Vehicle lighting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp that makes an outer lens emit light to its terminal.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp (10) comprises: an outer lens (30) arranged in front of the lamp; a lamp body (20) arranged at the rear of the lamp; and a light source (41) arranged in a lamp chamber (S) formed by the outer lens (30) and the lamp body (20). A fine step (37) is formed on a rear surface (3002) of the outer lens (30), and the source light from the light source (41) enters the outer lens (30).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background Art]

[0002] As a conventional vehicle lamp, there is known a lamp which includes an inner lens provided with reflection steps in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a transparent outer lens, uses the inner lens as a light emitter, and emits light by transmitting the light emission of the inner lens through the outer lens (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-207470 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] However, as shown in FIG. 12, in a lamp including the inner lens 4 as a light emitter in a lamp chamber S formed by a lamp body 1 and an outer lens 2, when the necessary component space 6 between the outer lens 2 and the inner lens 4 is taken into consideration, light from the inner lens 4 does not enter the end portion 2' of the outer lens 2, so that the end portion 2' of the outer lens 2 cannot emit light all the way to its distal end.

[0005] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13, even when the inner lens 4 is integrally molded on the inner side (lamp chamber S side) of the outer lens 2, considering that the outer lens 2 is provided with a sealing leg 2" for fitting to the lamp body 1, light from the inner lens 4 does not enter the end portion 2' of the outer lens 2 due to the thickness for the sealing leg 2", so the end portion 2' of the outer lens 2 cannot emit light all the way to its distal end.

[0006] This invention was proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a vehicle lighting device that allows the outer lens to emit light all the way to the end. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an outer lens positioned in front of the lamp, a lamp body positioned behind the lamp, and a light source positioned inside the lamp chamber formed by the outer lens and the lamp body, wherein fine steps are formed on the rear surface of the outer lens, and the light from the light source enters the outer lens.

[0008] In the above embodiment, it is also preferable that the outer lens is formed by laminating a first resin material and a second resin material of different types, wherein the first resin material forms the front surface of the outer lens and the second resin material forms the rear surface of the outer lens including the fine steps.

[0009] In the above embodiment, it is also preferable that the first resin material is a resin with higher strength than the second resin material.

[0010] In the above embodiment, it is also preferable that the sealing leg for the lamp body, which is provided at the end of the outer lens, is made of the first resin material.

[0011] In the above embodiment, the outer lens is provided with light-receiving ends other than the sealing legs for the lamp body, in the extending axial direction of the outer lens, and the light source is positioned opposite the light-receiving ends, and it is also preferable that the light-receiving ends are formed of the second resin material.

[0012] In the above embodiment, it is also preferable that the outer lens has a stepped shape formed on it so that the front surface of the outer lens is flush with the front surface of the vehicle body panel.

[0013] In the above embodiment, it is also preferable that an extension panel having substantially the same shape as the design light-emitting portion on the front surface of the outer lens is additionally arranged between the outer lens and the lamp body.

[0014] In the above embodiment, it is also preferable that an inner lens is additionally positioned between the outer lens and the lamp body, which forms a light distribution different from the light distribution formed by the light source and the outer lens. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lighting device that allows the outer lens to emit light all the way to its end. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a vehicle 100 equipped with a vehicle lighting device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lighting fixture 10. [Figure 3] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lighting fixture 10. [Figure 4] This is a side view illustrating the outer lens 30 in terms of its function. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged view illustrating the micro-step 37 of the outer lens 30. [Figure 6] This is a side view illustrating the outer lens 30 by material. [Figure 7] This is a vertical end view illustrating the outer lens 30 by material. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle light fixture 10 according to a preferred modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle light fixture 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a side view illustrating the inner lens 60 in terms of its function. [Figure 11] This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle light fixture 10 according to a preferred modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a cross-sectional view of a conventional vehicular lamp. [Figure 13] It is a cross-sectional view of another conventional vehicular lamp. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. Identical or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are appropriately omitted. In addition, the embodiments are illustrative rather than limiting the invention, and not all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Further, when terms indicating directions such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "front side", "back side", "front face", and "rear face" are used in this specification, they mean directions in the posture when the lamp is mounted on a vehicle. In the drawings, the front-rear direction of the lamp is indicated by arrows F-B, and the left-right direction of the lamp is indicated by arrows L-R.

