Vehicle lamp

Abstract

This vehicle lamp comprises a light source and a light guide body that is rod-shaped, and that guides and emits light from the light source. The light source, in a state of being mounted on a vehicle, has a light-emitting surface that emits light toward the front-face side. The light guide body has: an entry surface that is disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction, that faces the light-emitting surface, and that receives entry of light emitted from the light-emitting surface; a light guide unit that extends from the entry surface and guides the light entered from the entry surface; an emission unit that extends from the light guide unit, that has a prism unit for internally reflecting light, and that guides the light from the light guide unit, reflects the light internally by using the prism unit, and emits the light from the side surface; and an auxiliary emission unit that is provided so as to protrude from the light guide unit and guides a portion of the light from the light source.

Description

Vehicle lighting fixtures

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a vehicle lamp configured to guide light from a light source through a rod-shaped light guide and emit it from the light guide to the front of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2016-115397 A

[0004] The vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 emits light along the entire length of the light guide, and therefore has prism portions formed along the entire length of the back side of the light guide that internally reflect light toward the emission direction. However, in this configuration, prism portions are also provided near the light source of the light guide, which can cause light from the light source to directly illuminate the prism portions near the light source, resulting in brightness unevenness along the length of the light guide. It is necessary to suppress the occurrence of such brightness unevenness in the above vehicle lamp.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a vehicle lamp that can suppress the occurrence of brightness unevenness.

[0006] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention comprises a light source and a rod-shaped light guide that guides and emits light from the light source, wherein the light source has a light-emitting surface that emits light toward the front side when mounted on the vehicle, and the light guide has an incident surface that is arranged at one end in the longitudinal direction and faces the light-emitting surface, onto which light emitted from the light-emitting surface is incident, a light guide section that extends from the incident surface and guides the light that has entered from the incident surface, an exit section that extends from the light guide section and has a prism section that internally reflects light, and guides the light from the light guide section, internally reflects it at the prism section, and emits it from a side, and an auxiliary exit section that protrudes from the light guide section and guides part of the light from the light source.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can suppress the occurrence of uneven brightness.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a rear part of a vehicle according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic view of an example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic view of an example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic view of an example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic view of an example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic view of another example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic view of another example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic view of another example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] In this embodiment, the front and rear directions are directions in a state where the device is mounted on a vehicle (mounted on a vehicle). For example, when the device is mounted on the front of the vehicle, the front is the front direction (front side) and the rear is the rear direction (rear side). When the device is mounted on the rear of the vehicle, the rear is the front direction (front side) and the front is the rear direction (rear side). When the device is mounted on the side of the vehicle, the outside of the vehicle is the front direction (front side) and the inside of the vehicle is the rear direction (rear side).

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the rear of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 2, a running device 3, and a vehicle lamp 100. The vehicle body 2 has a driver's cab in which a driver sits. The vehicle body 2 is supported by the running device 3. The running device 3 has wheels on which tires 4 are mounted, a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and a brake device for slowing down or stopping the running device 3. The vehicle 1 includes a boarding / alighting door provided on a side of the vehicle body 2, and a tailgate 7 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. The boarding / alighting door and the tailgate 7 are each movably supported on the vehicle body 2 via a hinge mechanism.

[0012] In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. Therefore, the rear side in the front-to-rear direction will be described as the front side of the vehicle lamp 100, and the front side in the front-to-rear direction will be described as the back side of the vehicle lamp 100.

[0013] The vehicle lighting device 100 includes functional lamps, such as a tail lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit in conjunction with the lighting of the head lamps, a stop lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit in conjunction with the operation of the brake device, and a rear turn signal lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit to indicate the direction in which the vehicle 1 is traveling to those around it.

[0014] The vehicle lamps 100 are disposed, for example, on the vehicle body 2 side. In this embodiment, the vehicle body 2 is a fixed part. The back door 7 is a movable part. The structure of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left rear part of the vehicle body 2 and the structure of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right rear part of the vehicle body 2 are symmetrical in the left-right direction and are substantially identical in structure. The following description will mainly focus on the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left rear part of the vehicle body 2, and the description of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right rear part of the vehicle body 2 will be simplified or omitted.

