens can be suitably used in a low beam headlight mounted on a motorcycle.

[0013] Next, the vehicle lamp 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a front view of the vehicle lamp 10. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the interior of the vehicle lamp 10. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the vehicle lamp 10 includes a light source 1, a substrate 2, an inner lens 3, a first reflecting portion 4, a second reflecting portion 5, and an extension portion 6.

[0014] The light source 1 may be configured with, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element or an LD (Laser Diode) element. The light source 1 includes, for example, a white light emitting diode. In this embodiment, the light source 1 has two light emitting elements as exemplified in FIG. 4, but may have one light emitting element or three or more light emitting elements. As exemplified in FIG. 3, the light source 1 emits light toward the front of the vehicle lamp 10. That is, in this embodiment, the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp 10 corresponds to the front direction of the vehicle lamp 10. The light source 1 has, for example, a rectangular light emitting surface. The light emitting surface is provided on the front side of the light source 1. The rear surface of the light source 1 is supported by a substrate 2.

[0015] The substrate 2 is a plate-shaped member made of an insulating material. The substrate 2 includes a control circuit, etc. The light source 1 is mounted on the substrate 2.

[0016] The inner lens 3 is disposed in front of the light source 1, the first reflecting portion 4, and the second reflecting portion 5. In other words, the inner lens 3 is disposed on the side of the light source 1 in the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp 10. The inner lens 3 transmits light emitted from the light source 1. The inner lens 3 is a lens that refracts the light emitted from the light source 1 and emits it as a light distribution pattern. The inner lens 3 is a projection lens. In this embodiment, the inner lens 3 is a monofocus lens. A monofocus lens is a lens that receives direct light from the light source 1 and refracts the light from the light source 1 to project a desired light distribution pattern. The inner lens 3 is formed from a translucent material, such as a transparent resin such as acrylic. The inner lens 3 includes a main body 31 and legs 32.

[0017] The main body 31 has a convex shape in a cross-sectional view. The main body 31 has a front surface 311 which is an emission surface from which light from the light source 1 is emitted, and a rear surface 312 which is an incidence surface into which the light from the light source 1 is incident.

[0018] The front surface 311 protrudes forward in an arc shape. The rear surface 312 protrudes backward in a parabolic shape. The rear surface 312 refracts the light from the light source 1 so that it becomes closer to parallel light. The radius of curvature of the rear surface 312 is smaller than the radius of curvature of the front surface 311.

[0019] The legs 32 extend rearward from the outer periphery of the main body 31. When the inner lens 3 is a monofocus lens, providing the legs 32 makes it easy to align the main body 31 of the inner lens 3 with the light source 1. The legs 32 are formed integrally with the main body 31.

[0020] The first reflecting portion 4 is, for example, a light-reflecting surface that reflects light emitted from the light source 1 toward the inner lens 3. The first reflecting portion 4 is formed, for example, by aluminum deposition on a resin material such as polypropylene resin. As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the first reflecting portion 4 is provided on the upper right and upper left sides of the light source 1. However, the first reflecting portion 4 may be provided only on either the upper right or upper left side of the light source 1. The first reflecting portion 4 is not provided around the entire circumference of the light source 1, but is provided only in a partial area of ​​the peripheral region of the light source 1. In this embodiment, the first reflecting portion 4 provided on the upper right side of the light source 1 is referred to as the right reflecting portion 4R, and the first reflecting portion 4 provided on the upper left side of the light source 1 is referred to as the left reflecting portion 4L. In this specification, the term "first reflecting portion 4" includes both the right reflecting portion 4R and the left reflecting portion 4L.

[0021] 3, the first reflecting portion 4 is disposed between the light source 1 and the inner lens 3 in the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp 10 (the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 100 on which the vehicle lamp 10 is mounted). More specifically, the first reflecting portion 4 is disposed in front of the light source 1 and behind the inner lens 3. The first reflecting portion 4 is disposed above the light source 1. The first reflecting portion 4 reflects the light emitted from the light source 1 toward the inner lens 3.

[0022] The second reflecting portion 5 is formed from a resin material such as polypropylene resin. The second reflecting portion 5 is disposed between the light source 1 and the inner lens 3 in the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp 10 (the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 100 on which the vehicle lamp 10 is mounted). More specifically, the second reflecting portion 5 is disposed in front of the light source 1 and behind the inner lens 3. The second reflecting portion 5 is disposed below the light source 1.

