Vehicle lighting

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture which can achieve various appearance designs, while stably maintaining a mounting posture by an aiming mechanism of a reflector irrespective of a shape of the vehicular lighting fixture.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 1 has a reflector 20, and an aiming mechanism 10 for supporting the reflector 20. The reflector 20 has a first region 21 for forming a first light distribution pattern, and a second region 22 for forming a second light distribution pattern. The aiming mechanism 10 supports the reflector 20, and an area in which the first region 21 is overlapped with an aiming region A constituted by an aiming fulcrum, a first aiming point, and a second aiming point in a front view of the vehicular lighting fixture 1 is larger than an area in which the second region 22 is overlapped with the aiming region A. A thickness of the thinnest portion of the second region 22 is thinner than a thickness of the thinnest portion of the first region 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle lamps.

Background Art

[0002] In the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, a reflector is supported by an aiming mechanism. Thereby, the posture of the reflector can be changed to change the irradiation direction of light.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, depending on the shape of the reflector and the arrangement of the aiming mechanism, the center of gravity of the reflector may deviate greatly from the support center of the aiming mechanism. Considering such a center of gravity position, there are restrictions on the shape of the reflector and the arrangement of the aiming mechanism, and it is difficult to freely design the appearance design of the vehicle lamp.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle lamp capable of realizing various appearance designs while stably maintaining the mounting posture of a reflector by an aiming mechanism regardless of the shape of the vehicle lamp.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle lamp according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a reflector, an aiming mechanism that supports the reflector, and is a vehicle lamp having the reflector has a first region that forms a first light distribution pattern and a second region that forms a second light distribution pattern, The aiming mechanism supports the reflector at an aiming pivot point, a first aiming point that supports the reflector so as to be rotatable in a first direction around the aiming pivot point, and a second aiming point that supports the reflector so as to be rotatable in a second direction around the aiming pivot point. The area of ​​the first region that overlaps with the aiming region, which is composed of the aiming pivot point, the first aiming point, and the second aiming point, in a front view of the vehicle light fixture is larger than that of the second region. The thickness of the thinnest part of the second region is thinner than the thickness of the thinnest part of the first region. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above, it is possible to provide a vehicle lighting fixture that can achieve a variety of appearance designs while stably maintaining the mounting posture of the reflector by the aiming mechanism, regardless of the shape of the vehicle lighting fixture. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reflector in Figure 1, taken along the AA arrow. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] Specific examples of vehicle lighting devices according to the embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims as indicated by the claims.

[0010] Note that U, D, F, B, R, and L shown in Figure 1, etc., indicate the direction in the vehicle light fixture 1, where U is upward, D is downward, F is forward, B is backward, R is to the right, and L is to the left.

[0011] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following description, the manner in which the reflector 20 is mounted in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present disclosure will be described. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown below, the left headlight of a vehicle will be described as an example of the vehicle lamp 1.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle lamp 1 according to this disclosure comprises a housing 2, an outer lens 3, a light source 4, a substrate 5, an aiming mechanism 10, a reflector 20, and a bracket 50. The housing 2 and the outer lens 3 constitute a lamp chamber, and the light source 4, substrate 5, aiming mechanism 10, reflector 20, and bracket 50 are arranged inside the lamp chamber.

[0013] The vehicle light fixture 1 is configured such that light emitted from a light source 4 provided on a substrate 5 is reflected by a reflector 20 and directed towards the outer lens 3. As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the reflector 20 is fixed to a bracket 50, and the bracket 50 is supported by an aiming mechanism 10. Alternatively, the reflector 20 may be directly supported by the aiming mechanism 10.

[0014] The aiming mechanism 10 includes an aiming support section 11, an up-down adjustment section 12, and a left-right adjustment section 13 (see Figure 2). The aiming support section 11, the up-down adjustment section 12, and the left-right adjustment section 13 are each connected to the housing 2 and support the bracket 50. In this embodiment, the aiming support portion 11 supports the lower part of the bracket 50, the vertical adjustment portion 12 supports the upper part of the bracket 50, and the horizontal adjustment portion 13 supports the left side of the bracket 50 (see Figure 2).

