Vehicle lighting

The vehicle lighting device uses a plate-shaped light guide lens and reflective steps to create animated band-shaped light displays efficiently, addressing high-cost issues in existing technologies by simplifying the structure and reducing parts.

JP7873160B2Active Publication Date: 2026-06-11KOITO MFG CO LTD

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
KOITO MFG CO LTD
Filing Date
2022-10-27
Publication Date
2026-06-11

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing vehicle display devices face high costs due to numerous parts and complex light guide structures, particularly involving optical fibers and columnar members, which increase manufacturing costs and complexity.

Method used

A vehicle lighting device utilizing a plate-shaped light guide lens with a lens holder, light-emitting elements, and reflective steps, where the lens holder has light-passing holes to control light emission and reflection, allowing for a simpler structure with fewer parts to create animated band-shaped light displays.

🎯Benefits of technology

This configuration reduces manufacturing costs and enables clear, animated lighting displays with moving bands of light in various directions, enhancing attention-grabbing animations with fewer components.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a lamp for a vehicle which performs a transmission display by lighting a plurality of reflection steps arranged at a plate-shaped light guide lens in a prescribed shape.SOLUTION: In a lamp 1 for a vehicle having a plate-shaped light guide lens 2, a lens holder 3 for holding at least a part of an external peripheral face 2b of the light guide lens 2 by a peripheral wall 5b, a light emitting element group 100 including a plurality of light emitting elements 6 to 8 which are aligned while facing at least a part of an external peripheral face of the peripheral wall 5b, and receive independent light extinguishing control by a control device 9, and a plurality of reflection steps 16 arranged at the light guide lens 2, the peripheral wall 5b of the lens holder 3 is constituted so as to possess a plurality of light through-holes 12 at positions corresponding to the light emitting elements 6 to 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A
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Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 A technology related to a vehicle lamp that performs a transmission display by causing a plurality of reflection steps provided on a plate-shaped light guide lens to emit light in a predetermined shape. 【Background Art】 【0002】 In FIGS. 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1, a vehicle display device is disclosed in which a large number of light guide portions arranged in a grid pattern are provided, a large number of light emitting elements facing the base ends of the respective light guide portions are provided, and light from the light emitting elements is emitted from the light extraction surface at the tip of the light guide portion. The vehicle display device of Patent Document 1 can display an image of a predetermined shape based on the lighting areas of a large number of light emitting elements around the vehicle. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0003】 【Patent Document 1】 Japanese Patent No. 6907002 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0004】 In recent vehicle display devices, it is desired to attract people's attention around the vehicle by an animation lighting display that makes a strip-shaped light emitted based on the lighting of a light source appear to move based on the predetermined lighting and extinguishing of the light source. 【0005】 However, the vehicle display device of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the number of parts of the light emitting elements and the light guide portions is large and the cost is high because a plurality of combinations of point light emissions by the combination of the light emitting elements and the light guide portions are combined to generate one strip-shaped light as shown in FIG. 1. Further, the vehicle display device of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the cost increases due to an increase in the number of parts because the light guide portion is composed of an optical fiber and a columnar member and the diffusion of light for each light guide portion is controlled based on the tip shape of the optical fiber, that is, the height of the conical portion, as shown in