[0023] 3 and 4, the second reflecting unit 5 has a cylindrical lens 51. The cylindrical lens 51 is, for example, a light diffusing lens. The cylindrical lens 51 reflects the light from the light source 1 so that the light from the light source 1 is irradiated forward and upward.

[0024] The cylindrical lens 51 has cylindrical step surfaces 510. In this embodiment, the cylindrical lens 51 has five cylindrical step surfaces 510, but may have one to four or six or more cylindrical step surfaces 510. The five cylindrical step surfaces 510 are arranged adjacent to one another in the left-right direction. The cylindrical step surfaces 510 extend in the irradiation direction of the vehicular lamp 10 (the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 100 on which the vehicular lamp 10 is mounted) and extend downward from the rear to the front.

[0025] The cylindrical step surface 510 has, for example, a cylindrical refractive surface. The shape of the cylindrical step surface 510 may be a shape that has curvature only in the circumferential direction, or a shape that has curvature in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) as well as the circumferential direction. The shape of the cylindrical step surface 510 may also be a shape in which part of the cylindrical shape is bent so as to fit along part of the curved surface of the inner lens 3. In other words, the shape of the cylindrical step surface 510 is not limited to a perfectly straight cylindrical shape.

[0026] 2 and 3, the extension portion 6 will be described. The extension portion 6 is made of a resin material such as polycarbonate. An opening 60 is formed in the extension portion 6, and the inner lens 3 is exposed from the opening 60 when the vehicle lamp 10 is viewed from the front.

[0027] Next, with reference to Figures 4 and 5, we will explain how light emitted from the light source 1 passes through the inner lens 3 and exits to the outside of the vehicle lamp 10. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the inside of the vehicle lamp 10.

[0028] Of the light emitted from light source 1, light emitted in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface of light source 1 is directly incident on inner lens 3 and is emitted forward of vehicle 100 to form a low-beam light distribution pattern. On the other hand, of the light emitted from light source 1, light reflected by first reflecting portion 4 is irradiated toward the road surface near vehicle 100 more than the light that forms the low-beam light distribution pattern. For this reason, with conventional low-beam headlamps that do not have first reflecting portion 4, it is difficult to appropriately irradiate light toward the road surface ahead near the vehicle.

[0029] 4, of the light emitted from the light source 1, light that is emitted toward the upper right side of the light source 1 is reflected by the right reflecting portion 4R (an example of the first reflecting portion 4), travels downward to the left, and enters the inner lens 3. Of the light emitted from the light source 1, light that is emitted toward the upper left side of the light source 1 is reflected by the left reflecting portion 4L (an example of the first reflecting portion 4), travels downward to the right, and enters the inner lens 3.

[0030] Of the light emitted from the light source 1, light that is emitted toward the upper right side of the light source 1 enters the inner lens 3 and travels toward the lower left side of the vehicle 100 on which the vehicle lamp 10 is mounted. Therefore, of the light emitted from the light source 1, light that is emitted toward the upper right side of the light source 1 is irradiated onto a left area of ​​the road surface ahead near the vehicle 100. Of the light emitted from the light source 1, light that is emitted toward the upper left side of the light source 1 enters the inner lens 3 and travels toward the lower right side of the vehicle 100. Therefore, of the light emitted from the light source 1, light that is emitted toward the upper left side of the light source 1 is irradiated onto a right area of ​​the road surface ahead near the vehicle 100. The road surface ahead near the vehicle 100 is, for example, a road surface that is approximately 3 to 10 meters away from the vehicle 100 in the forward direction.

[0031] 5, light emitted from the light source 1 toward the lower side of the light source 1 is reflected by the cylindrical lens 51 and travels upward. At this time, the light reflected by the cylindrical step surface 510 of the cylindrical lens 51 travels forward and upward while diffusing to the left and right, and is incident on the inner lens 3. In this way, the cylindrical lens 51 can appropriately diffuse the light from the light source 1 and irradiate the light toward the upper side of the vehicle 100 on which the vehicle lamp 10 is mounted.