[0018] 1. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle 100 provided with a vehicular lamp 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicular lamp 10 (a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1), FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicular lamp 10 (a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1), and FIG. 4 is a transverse end view for explaining the outer lens 30 by function (an end view viewed from the same direction as FIG. 2). The vehicular lamp 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "lamp 10") is applied as left and right position lamps of a vehicle 100. However, the lamp 10 is not limited to this specific example, and may be applied as other lamps such as a clearance lamp, a daytime running lamp, a tail lamp, and a stop lamp. As shown in FIG. 1, the lamp 10 is mounted extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100, and as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the lamp 10 is exposed from an opening of a vehicle body panel 101.

[0019] The luminaire 10 comprises a lamp body 20, an outer lens 30, and a light source unit 40 (see Figure 2). The lamp body 20 is formed in a box shape with an open front, and has a seal groove 21 (see Figure 3) at the peripheral edge of the opening for contact with the outer lens 30. After injecting a sealant (not shown) into the seal groove 21, the seal legs 3003 (described later) of the outer lens 30 are fitted into the seal groove 21, thereby forming a dustproof and waterproof lamp chamber S with the outer lens 30 and the lamp body 20.

[0020] The light source unit 40 is a unitized aluminum substrate equipped with one or more light sources 41 for the position lamp, with a heat sink 42 (see Figure 2). The light source unit 40 is positioned so that the light sources 41 are placed at the light-receiving end 35 (described later) of the outer lens 30, and is fixed to the lamp body 20. Note that the configuration of the light source unit 40 is not limited to this specific example. The light source 41 can be a light-emitting diode or a laser diode, but is not particularly limited.

[0021] The outer lens 30 is plate-shaped and has a front surface 3001 that is on the outside of the lamp chamber S and a rear surface 3002 that is on the inside of the lamp chamber S, and has an axis 36 that extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 (see Figure 2). Also, as shown in Figure 4, the outer lens 30 functionally includes a sealing portion 31, a design light-emitting portion 32, a step-forming portion 33, and a light-receiving portion 34.

[0022] The seal portion 31 is the peripheral end of the rear surface 3002 of the outer lens 30, and is the vicinity of the seal leg 3003 (see Figure 3) which is formed to protrude toward the rear (towards the seal groove 21 of the lamp body 20).

[0023] The decorative light-emitting section 32 includes a portion of the front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30 and is the portion exposed from the vehicle body panel 101. When not illuminated, the decorative light-emitting section 32 is a decorative section visible from the vehicle body panel 101, and when illuminated, it becomes a light-emitting section. The extending axis 36 of the portion having the decorative light-emitting section 32 is formed to be parallel to the curve 103 of the vehicle body 100 (see Figure 2). The material thickness d2 of the outer lens 30 in the portion including the decorative light-emitting section 32 is formed to be thicker than the material thickness d4 of the outer lens 30 of the light-receiving section 34 (see Figure 4). Therefore, the front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30 has a stepped portion 38 between the decorative light-emitting section 32 and the light-receiving section 34 in the direction of the extending axis 36 (see Figure 4). Due to the stepped portion 38, the front surface 3001 of the design light-emitting portion 32 is raised further forward than the front surface 3001 of the light-receiving portion 34, and the front surface 3001 of the design light-emitting portion 32 is flush with the front surface 102 of the body panel 101.

[0024] The light-receiving portion 34 is formed at one end of the outer lens 30 in the direction of the extending axis 36 and is a portion that is not exposed from the vehicle body panel 101. In this embodiment, the light-receiving portion 34 is formed at the right end of the outer lens 30 (see Figure 4). The extending axis 36 of the portion having the light-receiving portion 34 has a different curve from the vehicle body curve 103 of the vehicle 100 and curves toward the rear from the vehicle body curve 103 (see Figure 2). The light-receiving portion 34 is provided with a light-receiving end 35 (see Figure 4). The light-receiving end 35 is the end face of the outer lens 30 formed in a direction perpendicular to the extending axis 36 and is formed as a different end from the end that forms the seal leg 3003. The light source 41 is positioned opposite the light-receiving end 35, and the light from the light source enters the outer lens 30 from the light-receiving end 35 and is guided through the outer lens 30.