[0015] The aiming support section 11 has an aiming pivot point 100 and an aiming support shaft 101. The aiming support shaft 101 is fixed to the housing 2 and is an axis that extends forward. The aiming pivot point 100 is provided at the front end of the aiming support shaft 101. The bracket 50 is supported on the aiming support shaft 101 so as to be able to swing around the aiming pivot point 100. The aiming pivot point 100 is composed of, for example, a ball joint.

[0016] The vertical adjustment section 12 has a first aiming screw 51. The first aiming screw 51 passes through the housing 2 and is screwed into the bracket 50. The first aiming screw 51 supports the bracket 50 in a cantilevered manner. The screw hole in the bracket 50 into which the first aiming screw 51 is screwed is called the first screw hole. The portion of the first aiming screw 51 that is screwed into the first screw hole is called the first aiming point 112. The vertical adjustment unit 12 can move the portion of the first aiming screw 51 that is screwed into the first screw hole (the first aiming point 112) in the front-back direction by rotating the first aiming screw 51. When the first aiming point 112 moves in the front-back direction, the bracket 50 rotates vertically around the aiming pivot point 100. This allows the optical axis of the reflector 20 fixed to the bracket 50 to be moved vertically.

[0017] The left-right adjustment section 13 has substantially the same configuration as the up-down adjustment section 12. The left-right adjustment section 13 has a second aiming screw. The second aiming screw passes through the housing 2 and is screwed into the bracket 50. The second aiming screw supports the bracket 50 in a cantilevered manner. The screw hole provided in the bracket 50 into which the second aiming screw is screwed is called the second screw hole. Also, among the second aiming screws, the portion screwed into the second screw hole is called the second aiming point 113 (see FIG. 2). The left-right adjustment unit 13 can move the portion (second aiming point 113) where the second aiming screw is screwed with the second screw hole in the front-rear direction by rotating the second aiming screw. When the second aiming point 113 moves in the front-rear direction, the bracket 50 rotates in the left-right direction around the aiming fulcrum 100. Thereby, the optical axis of the reflector 20 fixed to the bracket 50 can be moved in the left-right direction.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the reflector 20 has a first region 21 that forms a first light distribution pattern by reflecting the light emitted from the light source 4, and a second region 22 that forms a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern by reflecting the light emitted from the light source 4.

[0019] Such a reflector 20 is provided at a position deviated from the support position of the bracket 50 by the aiming mechanism 10 in the front view of the vehicle lamp 1 shown in FIG. 2. By the way, a reasonable design for stably supporting the reflector 20 is to arrange the center of gravity of the reflector 20 inside the triangle defined by the three support positions of the bracket 50 by the aiming mechanism 10 in the front view. The three support positions of the bracket 50 by the aiming mechanism 10 are the above-described aiming fulcrum 100, the first aiming point 112, and the second aiming point 113. Also, in the front view, the region of the triangle defined by these three support positions is called the aiming region A. That is, if the reflector 20 is positioned with respect to the support points of the aiming mechanism 10 so that the center of gravity of the reflector 20 is located within the aiming region A in the front view, the reflector 20 can be stably supported.

[0020] However, due to various factors such as aesthetic considerations and the need to avoid interference with other components, it may not be possible to design the layout of the reflector 20 so that its center of gravity is located within the aiming area A. Therefore, the Discloser focused on the thickness of the reflector 20. Originally, the thickness of the reflector 20 is constant. However, the Discloser focused on the fact that by changing the thickness in different parts, the center of gravity of the reflector 20 can be shifted.

[0021] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reflector 20 as seen by arrow AA in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, the thickness of the thinnest part of the second region 22 of the reflector 20 is thinner than the thickness of the thinnest part of the first region 21. As a result, the weight of the first region 21 is heavier than the weight of the second region 22. In the illustrated example, the first region 21 and the second region 22 are each formed with a constant thickness.