[0047] , FIGS. 4 and 5. 【0006】 In view of the above-mentioned problems, this invention provides a vehicle lighting device that enables clear animated illumination with a simple structure and a small number of parts. [Means for solving the problem] 【0007】 A vehicle lighting device comprising a plate-shaped light guide lens, a lens holder that holds at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the light guide lens by a peripheral wall, a group of light-emitting elements including a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged opposite to at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall and subject to independent on / off control by a control device, and a plurality of reflective steps provided on the light guide lens, wherein the peripheral wall of the lens holder is configured to have a plurality of light-transmitting holes at positions corresponding to each of the light-emitting elements. (Operation) The light emitted from each light-emitting element enters the reflection step of the light guide lens through light-passing holes formed in the peripheral wall of the lens holder. The peripheral wall of the lens holder functions as a light-shielding section that blocks a portion of the light emitted from the corresponding light-emitting element through the light-passing holes, thereby limiting the illumination range (reflection range) of the reflection step formed in the light guide lens to a predetermined band-shaped region, and generating band-shaped light for each light-emitting element. 【0008】 Furthermore, in vehicle lighting fixtures, it is desirable that the multiple light-emitting elements be oriented in two or more directions. 【0009】 (Effect) By changing the direction of illumination of the light-emitting element, the band of light generated in the light guide lens can be extended and displayed in different directions. 【0010】 Furthermore, in vehicle lighting fixtures, it is desirable that the multiple light-emitting elements constitute a group of light-emitting elements arranged in the same direction. 【0011】 (Effect) By aligning the illumination direction of multiple light-emitting elements, a band of light extending in the same direction is displayed for each of the multiple light-emitting elements in the light guide lens. 【0012】 Furthermore, in vehicle lighting fixtures, it is desirable that the multiple light-emitting elements are arranged in a circular pattern. 【0013】 (Function) Multiple bands of light generated in the light guide lens can be displayed in the direction of radiation. 【0014】 Furthermore, in vehicle lighting fixtures, it is desirable that the multiple light-emitting elements arranged in a sequence be controlled by a control device to be switched on and off in the order they are arranged. 【0015】 (Effect) The band of light generated in the light guide lens is sequentially displayed as point-and-point disappearance along the direction of the arrangement of the multiple light-emitting elements. [Effects of the Invention] 【0016】 In the case of vehicle lighting devices, a simpler structure than conventional technology, consisting of one light-emitting element, one light-guide lens, and light-passing holes corresponding to each light-emitting element, allows for the free incidence of light from one light-emitting element onto multiple reflection steps within a predetermined band-shaped area, thereby enabling the display of band-shaped reflected light. This reduces manufacturing costs and enables the realization of clear animated lighting. 【0017】 According to vehicle lighting equipment, by changing the direction in which the band of light corresponding to the light-emitting element extends, the band of light in an animated display can be made to appear to move in different directions. 【0018】 According to vehicle lighting equipment, by aligning the direction in which the band of light extends from each light-emitting element, it is possible to make the band of light appear to move in a straight line when displaying animations. 【0019】 According to the vehicle lighting system, when displaying animations, the band of light generated in the light guide lens can be made to appear to move in the rotational direction. 【0020】 According to the vehicle lighting device, it is possible to achieve an animation display in which the band of light generated in the light guide lens appears to move along the direction of the arrangement of multiple light-emitting elements. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0021】 [Figure 1]Front view of the vehicle lamp according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1A] Front view of the back cover and the light-emitting element group of FIG. 1. [Figure 2] (a) Cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 1. (b) Block diagram showing the control mode of the vehicle lamp. [Figure 3] (a) is a partial enlarged view of the portion viewed from arrow A in FIG. 2(a). (b) is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the portion indicated by reference sign B in FIG. 2(a). [Figure 4] Front view of the vehicle lamp according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] Front view of the vehicle lamp according to the third embodiment. [Figure 6] (a) Front view of the vehicle lamp according to the fourth embodiment. (b) Front view of the vehicle lamp according to the fifth embodiment. 【Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention】 【0022】 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the vehicle lamp of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 6. In each figure, the directions of the vehicle lamp viewed from the front of the paper surface of FIG. 1 will be described as (front: rear: left direction: right direction: upward direction: downward direction = Fr: Re: Le: Ri: Up: Lo). 