[0025] The step-forming portion 33 includes a part of the rear surface 3002 of the outer lens 30 and is formed at least behind the design light-emitting portion 32 (see Figure 4). Fine steps 37 (see Figure 2) are formed in the step-forming portion 33.

[0026] The microsteps 37 are formed by creating prism, wedge, V-groove, or other uneven shaped steps in the direction of the extending axis 36 with spacing (step pitch). In this specification, microsteps 37 refer to those formed with a step pitch of 0.1 to 0.5 mm and a step density of 30% or less. As shown in Figure 5, the step density is the ratio of the step size S2 to the step pitch S1 in the direction of the extending axis 36. As a preferred example, the microsteps 37 are formed with a step pitch of 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm and a step size of 0.05 mm. In the drawings, microsteps 37 of such dimensions are simply shown with thick lines.

[0027] The outer lens 30, which has the above elements, is formed by laminating two different types of resin materials: a first resin material 301 and a second resin material 302. Figure 6 is a horizontal end view illustrating the outer lens 30 by material, and Figure 7 is a vertical end view illustrating the outer lens 30 by material; both are end views taken from the same direction as Figures 2 and 3. In Figures 6 and 7, the first resin material 301 and the second resin material 302 are shown in different colors.

[0028] The first resin material 301 and the second resin material 302 have different constituent components. The first resin material 301 contains a bluing agent and is a higher-strength resin than the second resin material 302, while the second resin material 302 contains less bluing agent than the first resin material 301 and is a more heat-resistant resin than the first resin material 301.

[0029] The first resin material 301 contains a bluing agent to provide transparency. The bluing agent is a coloring agent that exhibits blue or purple color by absorbing orange or yellow light. The type of bluing agent is not particularly limited, and one or more known organic or inorganic coloring agents are added in combination. Furthermore, the first resin material 301 is selected to be a resin with higher strength than the second resin material 302 in order to provide strength as an outer cover. For example, polycarbonate or acrylic, which is colorless transparent or colored transparent, is preferred as the first resin material 301.

[0030] The second resin material 302 contains less bluing agent than the first resin material 301, preferably without bluing agent, in order to facilitate the formation of the fine steps 37 (prevent cracking). Furthermore, the second resin material 302 is selected to be a resin with higher heat resistance than the first resin material in order to facilitate the formation of the fine steps 37 (prevent resin sagging). As the second resin material 302, for example, a colorless and transparent polycarbonate with a higher molecular weight than the first resin material 301 is preferred.

[0031] The outer lens 30 is formed with a first resin material 301 on its front surface 3001 and a second resin material 302 on its rear surface 3002. The design light-emitting portion 32, the front surface 3001 side of the light-receiving portion 34, and the sealing portion 31 (including the sealing leg 3003) of the outer lens 30 are formed with the first resin material 301. The step-forming portion 33 and the rear surface 3002 side of the light-receiving portion 34 (including the light-receiving end 35) of the outer lens 30 are formed with the second resin material 302. Preferably, the first resin material 301 and the second resin material 302 are formed in approximately half-and-half ratio in the width direction of the outer lens 30 and laminated, for example, by two-color molding. However, modifications may be made to increase the ratio of the first resin material 301 to improve the transparency and / or strength of the luminaire 10, and to increase the ratio of the second resin material 302 to improve the accuracy of step formation.

[0032] The appearance of the light fixture 10, which has the above configuration, when it is lit and when it is not lit will be explained.

[0033] (When lit) When illuminated, the light from the light source 41 of the lamp 10 enters the outer lens 30 directly from the light-entering end 35 and is guided through the outer lens 30, so that the front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30 emits light directly without passing through other components or spaces. Furthermore, since the light from the light source is internally reflected at each minute step 37 in the decorative light-emitting section 32, the entire front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30 emits light to the end without the light appearing to attenuate in the direction of the extending axis 36, resulting in an appearance where the entire decorative light-emitting section 32 exposed from the vehicle body panel 101 emits light uniformly on its surface. Moreover, because the decorative light-emitting section 32 is flush with the front surface 102 of the vehicle body panel 101 due to the stepped portion 38, the light-emitting surface is continuous with the curve 103 of the vehicle body 100.