[0015] Figures 2 to 5 are diagrams that schematically show an example of a vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram of the vehicle lamp 100 as viewed from above. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the vehicle lamp 100 as viewed from the upper rear left side. Figure 4 is a plan view showing an enlarged portion of the vehicle lamp 100. Figure 5 is a diagram that schematically shows the interior of the vehicle lamp 100 as viewed from the left side.

[0016] 2 to 5, the vehicle lamp 100 includes a light source 10, a light guide 20, an inner lens 30, and an outer lens 40. Although not shown, the vehicle lamp 100 also includes an inner housing and an outer housing.

[0017] The light source 10 is disposed on the outside of the vehicle. The light source 10 may be, for example, a semiconductor light source such as an LED, a laser light source, or the like. The light source 10 has a light-emitting surface 11 that emits light. The light-emitting surface 11 faces the front side.

[0018] The light guide 20 is rod-shaped and extends, for example, from the outside to the inside of the vehicle, so as to curve forward along the slanted shape of the vehicle lamp 100. In this embodiment, the light guide 20 is disposed on the front side of the light source 10.

[0019] The light guide 20 has an incident surface 21, a light guide section 22, an exit section 23, and an auxiliary exit section 24. The incident surface 21 is located at one end of the light guide 20 in the longitudinal direction, and faces the light emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. Light from the light source 10 is incident on the incident surface 21. In the light guide 20, the incident surface 21 is located, for example, at the end on the outer rear side of the vehicle. This shape allows the light from the light source 10 to be appropriately guided inside the slanted vehicle lamp 100.

[0020] The light guide section 22 is a section that extends from the incident surface 21 toward the front side. The light guide section 22 guides the light that has entered through the incident surface 21.

[0021] The exit portion 23 is a portion extending from the light guide portion 22 toward the inside of the vehicle. The exit portion 23 is formed to the other end of the light guide 20 in the longitudinal direction. The exit portion 23 guides light from the light source 10 and emits it from the side surface 23a toward the inner lens 30. In this embodiment, as described below, the inner lens 30 is disposed below the light guide 20. Therefore, the exit portion 23 emits light downward from the lower part of the side surface 23a. A prism portion 23b is provided on the side surface 23a opposite the inner lens 30, i.e., on the upper part. The prism portion 23b reflects light that enters from the incident surface 21 and is internally reflected by the side surface 23a in the exit direction, i.e., downward toward where the inner lens 30 is disposed. The light reflected by the prism portion 23b is emitted downward from the side surface 23a of the light guide 20 toward the inner lens 30.

[0022] The auxiliary emission section 24 is provided so as to protrude from the light guide section 22 to the outside of the vehicle. The auxiliary emission section 24 guides a portion of the light incident from the incident surface 21 and emits it toward the inner lens 30. The auxiliary emission section 24 is plate-shaped. The auxiliary emission section 24 is arranged along an end surface 31 a of the inner lens 30, which will be described later.

[0023] The auxiliary emission part 24 has a base part 25, an opening part 26, and an inclined part 27. The base part 25 is plate-shaped and guides the light that has entered the auxiliary emission part 24.

[0024] The opening 26 is formed to penetrate the base portion 25 in the thickness direction. The opening 26 internally reflects light. In this embodiment, the opening 26 is provided at a position that contacts the light-guiding portion 22. With this arrangement, a portion of the light-guiding portion 22 faces the opening 26. Therefore, light traveling inside the light-guiding portion 22 is internally reflected at the opening 26, and its progression toward the auxiliary emission portion 24 is restricted. In this way, by arranging the opening 26 at a position that contacts the light-guiding portion 22, the amount of light traveling from the light-guiding portion 22 to the auxiliary emission portion 24 can be adjusted. Furthermore, the opening 26 internally reflects light that enters the base portion 25. In this case, the light can be diffused at the opening 26.

[0025] A plurality of openings 26 may be provided at positions in contact with the light guide section 22. That is, a plurality of openings 26 may be provided at positions in contact with the light guide section 22 with intervals therebetween.

