Vehicle lighting

Abstract

To provide an aesthetically superior vehicle lamp.SOLUTION: This vehicle lamp includes: a light source; and an inner lens including a light emitting part that constitutes an emission region for emitting light from the light source to the front side and an extending part that extends from the light emitting part to the non-emission region outside the emission region. The inner lens includes a grooved part that is concave from the front side to the back side, at the boundary between the emission region and the non-emission region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle lamps.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a vehicle lamp configured to allow light from a light source to enter a plate-shaped inner lens and exit from the inner lens to the front of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, when the area of the light-emitting portion is increased, light may leak to an unintended portion, resulting in a degraded appearance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle lamp with an excellent appearance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a light source, a light-emitting portion that forms a light-emitting region for emitting light from the light source to the front side, and an inner lens having an extending portion that extends from the light-emitting portion to a non-light-emitting region outside the light-emitting region, and the inner lens has a groove portion recessed from the front side to the back side at a boundary portion between the light-emitting region and the non-light-emitting region.

[0007] The above vehicle lamp further includes an inner panel disposed on the front side of the inner lens, and at least a part of the inner panel is disposed at a position covering the groove portion when viewed from the front.

[0008] In the above-described vehicle lighting device, the groove portion is formed in a V-shape on the front side when viewed in a vertical cross-section.

[0009] The above-described vehicle light fixture further comprises a housing that holds the inner lens, the housing having a bent portion that bends from the light-emitting region toward the non-light-emitting region to demarcate the light-emitting region, and the groove portion is positioned on the non-light-emitting region side of the bent portion.

[0010] In the above-described vehicle lighting device, the non-emitting region is positioned above the emitting region when mounted on a vehicle, and the groove is formed along the left-right direction.

[0011] In the above-described vehicle lighting device, the inner lens has a textured surface formed on the back portion facing the rear side, and a fisheye prism formed on the front portion facing the front side, extending across both the light-emitting region and the non-light-emitting region. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide vehicle lighting fixtures with superior appearance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the rear of a vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the configuration along the AA section in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a vehicle light fixture viewed from the front. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The following describes embodiments of the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily substituted or substantially identical to those that are easily substituted by those skilled in the art.

[0015] In this embodiment, the front and rear directions are defined as the directions when the device is mounted on a vehicle (vehicle-mounted state). For example, when mounted on the front of a vehicle, the front is forward and the rear is backward. When mounted on the rear of a vehicle, the rear is forward and the front is backward. When mounted on the side of a vehicle, the outside of the vehicle is forward and the inside of the vehicle is backward.

[0016] Figure 1 shows an example of the rear of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle body 2, a running gear 3, and vehicle lighting equipment 100. The vehicle body 2 has a driver's cab where the driver sits. The vehicle body 2 is supported by the running gear 3. The running gear 3 has wheels on which tires 4 are mounted, a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and a braking device for decelerating or stopping the running gear 3. The vehicle 1 comprises passenger doors provided on the sides of the vehicle body 2 and a back door 7 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. The passenger doors and the back door 7 are each movably supported by the vehicle body 2 via a hinge mechanism.

[0017] In this embodiment, the vehicle lights 100 are provided on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle lights 100 are provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. Therefore, the rear side in the front-rear direction will be described as the front side of the vehicle lights 100, and the front side in the front-rear direction will be described as the rear side of the vehicle lights 100.

[0018] The vehicle lamp 100 includes functional lamps. Examples of the functional lamps include a tail lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit in conjunction with the lighting of the headlamp, a stop lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit in conjunction with the operation of the braking device, and a rear turn signal lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit to indicate the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 to the surroundings.

[0019] The vehicle lamps 100 are arranged on the vehicle body 2 side, for example. In the present embodiment, the vehicle body 2 is a fixed part. The back door 7 is a movable part. The structures of the vehicle lamps 100 provided on the left side of the rear part of the vehicle body 2 and the structures of the vehicle lamps 100 provided on the right side of the rear part of the vehicle body 2 are symmetric in the left-right direction and have substantially the same structure. Hereinafter, the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right side of the rear part of the vehicle body 2 will be mainly described, and the description of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left side of the rear part of the vehicle body 2 will be simplified or omitted.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a view showing a configuration along the A-A cross section in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows an example of the vehicle lamp 100. FIG. 3 is a view showing an enlarged part of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a view showing an example when the vehicle lamp 100 is viewed from the front side. In FIG. 4, the inner panel 50 is schematically illustrated by a two-dot chain line, and it is in a state where the back side of the inner panel 50 can be seen through. Actually, the back side cannot be seen due to the inner panel 50.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vehicle lamp 100 includes a light source 10, a cap 20, a Fresnel lens 30, an inner lens 40, an inner panel 50, a housing 60, and an outer lens 70.

[0022] The vehicle lamp 100 has a configuration in which the light source 10, the cap 20, the Fresnel lens 30, the inner lens 40, and the inner panel 50 are housed in a lamp chamber 80 surrounded by the housing 60 and the outer lens 70.