[0034] (When not lit) When not illuminated, the design light-emitting part 32 of the lamp 10, exposed from the vehicle body panel 101, becomes part of the design of the vehicle 100. Since the front surface 3001 of the design light-emitting part 32 is formed of a transparent first resin material 301, the fine steps 37 formed on the rear surface 3002 of the design light-emitting part 32 are visible. However, if the fine steps 37 have the step pitch and step size described above, the outer lens 30 will not appear cloudy, and the lamp 10 will be visible as a transparent design component while maintaining the transparency of the first resin material 301. If the first resin material 301 is formed of a colored transparent (smoke) material, the internal structure of the lamp chamber S will be less visible, reducing the lamp's presence and improving its design when not illuminated.

[0035] Thus, with this form of luminaire 10, when lit, the outer lens 30 emits light all the way to the end, resulting in an appearance of uniform surface illumination, and when not lit, it can have the appearance of a transparent design component.

[0036] 2. Modified form of the first embodiment Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp 10 according to a preferred modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken from the same direction as in Figure 2. In this modification, the lamp 10 has an extension panel 50 additionally positioned between the outer lens 30 and the lamp body 20, within the lamp chamber S. The extension panel 50 is a plate-shaped decorative component formed to be substantially the same shape as the decorative light-emitting part 32, at least when viewed from the front of the lamp, and is made of a black or white material without aluminum vapor deposition, or a plate material with aluminum vapor deposition applied to the front surface 5001 of the extension panel 50. The extension panel 50 is fixed to the lamp body 20 at its upper and lower ends.

[0037] In this modified luminaire 10, when lit, the outer lens 30 emits light in the same manner as in the first embodiment due to the fine steps 37. Furthermore, the light leaking from the rear surface 3002 of the outer lens 30 is reflected by the front surface 5001 of the extension panel 50 and directed towards the front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30, thereby increasing the light emission of the outer lens 30. In addition, when not lit, the extension panel 50 hides the internal structure of the luminaire S, thus eliminating its presence as a luminaire and enhancing its appearance as a design component when not lit.

[0038] 3. Second Embodiment Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a side view for explaining the inner lens 60 by function, both viewed from the same direction as Figure 2. In this embodiment of the lamp 10, an inner lens 60 is additionally positioned between the outer lens 30 and the lamp body 20, within the lamp chamber S, to form a light distribution different from that formed by the outer lens 30 and the light source 41. The inner lens 60 may be plate-shaped with substantially the same shape as the design light-emitting part 32 of the outer lens 30, or it may be columnar depending on the design of the lamp 10, but it has a shape along the extending axis 36 of the outer lens 30.

[0039] The inner lens 60 has a front surface 6001 and a rear surface 6002 (see Figure 9), and functionally comprises a design light-emitting section 62, a step-forming section 63, and a light-receiving section 64 (see Figure 10). The design light-emitting section 62 includes the front surface 6001 of the inner lens 60, and when not lit, it becomes a design section of the lamp 10, and when lit, it becomes a light-emitting section. The light-receiving section 64 is a portion that includes an incident surface 65 formed at one end of the inner lens 60, and the incident surface 65 is positioned opposite to an additional light source 43 provided on the aluminum substrate of the light source unit 40. The step-forming section 63 includes the rear surface 6002 of the inner lens 60, and is a portion that forms fine steps 37 at least behind the design light-emitting section 62. Since the inner lens 60 is a component that is placed inside the lamp chamber S, it is preferable that it be formed of a second resin material 302, with an emphasis on facilitating the formation of the fine steps 37. In this embodiment, the additional light source 43 is an amber-colored light-emitting diode or the like, and the inner lens 60 and the additional light source 43 form the light distribution of the turn signal lamp.

[0040] In this embodiment of the lamp 10, when the light source 41 is lit, the outer lens 30 emits light as a position lamp, similar to the first embodiment. When the additional light source 43 is lit, the inner lens 60 emits light as a turn signal lamp, as follows: The light from the light source that enters through the light-receiving portion 64 of the inner lens 60 is reflected internally at each of the fine steps 37 of the step-forming portion 63, causing the design light-emitting portion 62 to emit light to the end in the direction of the extension axis 36, resulting in uniform surface illumination throughout. The light emitted from the inner lens 60 is further diffused through the fine steps 37 of the step-forming portion 33 of the outer lens 30, and the light is emitted from the front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30. When not lit, the inner lens 60 is visible through the outer lens 30, but since the inner lens 60 also has fine steps 37, the inner lens 60 does not appear cloudy white, and the lamp 10 is visible as a transparent design component.