【0023】 The vehicle lamp 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a light guide lens 2, a lens holder 3, a light-emitting element group 100, and a plurality of reflection steps 16. The light guide lens 2 is a rectangular plate-shaped lens formed of a resin having translucency. The lens holder 3 is composed of a resin front cover 4 and a back cover 5. The light-emitting element group 100 is composed of light-emitting elements 6 to 8 directed in the same direction as an example, but the number is not limited to three as long as there are a plurality. 【0024】 Figure 1A is a front view of the vehicle light fixture 1 in Figure 2, with the light guide lens 2 and front cover 4 removed, leaving only the back cover 5 and light-emitting elements 6-8. As shown in Figures 1A and 2, the back cover 5 is configured to have a rectangular shape with a bottom portion 5a and peripheral walls 5b. The peripheral walls 5b are composed of a first peripheral wall 5b1 to a fourth peripheral wall 5b4, and a stepped lens holding portion 5c is provided on the inside of the peripheral walls. The light guide lens 2 in Figures 1 and 2 is formed to conform to the size of the outer peripheral surface 5d of the lens holding portion 5c and is held by the lens holding portion 5c in Figure 1A. 【0025】 As shown in Figure 1A, the first peripheral wall 5b1 of the back cover 5 is provided with an inwardly recessed light-emitting element mounting section 5e, and the light-emitting element mounting section 5e is provided with three light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12 that penetrate from the light-emitting element mounting section 5e to the outer peripheral surface 5d of the lens holding section 5c at equal intervals. Each of the light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12 has a width d1 and is configured as a through-hole with the front of the three grooves on the back cover 5 side blocked by the front cover 4. The substrates 6a to 8a of the light-emitting elements 6 to 8 are arranged in order from right to left so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the light-emitting element mounting section 5e, and the light-emitting elements 6 to 8 are positioned so as to face the side surface 2b of the light guide lens 2 inside the corresponding light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12. 【0026】 Furthermore, it is desirable that the inner circumferential surfaces of the light-transmitting holes 12,12,12 of the back cover 5 shown in Figure 1A have light-absorbing properties in order to reduce the reflection of light emitted by the light-emitting elements 6-8. For this reason, it is desirable that the back cover 5 be constructed entirely of a light-absorbing material, or that only the areas where the light-transmitting holes 12,12,12 are formed be constructed of a light-absorbing material, or that the inner circumferential surfaces of the light-transmitting holes 12,12,12 be coated with a light-absorbing paint, or that a light-absorbing film be formed on the inner circumferential surfaces of the light-transmitting holes 12,12,12. 【0027】 Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1A, the depth d2 of the light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12 is formed to be longer than the width d1. The longer the depth d2 is formed relative to the width d1, the narrower the band of light emitted from the light-emitting elements 6-8 passing through the light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12 will be. For example, it is desirable that the depth d2 of the light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12 be 1.5 times or more the width d1, and if we consider displaying band of light with an even narrower width, it is even more desirable that the depth d2 of the light-transmitting holes 12, 12, 12 be 2 times or more the width d1. 【0028】 As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the light guide lens 2 is held by the lens holder 5c, and the front cover 4 is attached to the back cover 5, so that the lens guide lens 2 is sandwiched between the two. 【0029】 Furthermore, the vehicle lighting fixture 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2(a) has a control device 9 shown in Figure 2(b) either inside or outside it. The control device 9 consists of a lighting fixture ECU 10 and a lighting control circuit 11, and the light-emitting elements 6, 7, and 8 of the light-emitting element group 100 are each connected to the lighting fixture ECU 9 via the lighting control circuit 11 and receive independent on / off control from the lighting fixture ECU 10. In the second to fifth embodiments described later, the control device 9 also independently controls the on / off of each of the multiple light-emitting elements. 