[0023] The light source 10 can be, for example, a semiconductor light source such as an LED, or a laser light source. The light source 10 has a light-emitting surface 11 that emits light.

[0024] The cap 20 is positioned on the front side of the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. The cap 20 directs the light from the light-emitting surface 11 toward the front.

[0025] The Fresnel lens 30 is positioned on the front side of the cap 20. The Fresnel lens 30 emits light from the cap 20 towards the front.

[0026] The inner lens 40 is positioned on the front side of the Fresnel lens 30. The inner lens 40 has a rear portion 40a facing the back side and a front portion 40b facing the front side. Light from the light source 10 is incident on the portion of the rear portion 40a corresponding to the light emission region R1 described later, via the cap 20 and the Fresnel lens 30. Light is emitted from the front portion 40b corresponding to the light emission region R1 towards the front side. The inner lens 40 has a light-emitting portion 41 and an extension portion 42.

[0027] The light-emitting section 41 constitutes a light-emitting region R1 that emits light from the Fresnel lens 30 to the front. The light-emitting region R1 is an area that, when viewed from the front, is demarcated by the housing 60, as will be described later.

[0028] The extension portion 42 extends from the light-emitting portion 41 to the non-light-emitting region R2 outside the light-emitting region R1. In this embodiment, the non-light-emitting region R2 is located above the light-emitting region R1. Therefore, the extension portion 42 extends upward relative to the light-emitting portion 41. In the inner lens 40, the extension portion 42 is configured so that no light is emitted to the front side.

[0029] The inner lens 40 has a groove 43 at the boundary portion R3 between the light-emitting region R1 and the non-light-emitting region R2. The groove 43 has a shape that is recessed from the front side to the back side. In a vertical cross-sectional view, the front side of the groove 43 is formed in a V shape. That is, in a vertical cross-sectional view, the groove 43 has a first straight portion 43a, a second straight portion 43b, and a corner portion 43c on the front side. In a vertical cross-sectional view, the groove 43 has a curved portion 43d on the back side.

[0030] The inner lens 40 has a textured back surface 40a that extends across the entire luminescent region R1 and non-luminescent region R2. Furthermore, a fisheye prism is formed on the front surface 40b of the inner lens 40, extending across the entire luminescent region R1 and non-luminescent region R2. This configuration allows for appropriate diffusion and emission of light in the luminescent region R1. Additionally, by diffusing light in the non-luminescent region R2, the faint appearance of this region is suppressed.

[0031] The inner panel 50 is positioned between the inner lens 40 and the outer lens 70. The inner panel 50 is positioned so that at least a portion of it covers the groove 43 when viewed from the front. The inner panel 50 is positioned to extend horizontally along the groove 43. With the inner panel 50 in place, when the vehicle light fixture 100 is viewed from the front, the groove 43 is hidden by the inner panel 50 and is not visible.

[0032] The housing 60 holds the light source 10, cap 20, Fresnel lens 30, inner lens 40, inner panel 50, and outer lens 70. The housing 60 has a wall portion 61 that surrounds the light-emitting area R1. When the vehicle light fixture 100 is viewed from the front, the area enclosed by the wall portion 61 becomes the light-emitting area R1. The housing 60 has a bent portion 62 that bends upward from the wall portion 61 and an upper support portion 63 that extends upward from the bent portion 62. The bent portion 62 bends upward from the light-emitting area R1 toward the non-light-emitting area R2, and partitions the upper part of the light-emitting area R1. The bent portion 62 is formed to extend along the left-right direction. The upper support portion 63 extends upward from the bent portion 62.

[0033] The outer lens 70 houses the light source 10, cap 20, Fresnel lens 30, inner lens 40, and inner panel 50 between itself and the housing 60. The outer lens 70 transmits light emitted from the light-emitting area R1 of the inner lens 40 toward the front side (rear of the vehicle).

[0034] Next, the operation of the vehicle lighting device 100 configured as described above will be explained. When the driver performs a predetermined operation to turn on the headlights or the taillights and stoplights which turn on in conjunction with the brake device, the vehicle lighting device 100 acquires an operation signal from the operating device. A control circuit provided on the substrate of the light source 10 controls the emission of light from the light source 10 according to the acquired signal.

[0035] Lights L1 and L2 are emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. Lights L1 and L2 pass through the cap 20 and the Fresnel lens 30. As shown in Figure 3, light L1 is emitted from the light-emitting part 41 of the inner lens 40 towards the front. The light L1 emitted from the light-emitting part 41 passes through the outer lens 70 and is emitted towards the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, light is properly irradiated from the light-emitting region R1 of the inner lens 40.

[0036] On the other hand, the light L2 guided upward by the inner lens 40 is internally reflected by the first straight portion 43a of the groove 43 at the boundary portion R3 between the light-emitting region R1 and the non-light-emitting region R2. This light L2 is emitted from the curved portion 43d of the groove 43 and absorbed by the housing 60. As a result, the guidance of light from the light-emitting region R1 to the non-light-emitting region R2 is suppressed inside the inner lens 40.