[0026] The inclined portion 27 is formed at the front end of the base portion 25. The inclined portion 27 internally reflects light incident on the auxiliary emission portion 24 toward the end surface 31 a (described later) of the inner lens 30, i.e., downward. In this embodiment, the inclined portion 27 is a surface formed to slope downward toward the front side. The inclined portion 27 may be flat, curved, or a combination of these. The light internally reflected by the inclined portion 27 is emitted downward from the lower surface 24 a of the auxiliary emission portion 24. By providing the inclined portion 27, light that enters the base portion 25 can be reliably emitted toward the inner lens 30.

[0027] The auxiliary emission section 24 is disposed closer to the light source 10 than the prism section 23b provided in the emission section 23. This arrangement allows the area in which the inner lens 30 can be disposed to be expanded in the left-right direction, that is, to the light guide section 22 on the light source 10 side of the area where the prism section 23b is provided.

[0028] The inner lens 30 guides the light emitted from the light guide 20 and emits the light at least in a forward direction when mounted on the vehicle. The inner lens 30 is disposed, for example, below the light guide 20. The inner lens 30 has a rod-shaped portion 31 and a plate-shaped portion 32. The rod-shaped portion 31 and the plate-shaped portion 32 of the inner lens 30 are provided, for example, as a single member. The inner lens 30 may have a plate-shaped rib portion (not shown) at one longitudinal end that protrudes toward the front side.

[0029] The rod-shaped portion 31 extends linearly, for example, in the vertical direction. The plate-shaped portion 32 is formed integrally with the rod-shaped portion 31. The plate-shaped portion 32 connects adjacent rod-shaped portions 31. The plate-shaped portion 32 is, for example, in the shape of a flat plate, and is arranged in the vertical direction to correspond to the rod-shaped portion 31.

[0030] The rod-shaped portion 31 and the plate-shaped portion 32 are disposed across both the emission portion 23 and the auxiliary emission portion 24 of the light guide 20. Hereinafter, the portion of the rod-shaped portion 31 and the plate-shaped portion 32 that corresponds to the emission portion 23 may be referred to as the emission-side portion 30P, and the portion that corresponds to the auxiliary emission portion 24 may be referred to as the auxiliary-side portion 30Q.

[0031] The rod-shaped portion 31 has an end face (inner-side incident surface) 31a and a side face 31b. Light emitted from the light guide 20 is incident on the end face 31a. Light incident on the interior of the rod-shaped portion 31 is emitted from the side face 31b. A prism portion 31c is formed on the back side of the side face 31b when mounted on a vehicle. The prism portion 31c reflects light that enters from the end face 31a and is internally reflected by the side face 31b toward the front side when mounted on a vehicle. The light reflected by the prism portion 31c is emitted toward the front from the side face 31b of the rod-shaped portion 31. In this embodiment, the light reflected by the prism portion 31c is emitted, for example, toward the rear of the vehicle from the side face 31b.

[0032] The plate-shaped portion 32 has an end face (inner-side incident face) 32 a, a reflecting face 32 b, and an exit face 32 c. The end face 32 a allows the light emitted from the light guide 20 to enter the inside of the plate-shaped portion 32.

[0033] The end face 31a of the rod-shaped portion 31 and the end face 32a of the plate-shaped portion 32 face the emission-side portion 30P and the auxiliary-side portion 30Q, respectively. The end faces 31a, 32a provided on the emission-side portion 30P face the side face 23a of the emission portion 23 of the light guide 20. The end faces 31a, 32a provided on the auxiliary-side portion 30Q face the lower face 24a of the auxiliary emission portion 24. The rod-shaped portion 31 and the plate-shaped portion 32 are arranged so that the end faces 31a, 32a face the side face 23a and the lower face 24a of the light guide 20 with a gap in a predetermined direction (downward). The end faces 31a, 32a allow light emitted from the side face 23a and the lower face 24a of the light guide 20 to enter the interior.

[0034] Light incident on the rod-shaped portion 31 is guided inside the rod-shaped portion 31 by internal reflection. A prism portion 31c is disposed on the rear side of the rod-shaped portion 31. The light incident on the rod-shaped portion 31 is reflected by the prism portion 31c and emitted from the side surface 31b toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0035] Furthermore, a portion of the light incident on the rod-shaped portion 31 is reflected by the prism portion 32d and emitted from the emission surface 32c toward the side of the vehicle.