【0030】 As shown in Figures 1, 1A, and 2, the emitted light L11 from the light-emitting element 6 passes through the corresponding light-transmitting hole 12 and enters the light guide lens 2 from the side surface 2b. The emitted light is partially blocked by the front edge 12a of the light-transmitting hole 12 (the light-shielding portion of the peripheral wall 5b1), limiting the emission range to the area inside the left and right light rays L11, L11. Furthermore, the back surface 2a of the light guide lens 2 shown in Figure 2(a) is provided with a plurality of reflection steps 16, which are hemispherical recesses facing forward, as shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b). The plurality of light-emitting elements 6 to 8 each face the plurality of reflection steps 16 via the light-transmitting hole 12. Note that the shape of the reflection step 16 is not limited to a hemispherical shape, as long as it is a concave shape that can totally reflect the light from the light-emitting element forward. 【0031】 The multiple reflection steps 16 shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) can also be arranged in a grid pattern by forming a group of reflection steps that are each rectangular in shape, thereby causing them to emit light in a grid pattern. The reflection steps 16 are not limited to hemispherical or rectangular shapes, but may be formed as appropriate to have shapes such as circular, elliptical, or trapezoidal. 【0032】 As shown in Figures 2(a) and 3(b), light incident from the light-emitting element 6 onto the side surface 2b of the light guide lens 2 is totally reflected by a predetermined reflection step 16 on the back surface 2a and exits forward from the surface 2c of the light guide lens 2. Also, as shown in Figure 3(a), the emitted light L11 from the light-emitting element 6, which is diffused to the left and right, has its diffusion range limited by the light-transmitting holes 12, so that it is incident only on the reflection step 16 located in the region indicated by reference numeral 16a inside the emitted light L11 on the left and right, displaying a band-shaped light B1 that widens upwards. 【0033】 The emitted light L11 from the light-emitting element 6 (and similarly from the emitted light L12 and L13 from the light-emitting elements 7 and 8) has a narrower left-right diffusion range as the width d1 of the light-through hole 12 shown in Figure 1A is made narrower, and a wider width d1 expands the left-right diffusion range. Thus, according to the vehicle lighting device 1 of the first embodiment (and similarly in the second to fifth embodiments described later), the emitted light L11 from one light-emitting element 6 can be passed through the corresponding light-through hole 12 and reflected by a plurality of reflection steps 16 within a predetermined range based on the width d1 of the light-through hole 12. Therefore, even without employing many parts, a band of light can be realized by providing a simple and inexpensive structure called a light-through hole 12 in the peripheral wall 5b of the lens holder 3. In this embodiment, some of the tips of the bands of light B1, B2, and B3 overlap, but by making the light-through hole 12 narrower so that they do not overlap, or by making the pitch of the multiple light-through holes 12 wider, it is possible to display a clear animation. 【0034】 Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the vehicle light fixture 1, like the light-emitting element 6, can display a band of light B2 from the light-emitting element 7 (L12) and a band of light B3 from the light-emitting element 8 (L13) through the corresponding light-transmitting holes 12. Therefore, it is possible to inexpensively realize an animation display that makes the band of light B1 appear to move from side to side by sequentially turning the light-emitting elements 6-8 on and off from right to left or left to right, or by using various other methods. 【0035】 Next, a preferred second embodiment of the vehicle lighting fixture will be described with reference to Figure 4. The vehicle lighting fixture 1' in the second embodiment has a second light-emitting group 200 and light-transmitting holes 17, 17, 17, with the light-emitting elements 13-15 of the second light-emitting group 200 provided on the second peripheral wall 5b2 of the back cover 5 of the vehicle lighting fixture 1 to form the back cover 5', and a front cover 4' with a corresponding shape, and other configurations common to the vehicle lighting fixture 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, different reference numerals are assigned only to the components that differ from the vehicle lighting fixture 1. 