[0032] The light emitted from the light source 1 and reflected by the cylindrical lens 51 enters the inner lens 3 and travels forward and upward of the vehicle 100 on which the vehicle lamp 10 is mounted, illuminating, for example, an overhead sign located above the vehicle 100. An overhead sign is a sign located above a vehicle on a highway or the like.

[0033] Incidentally, vehicle lamps mounted on motorcycles often have a monofocus lens because their cutoff line is linear. However, vehicle lamps with a monofocus lens direct light to the inner lens without passing through a reflector, making it difficult to appropriately illuminate the road surface, such as the road ahead near the vehicle. Therefore, there is a need for vehicle lamps with a monofocus lens to make it easier to see the road surface, such as the road ahead near the vehicle. On the other hand, there is also a need for the configuration of the vehicle lamp to be as simple as possible. In particular, the latter need is even stronger when the vehicle on which the vehicle lamp is mounted is a motorcycle.

[0034] The vehicle lamp 10 having the above-described configuration has a simple configuration including a light source 1, an inner lens 3, and a first reflecting portion 4. The first reflecting portion 4 is provided on at least one of the upper right and upper left sides of the light source 1, and reflects light emitted from the light source 1 toward the inner lens 3. In other words, the first reflecting portion 4 is not provided so as to cover the entire periphery of the light source 1. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 including the first reflecting portion 4 can irradiate an appropriate amount of light onto the road surface near the vehicle 100. In this way, the vehicle lamp 10 can improve visibility on the road surface near the vehicle 100 while maintaining a simple configuration.

[0035] Furthermore, with the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the first reflecting portion 4 is provided above the light source 1 and to the right and left of the light source 1, so that it is possible to irradiate appropriate light onto both the left and right areas of the road surface near the vehicle 100. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to further improve visibility on the road surface near the vehicle 100.

[0036] Furthermore, with the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the second reflecting portion 5 is provided below the light source 1, so that it is possible to irradiate an appropriate amount of light above the vehicle 100. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to improve visibility above the vehicle 100.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the second reflecting portion 5 has the cylindrical lens 51, so that the light emitted from the light source 1 can be appropriately diffused and an appropriate amount of light can be irradiated upwards of the vehicle 100. Therefore, according to the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to more appropriately irradiate light upwards of the vehicle 100.

[0038] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the inner lens 3 is a monofocus lens that refracts the light emitted from the light source 1 and emits it as a light distribution pattern. In other words, the vehicle lamp 10 can improve visibility on the road surface near the vehicle 100, even if the configuration of the vehicle lamp 10 is simplified by adopting a monofocus lens, for example.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the disclosure described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the disclosure described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1:Light source 2: Circuit board 3: Inner lens 4:First reflection part 4L: Left reflective section 4R: Right reflection section 5:Second reflection part 6: Extension section 10: Vehicle lighting fixtures 31: Main body 32: Legs 51: Cylindrical lens 60: Opening 100: Vehicle 311:Front 312: Rear 510: Cylindrical step surface

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, a light source that emits light in an irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp; an inner lens that is disposed on the irradiation direction side of the light source and transmits the light; a first reflecting portion disposed between the light source and the inner lens in the irradiation direction; a second reflecting portion disposed between the light source and the inner lens in the irradiation direction; The first reflecting portions are provided on the upper right and upper left sides of the light source, and reflect the light emitted from the light source toward the inner lens, the second reflecting portion is disposed below the light source, The light emitted from the light source and directly incident on the inner lens forms a low beam light distribution pattern, the light emitted from the light source toward the upper right of the light source and reflected by the first reflecting portion is irradiated onto a left area of ​​a road surface ahead near the vehicle, The light emitted from the light source is emitted toward the upper left side of the light source and reflected by the first reflecting portion, and is irradiated onto a right area of ​​a road surface ahead near the vehicle, The light emitted from the light source and reflected by the second reflecting portion is irradiated onto an overhead sign located above the vehicle.

2. A vehicle lighting fixture as described in claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of the rear surface of the inner lens is smaller than the radius of curvature of the front surface of the inner lens.

3. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second reflecting portion has a cylindrical lens.

4. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the inner lens is a lens for refracting light emitted from the light source and outputting the light as a light distribution pattern.

5. A vehicle lamp as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle lamp is a headlamp for a motorcycle.

Images