[0037] As described above, the vehicle light fixture 100 according to this embodiment comprises a light source 10, an inner lens 40 having a light-emitting part 41 that constitutes a light-emitting region R1 that emits light from the light source 10 to the front, and an extension part 42 that extends from the light-emitting part 41 to a non-light-emitting region R2 outside the light-emitting region R1. The inner lens 40 has a groove 43 in the boundary portion R3 between the light-emitting region R1 and the non-light-emitting region R2 that is recessed from the front to the back.

[0038] With this configuration, a groove 43 is provided at the boundary portion R3 between the light-emitting region R1 and the non-light-emitting region R2. As a result, light L2 traveling from the light-emitting region R1 to the non-light-emitting region R2 can be internally reflected by the groove 43. Therefore, the travel of light L2 from the light-emitting region R1 to the non-light-emitting region R2 can be suppressed. Consequently, the light intensity of the non-light-emitting region R2 can be reduced, providing a vehicle lighting fixture 100 with a superior appearance.

[0039] In the vehicle light fixture 100 according to this embodiment, an inner panel 50 is further provided on the front side of the inner lens 40, and at least a portion of the inner panel 50 is positioned to cover the groove 43 when viewed from the front. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the visibility of the groove 43 from the front of the vehicle light fixture 100. Therefore, a vehicle light fixture 100 with a superior appearance is provided.

[0040] In the vehicle lighting device 100 according to this embodiment, the groove 43 is formed in a V-shape on the front side when viewed in a vertical cross-section. With this configuration, light L2 traveling from the light-emitting region R1 to the non-light-emitting region R2 can be appropriately reflected internally.

[0041] In the vehicle lighting device 100 according to this embodiment, a housing 60 is further provided to hold the inner lens 40. The housing 60 has a bent portion 62 that bends from the light-emitting region R1 toward the non-light-emitting region R2, thereby demarcating the light-emitting region R1, and the groove portion 43 is positioned on the non-light-emitting region R2 side of the bent portion 62. With this configuration, the light L2 reflected internally by the groove portion 43 can be absorbed more reliably by the housing 60.

[0042] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the non-emitting region R2 is positioned above the emitting region R1 when mounted on a vehicle, and the groove 43 is formed along the left-right direction. With this configuration, the light intensity of the non-emitting region R2 partitioned in the left-right direction by the groove 43 is reduced, resulting in a vehicle lamp 100 with a superior appearance.

[0043] In the vehicle light fixture 100 according to this embodiment, the inner lens 40 has a textured surface 40s formed on the back portion 40a facing the rear side, and a fisheye prism 40p formed on the front portion 40b facing the front side, extending across the entire light-emitting region R1 and non-light-emitting region R2. With this configuration, light can be appropriately diffused and emitted in the light-emitting region R1. Furthermore, by diffusing light in the non-light-emitting region R2, it is possible to suppress the appearance of the non-light-emitting region R2 as being dimly lit.

[0044] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] R1…Light-emitting area, R2…Non-light-emitting area, R3…Boundary, 1…Vehicle, 2…Vehicle body, 3…Running gear, 4…Tire, 7…Back door, 10…Light source, 11…Light-emitting surface, 20…Cap, 30…Fresnel lens, 40…Inner lens, 40a…Rear part, 40b…Front part, 40p…Fisheye prism, 40s…Textured part, 41…Light-emitting part, 42…Extension part, 43…Groove part, 43a…First straight part, 43b…Second straight part, 43c…Corner part, 43d…Curved part, 50…Inner panel, 60…Housing, 61…Wall part, 62…Bent part, 63…Upper support part, 70…Outer lens, 80…Lamp chamber, 100…Vehicle lamp

Claims

1. Light source and An inner lens having a light-emitting portion that constitutes a light-emitting region that emits light from the light source toward the front, and an extension portion that extends from the light-emitting portion to a non-light-emitting region outside the light-emitting region. Equipped with, The inner lens has a groove that is recessed from the front side to the back side at the boundary between the light-emitting region and the non-light-emitting region. In a longitudinal cross-sectional view, the groove portion is formed in a V-shape on the front side and has a curved portion on the back side. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

2. The inner lens is further provided with an inner panel positioned on the front side, At least a portion of the inner panel is positioned to cover the groove when viewed from the front. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

3. The housing further comprises the inner lens, The housing has a bent portion that bends from the light-emitting region toward the non-light-emitting region to demarcate the light-emitting region, The groove is positioned on the non-luminescent region side of the bent portion. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

4. The non-emitting region is positioned above the emitting region when mounted on a vehicle. The groove portion is formed along the left-right direction. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

5. The inner lens has a textured surface formed on the back portion facing the rear, and a fisheye prism formed on the front portion facing the front, extending across both the light-emitting and non-light-emitting regions. A vehicle light fixture according to claim 1.

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