[0036] The outer lens 40 is disposed in front of, i.e., behind, the inner lens 30. The outer lens 40 outputs the light emitted from the inner lens 30 to the outside of the vehicle lamp 100. The outer lens 40 is plate-shaped. The outer lens 40 has a shape that curves toward the rear side from the inside of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle. The outer lens 40 is formed, for example, using a resin material that is transparent or a color similar to the lighting color.

[0037] Next, an example of lighting the vehicle lamp 100 configured as described above will be described. When a predetermined operation to turn on the tail lamp is performed by the driver, the vehicle lamp 100 receives an operation signal from an operation device. A control circuit provided on the substrate of the light source 10 controls the light emission of the light source 10 in accordance with the received signal.

[0038] 4 and 5 , light is emitted from light-emitting surface 11 of light source 10. This light enters light-guiding section 22 from incident surface 21 of light guide 20. A portion of the light that has entered light-guiding section 22 (hereinafter referred to as light L1) is guided by light-guiding section 22 and enters exit section 23, where it is internally reflected by prism section 23 b and emitted downward from side surface 23 a.

[0039] Another portion of the light incident on the light guide 22 (hereinafter referred to as light L2) enters the auxiliary emission section 24 from the light guide 22. The light L2 incident on the auxiliary emission section 24 is guided by, for example, the base 25, and is diffused by internal reflection at the opening 26 and the outer peripheral surface 25 a of the base 25, reaches the inclined section 27, and is then internally reflected by the inclined section 27 to be emitted downward from the lower surface 24 a.

[0040] Light L1 emitted downward from the side surface 23a of the emission portion 23 enters the emission side portion 30P of the inner lens 30 from the end surface 31a. Light L1 that enters the emission side portion 30P is internally reflected by the prism portion 31c and the like, and is emitted to the front side of the inner lens 30. Light L1 that has been emitted to the front side of the inner lens 30 is emitted in the left-right direction to the rear of the vehicle via the vehicle inner side portion and central portion of the outer lens 40.

[0041] Light L2 emitted downward from the lower surface 24a enters the auxiliary side portion 30Q of the inner lens 30 from the end surface 31a. Light L2 incident on the auxiliary side portion 30Q is internally reflected by the prism portion 31c, etc., and emitted to the front side of the inner lens 30. Light L2 emitted to the front side of the inner lens 30 is emitted in the left-right direction to the rear of the vehicle via the vehicle-outside portion of the outer lens 40.

[0042] In this way, light L1 guided to the exit portion 23 of the light guide 20 causes the front portion of the outer lens 40 to emit light via the exit-side portion 30P of the inner lens 30. Furthermore, light L2 guided to the auxiliary exit portion 24 of the light guide 20 causes the vehicle-outside portion of the outer lens 40 to emit light via the auxiliary-side portion 30Q of the inner lens 30. Therefore, the vehicle-outside portion of the outer lens 40 can also emit light with a sufficient amount of light. Furthermore, brightness unevenness between the front portion and the vehicle-outside portion of the outer lens 40 can be suppressed.

[0043] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing another example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, with Fig. 6 being a perspective view and Fig. 7 being a plan view.

[0044] The vehicle lamp 100A shown in Figures 6 and 7 has an incident surface (auxiliary-side incident surface) 24b in the auxiliary light-guiding section 24A that is flush with the incident surface 21 of the light guide 20. The incident surface 24b faces the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. A portion of the light (hereinafter referred to as light L3) emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 directly enters the incident surface 24b. The light L3 emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 directly enters the incident surface 24b, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency. Note that the incident surface 24b may have a shape that extends from the incident surface 21 of the light guide 20 or the light-guiding section 22 toward the light source 10.

[0045] Furthermore, the auxiliary light-guiding section 24A has an opening 28 in addition to the opening 26. The opening 28 is provided at a position on the base section 25 away from the light-guiding section 22. A light diffusion section 28a that diffuses light is formed in the opening 28. The light diffusion section 28a may have a curved surface, for example. Note that the shape of the light diffusion section 28a is not limited to a curved surface and may have other shapes.