【0036】 The vehicle light fixture 1' shown in Figure 4 has a light-emitting element mounting section 5f recessed inward in the second peripheral wall 5b2 perpendicular to the first peripheral wall 5b1. The light-emitting element mounting section 5f has three light-transmitting holes 17, 17, 17 that penetrate from the light-emitting element mounting section 5f to the outer peripheral surface 5d of the lens holding section 5c, and these holes are provided at equal intervals. Each of the light-transmitting holes 17 has the same width d1 as the light-transmitting hole 12 and is configured as a through-hole with its front closed by the front cover 4. The substrates 13a to 15a of the light-emitting elements 13 to 15 are arranged in order from bottom to top so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the light-emitting element mounting section 5f. The light-emitting elements 13 to 15 are oriented in the same direction and perpendicular to the light-emitting elements 6 to 8, and are further positioned so as to face the side surface 2b of the light-guiding lens 2 inside the light-transmitting holes 17, 17, 17. 【0037】 Light entering the side surface 2b of the light guide lens 2 from the light-emitting element 13 has its vertical diffusion range restricted by the light-transmitting hole 17 and enters the reflection step 16 on the back surface 2a of the light guide lens 2, which is formed in the area surrounded by the upper and lower emitted light L14 as in Figure 3(a), and displays a band of light B4 that widens from left to right. The light-emitting elements 14 and 15 also display a band of light similar to the band of light B4 by switching them on and off. 【0038】 The light is totally reflected by a predetermined reflection step 16 on the back surface 2a and exits forward from the surface 2c of the light guide lens 2. Also, as shown in Figure 3(a), the emitted light L11 from the light-emitting element 6, which is diffused to the left and right, has its diffusion range limited by the light-transmitting hole 12, so that it is incident only on the reflection step 16 located in the region inside the left and right emitted light L11, and displays a band of light B1 that widens upward. 【0039】 The vehicle light fixture 1' shown in Figure 4 can achieve an animation display that makes a horizontally extending band of light B4 appear to move up and down by sequentially turning the light-emitting elements 13-15 on and off from bottom to top or top to bottom, or by using various other methods. The vehicle light fixture 1' can create an animation display that is more attention-grabbing than the first embodiment by using the light-emitting elements 6-8 to make a vertically extending band of light B1 appear to move left and right, and by using the light-emitting elements 13-15 to make a horizontally extending band of light B4 appear to move up and down, or by freely moving bands of light B1 and B4 that extend in different directions up, down, left, and right. In addition, the animation display in the second embodiment may be limited to either up and down or left and right. 【0040】 Next, a preferred third embodiment of the vehicle lighting device will be described with reference to Figure 5. In the third embodiment, the vehicle lighting device 41 has a polygonal light guide lens 22 and lens holder 23 (in this embodiment, a hexagon as an example), on which light-emitting element groups 301, 302, and 303 are arranged adjacent to each other, with a number equal to half the number of sides of the polygon. The polygon may be a quadrilateral as in the second embodiment, or a polygon with pentagons or more, but in the case of an odd-numbered polygon, it is desirable that the number of light-emitting element groups provided be half the number of sides of the polygon plus one. In the vehicle lighting device 1, light-emitting element groups 301, 302, and 303 are provided in the light-emitting element installation sections 5g, 5g, and 5g of the adjacent first peripheral wall 23a1, second peripheral wall 23a2, and third peripheral wall 23a3 of the back cover 23a of the lens holder 23, respectively. Each light-emitting element group 301, 302, and 303 has light-emitting elements 18a to 18c, 19a to 19c, and 20a to 20c, respectively. Each light-emitting element installation section 5g has three light-transmitting holes 17 that penetrate the outer peripheral surface 5i of the lens holding section 5h, all at equal intervals. The nine light-transmitting holes 21 all have the same width d1 as the light-transmitting holes 12 of the first embodiment and are configured as through-holes that are closed at the front by the front cover 23b. The light-emitting elements 18a-18c, 19a-19c, and 20a-20c are arranged sequentially on the outer surface of each light-emitting element mounting section 5g together with the substrate, and the light-emitting elements 18a-18c, 19a-19c, and 20a-20c are positioned inside the corresponding nine light-transmitting holes 21 and facing the side surface 22a of the light-guiding lens 22. 【0041】 The light emitted from the light-emitting elements 18a to 18c that has passed through the corresponding light-transmitting holes 21 displays a band of light B6, with the emission range to the reflection step on the back surface of the light guide lens 22 (similar in shape to that in Figure 3(a)) being limited accordingly. The light emitted from the light-emitting elements 19a to 19c displays a band of light B7 that is 60° different in angle from the band of light B6, and the light emitted from the light-emitting elements 20a to 20c displays a band of light B8 that is 60° different in angle from the band of light B7. With the vehicle lighting device 41, by making the bands of light B6 to B8, which are three or more different in direction, appear to move independently, it is possible to create an animation display that is more attention-grabbing than the first and second embodiments. 