[0041] 4. Modified form of the second embodiment Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp 10 according to a preferred modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken from the same direction as in Figure 2. In this modified lamp 10, an extension panel 50 is positioned between the inner lens 60 and the lamp body 20 of the second embodiment. Additionally, an additional extension panel 51 is positioned between the light-receiving portion 64 of the inner lens 60 and the light-receiving portion 34 of the outer lens 30. The additional extension panel 51 is a plate-shaped component formed in the direction of the extending axis 36 to be substantially the same shape as the light-receiving portions 34 and 64, and is made of, for example, PBT resin. The front surface 5101 and rear surface 5102 of the additional extension panel 51 are coated with aluminum vapor deposition. The additional extension panel 51 is fixed to the lamp body 20 at its upper and lower ends.

[0042] In this modified lamp 10, when lit, the outer lens 30 and inner lens 60 each emit light in the same manner as in the second embodiment due to the fine step 37. Furthermore, the light leaking from the outer lens 30 and inner lens 60 to the rear is reflected by the front surface 5001 of the extension panel 50 and directed towards the front surface 3001 of the outer lens 30, thereby increasing the light emission of the outer lens 30 and inner lens 60. In addition, the front surface 5101 of the additional extension panel 51 returns the light leaking from the light-receiving part 34 of the outer lens 30 back to the outer lens 30, and the rear surface 5102 of the additional extension panel 51 returns the light leaking from the light-receiving part 34 of the inner lens 60 back to the inner lens 60, thereby further increasing the light emission of the outer lens 30 and inner lens 60. Moreover, when not lit, the structure of the lamp body 20 is hidden by the extension panel 50 and the structure of the light source unit 40 is hidden by the additional extension panel 51, thus improving the appearance as a design component when not lit.

[0043] Although preferred embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples of the present invention, and it is possible to combine them based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 100 vehicles 101 Body Panel 102 Front Panel 103 Body curve 10 Vehicle lighting fixtures 20 Lamp Body 30 Outer Lens 3001 Front 3002 Rear 3003 Seal Legs 31 Seal part 32 Design light-emitting part 33 Step forming section 34 Light-receiving section 35 Light entrance end 36 Extension axis 37 Microsteps 38 Step section 301 Daiichi Resin Material 302 Second resin material 40 light source units 41 Light source 42 Heatsink 43 Additional light source 50 Extension Panel 5001 Front 51 Additional Extension Panel 5101 Front 5102 Rear 60 Inner Lens 6001 Front 6002 Rear 62 Design light-emitting part 63 Step forming section 64 Light-receiving section 65 Entrance plane

Claims

1. The lamp comprises an outer lens positioned in front of the lamp, a lamp body positioned behind the lamp, and a light source positioned inside the lamp chamber formed by the outer lens and the lamp body. A fine step is formed on the rear surface of the outer lens. The outer lens is provided with light-receiving ends other than the sealing legs for contact with the lamp body, and the light source is positioned opposite the light-receiving ends. Light from the aforementioned light source enters the outer lens. A vehicle lighting device characterized by the following features.

2. The outer lens is formed by laminating a first resin material and a second resin material of different types. The first resin material forms the front surface of the outer lens. The second resin material forms the rear surface of the outer lens, which includes the microsteps. The vehicle lighting device according to feature 1.

3. The second resin material is a resin with higher heat resistance than the first resin material. The vehicle lighting device according to feature 2.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sealing leg for the lamp body, which is provided at the end of the outer lens, is made of the first resin material.

5. The light-receiving end is formed of the second resin material A vehicle light fixture according to feature 2 or 3.

6. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the outer lens has a stepped shape formed on it to make the front surface of the outer lens flush with the front surface of the vehicle body panel.

7. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that an extension panel having substantially the same shape as the decorative light-emitting part on the front of the outer lens is additionally arranged between the outer lens and the lamp body.

8. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an inner lens is additionally disposed between the outer lens and the lamp body, the inner lens forming a light distribution different from the light distribution formed by the light source and the outer lens.

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