[0046] Light L3 incident from the incident surface 24b and traveling through the base portion 25, and light incident from the incident surface 21 and traveling through the base portion 25 (hereinafter referred to as light L4) are internally reflected by the light diffusing portion 28a so as to be diffused when they reach the opening 28. The lights L3 and L4 internally reflected by the light diffusing portion 28a travel inside the base portion 25, are internally reflected by the opening 26 and the outer peripheral surface 25a, etc., and reach the inclined portion 27. The lights L3 and L4 that reach the inclined portion 27 are internally reflected by the inclined portion 27 and are emitted from the lower surface 24a toward the inner lens 30 (downward).

[0047] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. The vehicle lamp 100B shown in FIG. 8 has a cutout 29 in the auxiliary light-guiding section 24B. The cutout 29 is provided in a portion of the outer peripheral surface 25a of the base section 25. When light (hereinafter referred to as light L5) that enters through the incident surface 21 and travels through the base section 25 reaches the cutout 29, it is internally reflected by the cutout 29. The light L5 that is internally reflected by the cutout 29 travels inside the base section 25, is internally reflected by the outer peripheral surface 25a, etc., and reaches the inclined section 27. The light L5 that reaches the inclined section 27 is internally reflected by the inclined section 27 and is emitted from the lower surface 24a toward the inner lens 30 (downward).

[0048] As described above, the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment comprises a light source 10 and a rod-shaped light guide 20 that guides and emits light from the light source 10. The light source 10 has a light-emitting surface 11 that emits light toward the front side when mounted on the vehicle. The light guide 20 is arranged at one end in the longitudinal direction, faces the light-emitting surface 11, and has an incident surface 21 on which light emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 is incident, a light guide section 22 that extends from the incident surface 21 and guides the light that has entered from the incident surface 21, a prism section 23b that extends from the light guide section 22 and internally reflects light, the exit section 23 that guides the light from the light guide section 22, internally reflects it at the prism section 23b, and emits it from the side surface 23a, and an auxiliary exit section 24 that protrudes from the light guide section 22 and guides part of the light from the light source 10.

[0049] According to this configuration, by providing the auxiliary exit section 24 in the light guide section 22 of the light guide 20, light can be emitted from both the exit section 23 and the auxiliary exit section 24. Therefore, light can be emitted throughout the entire length of the light guide 20. Furthermore, since the auxiliary exit section 24 is provided in the light guide section 22 where the prism section 23b is not provided, it is possible to prevent the light from the light source 10 from directly irradiating the prism section 23b. Therefore, it is possible to suppress uneven brightness in the length direction of the light guide 20.

[0050] The vehicle lamp 100 of this embodiment further includes an inner lens 30 that guides the light emitted from the light guide 20 and emits it toward the front side, and the light guide 20 has a prism portion 23b on the side 23a opposite the inner lens 30 that reflects light toward the inner lens 30, and the inner lens 30 is arranged so as to face both the emission portion 23 and the auxiliary emission portion 24.

[0051] According to this configuration, the light guide 20 has a prism portion 23b on the side 23a opposite the inner lens 30 that reflects light toward the inner lens 30, and the inner lens 30 is arranged so as to face both the emission portion 23 and the auxiliary emission portion 24, so that light can be efficiently incident from the light guide 20 to the inner lens 30.

[0052] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary light emitting portion 24 is plate-shaped.

[0053] According to this configuration, the amount of light entering the auxiliary emission section 24 from the light guide section 22 can be reduced.

[0054] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the inner lens 30 has an end surface 31a facing the light guide 20, through which light from the light guide 20 enters, and the auxiliary emission portion 24 is arranged along the end surface 31a.

[0055] According to this configuration, the light emitted from the auxiliary emission portion 24 can be efficiently incident on the end surface 31a.

[0056] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary emission portion 24 has an inclined portion 27 that internally reflects the light from the light source 10 toward the end surface 31a.

[0057] According to this configuration, the light from the light source 10 is reflected internally by the inclined portion 27 and emitted, so that the light can be efficiently emitted from the auxiliary emission portion 24 to the end surface 31 a.

[0058] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary emission portion 24 has openings 26 and 28 that open in the thickness direction.