【0042】 Next, a preferred fourth embodiment of the vehicle lighting device will be described with reference to Figure 6(a). In the fourth embodiment, the vehicle lighting device 42 has light-emitting elements 24 to 27 of the light-emitting element group 400 arranged along the outer peripheral edge of the circular light-guide lens 29 and lens holder 30. It is desirable that the multiple light-emitting elements be arranged at equal intervals and that no single light-emitting element faces another, and the number of light-emitting elements is not limited to the four in this embodiment, as long as there are multiple elements. 【0043】 In the vehicle lighting device 42 shown in Figure 6(a), light-emitting elements 24 to 27 are arranged around the circular outer surface of the back cover 30a at equal intervals, facing the center O1. The back cover 30a also has four light-transmitting holes 28 that are provided at equal intervals, corresponding to the installation positions of the light-emitting elements 24 to 27, and penetrate towards the center O1 toward the outer surface 5k of the lens holding portion 5j. Each of the four light-transmitting holes 28 has the same width d1 as the light-transmitting hole 12 in the first embodiment and is configured as a through-hole that is closed at the front by the front cover 30b. The light-emitting elements 24 to 27 are arranged inside the corresponding four light-transmitting holes 28 so as to face the circular side surface 29a of the light guide lens 29. 【0044】 The light emitted from the light-emitting element 24 that passes through the corresponding light-transmitting hole 28 displays a band of light B9, with its emission range to the reflection step on the back surface of the light guide lens 29 (similar in shape to that shown in Figure 3(a)) being restricted. The light emitted from the light-emitting element 25 displays a band of light B10, which has the same shape as the band of light B9, at a position rotated 45° from the band of light B9 with the center O1 as the center. The light emitted from the light-emitting elements 26 and 27 displays bands of light (not shown) that have the same shape as the band of light B9, at positions rotated 45° and 90° from the band of light B10, respectively. 【0045】 Furthermore, Figure 6(b) shows a preferred fifth embodiment of the vehicle lighting device. In the fifth embodiment, the vehicle lighting device 43 has light-emitting elements 31 to 34 of the light-emitting element group 500 arranged around the outer edge of the elliptical light guide lens 36 and lens holder 37. It is desirable that the multiple light-emitting elements be arranged at equal intervals and that no two light-emitting elements face each other, and the number of light-emitting elements is not limited to the four shown in this embodiment, as long as there are multiple elements. 【0046】 In the vehicle light fixture 43 shown in Figure 6(b), light-emitting elements 31 to 34 are provided on the elliptical outer surface of the back cover 37a, arranged at equal intervals and facing the center O2. The back cover 37a has four light-transmitting holes 38 with a width d1 that penetrate in the direction of the center O2, at positions corresponding to the light-emitting elements 24 to 27, and are provided at equal intervals. The light-transmitting holes 38 together with the front cover 37b constitute a through hole. The light-emitting elements 31 to 34 face the side surface 29a of the elliptical light guide lens 29 inside the corresponding four light-transmitting holes 38. 【0047】 The light emitted from the light-emitting element 31 that has passed through the corresponding light-transmitting hole 38 displays a band of light B11, with its emission range to the reflection step on the back surface of the light guide lens 36 (similar in shape to that shown in Figure 3(a)) being restricted. The light emitted from the light-emitting element 32 displays a band of light B12, which has the same shape as the band of light B11, at a predetermined position rotated in an elliptical manner around the center O2. The light emitted from the light-emitting elements 33 and 34 displays a band of light (not shown) that has the same shape as the band of light B12, at a predetermined position rotated in an elliptical manner from the band of light B12. 【0048】 Next, embodiments of animation display using vehicle lighting fixtures in the first to fifth embodiments will be described. 