[0022] In response to the aforementioned design constraints, the inventor discovered that by changing the thickness of the reflector 20, the center of gravity of the reflector 20 can be adjusted without restricting the layout of the reflector 20. According to the vehicle lighting device 1 disclosed herein, the thickness of the thinnest part of the second region 22, which is farther from the aiming region A, is thinner than the thickness of the thinnest part of the first region 21, which is closer to the aiming region A. In other words, by making the thickness of the second region 22, which is farther from the aiming region A, it is easier to bring the center of gravity of the reflector 20 closer to the aiming region A. This makes it easier to maintain a stable mounting position for the reflector 20. Furthermore, because the center of gravity of the reflector 20 is changed by varying the thickness of the reflector 20, the shape of the reflector 20 and the arrangement of the aiming mechanism 10 can be designed with priority given to the appearance and design of the vehicle lighting device 1, thus ensuring a degree of design freedom.

[0023] In this way, the thickness of the first region 21 and the second region 22 of the reflector 20 is adjusted so that the weight of the second region 22, which is farther from the aiming region A, is lighter than the weight of the first region 21, which is closer to the aiming region A, and the center of gravity of the reflector 20 is configured to be closer to the aiming region A. As a result, even if the reflector 20 has to be positioned at an offset position from the aiming mechanism 10, the reflector 20 can be supported stably. Furthermore, the distinction between the first region 21 and the second region 22 of the reflector 20 being close to or far from the aiming region A can be determined by how much each of the first region 21 and the second region 22 overlaps with the aiming region A in a front view. In other words, in this disclosure, the area of ​​the first region 21, which is close to the aiming region A, that overlaps with the aiming region A in a front view is wider than the area of ​​the second region 22, which is far from the aiming region A, that overlaps with the aiming region A. Note that the second region 22 does not necessarily have to overlap with the aiming region in a front view.

[0024] In the embodiment described above, the reflector 20 is a long member extending in the longitudinal direction, and the first region 21 and the second region 22 may be arranged along the longitudinal direction. With the above configuration, if the reflector 20 is a long member, the support by the aiming mechanism 10 tends to be biased relative to the reflector 20, making it difficult to stably maintain the posture of the reflector 20. Even in such cases, with the vehicle lighting device 1 of this disclosure, the posture of the reflector 20 can be stably maintained by changing the thickness of the first region 21 and the second region 22 which are aligned in the longitudinal direction.

[0025] In the embodiment described above, the first region 21 and the second region 22 may be provided in the left-right direction when the vehicle light fixture 1 is mounted on a vehicle in a front view. With the above configuration, if the reflector 20 is provided in the left-right direction, the support by the aiming mechanism 10 tends to be biased relative to the reflector 20, making it difficult to stably maintain the posture of the reflector 20. Even in such cases, the vehicle light fixture 1 of this disclosure makes it easier to stably maintain the posture of the reflector 20 by changing the thickness of the first region 21 and the second region 22 which are aligned in the left-right direction.

[0026] In the embodiment described above, a reflector 20 that integrally includes the first region 21 and the second region 22 was explained, but the first region 21 and the second region 22 may be constructed as separate components.

[0027] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of this disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by the description of these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of this disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1. Vehicle lighting fixtures 2 Housing 3 Outer Lenses 4 light source 5 circuit boards 10 Aiming Mechanism 11 Aiming support section 12 Vertical adjustment section 13 Left and right adjustment section 20 reflectors 21 First area 22 Second area 50 brackets 51 First Aiming Screw 100 Aiming pivot point 101 Aiming support shaft 112 First Aiming Point 113 Second Aiming Point

Claims

1. Reflector and A vehicle light fixture having an aiming mechanism that supports the reflector, The reflector has a first region that forms a first light distribution pattern and a second region that forms a second light distribution pattern. The aiming mechanism supports the reflector at an aiming pivot point, a first aiming point that supports the reflector so as to be rotatable in a first direction around the aiming pivot point, and a second aiming point that supports the reflector so as to be rotatable in a second direction around the aiming pivot point. The area of ​​the first region that overlaps with the aiming region, which is composed of the aiming pivot point, the first aiming point, and the second aiming point, in a front view of the vehicle light fixture is larger than that of the second region. A vehicle light fixture in which the thickness of the thinnest part of the second region is thinner than the thickness of the thinnest part of the first region.

2. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is a long member extending in the longitudinal direction, and the first region and the second region are arranged along the longitudinal direction.

3. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first region and the second region are provided in the left-right direction when the vehicle light fixture is mounted on a vehicle, as viewed from the front.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the first region and the second region are composed of separate components.

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