[0059] According to this configuration, the light traveling inside the auxiliary emission part 24 can be internally reflected by the openings 26, 28. Therefore, the traveling direction of the light inside the auxiliary emission part 24 can be adjusted.

[0060] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the opening 26 is disposed at a position in contact with the light guide portion 22 .

[0061] According to this configuration, opening 26 is disposed at a position in contact with light-guiding section 22, so that light attempting to enter auxiliary emission section 24 from the light-guiding section 22 side can be internally reflected back toward light-guiding section 22. Therefore, the amount of light entering auxiliary emission section 24 can be adjusted.

[0062] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the opening 28 has a light diffusion portion 28a on the inner circumferential surface thereof that diffuses light.

[0063] According to this configuration, the light incident on the auxiliary exit section 24 is diffused by the light diffusion section 28a, so that the amount of light emitted from the auxiliary exit section 24 can be made uniform in the left-right direction.

[0064] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary light emitting portion 24 has a notch 29 in a part of the outer circumferential surface 25a.

[0065] According to this configuration, the light traveling inside the auxiliary emission part 24 can be internally reflected by the cutout part 29. Therefore, the traveling direction of the light inside the auxiliary emission part 24 can be adjusted.

[0066] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary emission portion 24 has an incident surface 24b that is flush with the incident surface 21 and onto which light from the light source 10 is incident.

[0067] According to this configuration, the light from the light source 10 can be made to enter the auxiliary emission part 24 directly from the incident surface 24b, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0068] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary emission portion 24 is disposed closer to the light source 10 than the prism portion 31c.

[0069] According to this configuration, the auxiliary emission section 24 can reliably emit light from the range where the prism section 31c is not provided.

[0070] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0071] L1, L2, L3, L4, L5...light, 1...vehicle, 2...vehicle body, 3...traveling device, 4...tire, 7...back door, 10...light source, 11...light emitting surface, 20...light guide, 21, 24b...incident surface, 22...light guide section, 23...exit section, 23a, 31b...side surface, 23b, 31c, 32d...prism section, 24...auxiliary exit section, 24A, 24B...auxiliary light guide section, 24a...bottom surface, 25...base portion, 25a...outer peripheral surface, 26, 28...opening, 27...inclined portion, 28a...light diffusion portion, 29...notch portion, 30...inner lens, 30P...emission side portion, 30Q...auxiliary side portion, 31...rod-shaped portion, 31a, 32a...end surface, 32...plate-shaped portion, 32b...reflecting surface, 32c...emission surface, 40...outer lens, 100, 100A, 100B...vehicle lamp

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising: a light source; and a rod-shaped light guide that guides and emits light from the light source, wherein the light source has a light-emitting surface that emits light toward the front side when mounted on a vehicle, and the light guide has: an incident surface that is arranged at one end in the longitudinal direction, faces the light-emitting surface, and into which light emitted from the light-emitting surface is incident; a light guide section extending from the incident surface and guiding the light that has entered from the incident surface; an exit section extending from the light guide section and having a prism section that internally reflects light, the exit section guiding the light from the light guide section, internally reflecting it at the prism section, and emitting it from a side surface; and an auxiliary exit section that protrudes from the light guide section and guides a portion of the light from the light source.

2. A vehicle lamp as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an inner lens that guides the light emitted from the light guide and emits it to the front side, the light guide having a prism portion on a side opposite to the inner lens that reflects light towards the inner lens, and the inner lens is arranged so as to face both the emission portion and the auxiliary emission portion.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary emission portion is plate-shaped.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the inner lens has an inner side incident surface on which light from the light guide is incident at a portion facing the light guide, and the auxiliary emission portion is disposed along the inner side incident surface.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary emission portion has an inclined portion that internally reflects the light from the light source toward the inner side incident surface.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary emission section has an opening that opens in the thickness direction.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the opening is disposed in a position adjacent to the light guide portion.

8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the opening has a light diffusion portion on an inner circumferential surface thereof for diffusing the light.

9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary emission portion has a notch in a part of the outer circumferential surface.

10. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary emission portion has an auxiliary side entrance surface that is flush with the entrance surface and into which light from the light source is incident.

11. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary emission portion is disposed closer to the light source than the prism portion.

Images