【0049】 In the vehicle lighting device 1 shown in Figure 1, the control device 9 can turn the light-emitting elements 6, 7, and 8 on and off sequentially from right to left to perform a forward movement display that makes the band of light B1 appear to move to the right (direction D1), and can turn the light-emitting elements 6, 7, and 8 on and off sequentially from left to right to perform a reverse movement display that makes the band of light B1 appear to move to the left (direction D2). The operation that makes the band of light B1 appear to move can be a unidirectional continuous display by continuously displaying forward movement in the direction D1 (right) or a continuous reverse movement in the direction D2 (left), or a back-and-forth continuous display that alternates between displaying forward movement in the direction D1 and reverse movement in the direction D2. 【0050】 Furthermore, the speed at which the band of light B1 appears to move is controlled by the rate at which the current value supplied to each light-emitting element 6, 7, and 8 is increased or decreased via the control device 9, or by the control of the interval time between the turning off of one light-emitting element and the turning on of the next light-emitting element. The speed at which the band of light appears to move increases in proportion to the rate at which the current value supplied to each light-emitting element increases, or to the increase in the interval time between the turning on and off of the light-emitting elements. 【0051】 In the vehicle lighting device 1' shown in Figure 4, in addition to the forward movement indication (D1 direction) and reverse movement indication (D2 direction) in the left-right direction by the light-emitting elements 6, 7, and 8, the control device 9 can control the light-emitting elements 13 to 15 to turn on and off sequentially from bottom to top to display a forward movement indication (D3 direction) in the upward direction, making the band of light B4 appear to move upward, and control the light-emitting elements 13 to 15 to turn on and off sequentially from top to bottom to display a reverse movement indication (D4 direction) in the downward direction, making the band of light B4 appear to move downward. 【0052】 The operation to make the band of light B4 appear to move includes a unidirectional continuous display by continuously displaying movement in either the D3 direction (upward) or the D4 direction (downward), and a reciprocal continuous display that alternately repeats movement displays in the D3 direction and the D4 direction. In addition, in the vehicle lighting device 1', by controlling the on / off switching of the light-emitting elements 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15, it is also possible to display forward rotation, making the band of light B1 and B4 appear to rotate clockwise, by sequentially displaying movement displays in the D2 direction - D3 direction - D1 direction - D4 direction, and reverse rotation, making the band of light B1 and B4 appear to rotate counterclockwise, by sequentially displaying movement displays in the D1 direction - D3 direction - D2 direction - D4 direction. 【0053】 In the vehicle lighting fixture 41 shown in Figure 5, the control device 9 controls the on / off switching of the light-emitting elements 18a-18c, 19a-19c, and 20a-20c to indicate forward operation in the D5 direction or reverse operation in the D7 direction. For example, if the light-emitting elements are switched on and off in the order 20c, 20b, 20a, 19c, 19b, 19a, 18c, 18b, 18a, 20a, 20b, 20c, 19a, 19b, 19c, 18a, 18b, 18c, the band of light B6 will move in the direction of D5, creating a forward rotation display that makes it appear to be rotating clockwise. If the light-emitting elements are switched on and off in the order 18a, 18b, 18c, 19a, 19b, 19c, 20a, 20b, 20c, 18c, 18b, 18a, 19c, 19b, 19a, 20c, 20b, 20a, the band of light B6 will move in the direction of D6, creating a reverse rotation display that makes it appear to be rotating counterclockwise. 【0054】 In the vehicle lighting device 42 shown in Figure 6(a), the control device 9 controls the on / off switching of the light-emitting elements 24-27 to display either forward rotation in the D7 direction or reverse rotation in the D8 direction. For example, by repeatedly switching the light-emitting elements on and off in the order of 27, 26, 25, and 24, a forward rotation display can be created that makes the band of light B9 appear to rotate clockwise (in the D7 direction) around O1. By repeatedly switching the light-emitting elements on and off in the order of 24, 25, 26, and 27, a reverse rotation display can be created that makes the band of light B9 appear to rotate counterclockwise (in the D8 direction) around O1. 【0055】 In the vehicle lighting device 43 shown in Figure 6(b), the control device 9 can control the on / off switching of the light-emitting elements 31-34 to display either forward rotation in the D9 direction or reverse rotation in the D10 direction. For example, by repeatedly switching the light-emitting elements on and off in the order of 34, 33, 32, and 31, a forward rotation display can be created that makes the band of light B11 appear to be rotating clockwise (in the D9 direction) around O2. By repeatedly switching the light-emitting elements on and off in the order of 31, 32, 33, and 34, a reverse rotation display can be created that makes the band of light B11 appear to be rotating counterclockwise (in the D10 direction) around O2. 【0056】 As an example, Figure 4 illustrates an example of animation display when the vehicle light fixture 1' is installed on the outside of the vehicle and used as a warning light for pedestrians and others around the vehicle. 【0057】 In the case of warning lights in automobiles, it is conceivable that warnings should be displayed in sequence: Stage 1 when a pedestrian is approaching the vehicle; Stage 2 when the distance to the vehicle has decreased and the danger level has increased; and Stage 3 when contact with the vehicle has already occurred and the warning notifies the pedestrian to move away from the vehicle. 【0058】 For example, in the first stage, if a vehicle is approaching but is still far enough away that there is no immediate danger, the vehicle light fixture 1' may slowly repeat unidirectional operation in the D1 or D2 direction, or in the D3 or D4 direction, or slowly perform reciprocating operation in the D1 and D2 directions, or in the D3 or D4 direction. In this case, the control device 9 controls the change in current values ​​to each light-emitting element 6-8 and 13-15 during on / off to lengthen the on / off time, and controls the lighting interval from the off of one light-emitting element to the on of the next light-emitting element to lengthen the lighting interval. 【0059】 In the second stage, to signal that the vehicle is approaching and the danger level is increasing, it is conceivable to rapidly and repeatedly display unidirectional operation in the D1 or D2 direction, or in the D3 or D4 direction, or to rapidly and repeatedly display reciprocating operation in the D1 and D2, D3 or D4 directions. In this case, the control device 9 controls the change in current value to each light-emitting element 6-8 and 13-15 during on / off to be as large as possible to shorten the on / off time, and also controls the lighting interval from the off of one light-emitting element to the on of the next light-emitting element to be as short as possible. In addition, in the middle of these operation displays, headlight control may be performed at predetermined intervals to increase attention by lighting all of the light-emitting elements 6-8 and 13-15. 【0060】 In the third stage, assuming contact with the vehicle by a pedestrian or intentional contact with the vehicle by a car thief, it is desirable that the control device 9 sequentially performs operation displays in the D2-D3-D1-D4 directions to make the band of light B1 appear to rotate in the forward direction, and then sequentially performs operation displays in the D1-D3-D2-D4 directions to make the band of light B1 appear to rotate in the reverse direction, at high speed, and then performs operation displays in the D1-D3-D2-D4 directions to make the band of light B1 appear to rotate in the reverse direction, at high speed. The control of the light-emitting element in high-speed display is the same as in the second stage. In addition, when displaying the warning in the third stage, it is also conceivable to activate a horn or alarm (neither shown) whose operation is controlled by the control device 9, and provide an animation display and audible warning. [Explanation of Symbols] 【0061】 1. Vehicle lighting fixtures 2. Light guide lens 3 Lens holder 5. Lens holder back cover 5b Peripheral wall of the back cover 5b1 Back cover, first perimeter wall 6-8 Light-emitting elements 12 Light hole 12a Front edge (light shielding part) 100 luminescent element group 1' Vehicle lighting 13-15 Light-emitting elements 16 Multiple reflection steps 17 Light hole 200 Second group of light-emitting elements

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle lighting device comprising: a plate-shaped light guide lens; a lens holder that holds at least a portion of the outer surface of the light guide lens by a peripheral wall; a group of light-emitting elements arranged opposite to at least a portion of the outer surface of the peripheral wall and receiving independent on / off control by a control device; and a plurality of reflective steps provided on the light guide lens, A vehicle lighting device characterized in that the peripheral wall of the lens holder has a plurality of light-transmitting holes at positions corresponding to each of the light-emitting elements. [Claim 2] The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements are oriented in two or more directions. [Claim 3] The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements constitute a group of light-emitting elements arranged in the same direction. [Claim 4] The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a circular manner. [Claim 5] The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of arranged light-emitting elements are controlled by a control device to turn on and off in the order of their arrangement.