Light-emitting device

Abstract

A light-emitting device (1) comprises: a light source unit (10) which emits light; a lens (11) which has a bottomed cylindrical shape, is such that the light emitted by the light source unit (10) is incident thereon, and emits the incident light; and a structural component (12) to which the light source unit (10) is attached. The lens (11) includes: a light projection section (110) which constitutes the bottom section of the bottomed cylindrical shape and emits light; a wall section (114) which constitutes the cylindrical section of the bottomed cylindrical shape and rises from the outer periphery of the light projection section (110); and a position fixing section (116) which fixes the structural component (12) to the lens (11). The position fixing section (116) is disposed at a position overlapping the light projection section (110) when the light projection section (110) is viewed in a plan view.

Description

Light-emitting device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a light emitting device.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vehicle lighting devices have been devised as light-emitting devices that are arranged in automobiles, which are an example of moving objects, and that illuminate the sides of the automobile (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The vehicle lighting device described in Patent Document 1 includes a light source unit having an illumination lens that emits light, a lamp case that houses the light source unit, and a translucent cover that is molded integrally with the lamp case. A translucent dome portion is formed in the center of the translucent cover, and a lens portion of the illumination lens is positioned facing the translucent cover. The light source unit is housed in the lamp case using support bosses and screws formed on the four corners of the lamp case. The vehicle lighting device is attached to an opening in a vehicle side mirror using mounting tabs and screws formed integrally with the four corners of the lamp case.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-17228

[0005] However, the vehicle lighting device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the lamp case inside the vehicle becomes large in order to limit the size of the vehicle lighting device that protrudes from the exterior surface of the vehicle. In particular, the lamp case is larger than the translucent dome in plan view, and further, the support bosses are formed outside the translucent dome, which causes a problem in that the vehicle lighting device becomes large in the direction of expansion in plan view.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a light-emitting device that is more compact.

[0007] A light emitting device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a light source unit that emits light, a cylindrical lens with a bottom into which the light emitted by the light source unit is incident and which emits the incident light, and a structural component to which the light source unit is attached, wherein the lens has a light-projecting unit that is the bottom of the cylindrical lens and emits the light, a wall portion that is the cylindrical portion of the cylindrical lens and rises from the outer periphery of the light-projecting unit, and a position fixing unit that fixes the structural component to the lens, and the position fixing unit is positioned at a position that overlaps with the light-projecting unit when the light-projecting unit is viewed in a plane.

[0008] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide a more compact light emitting device.

[0009] Schematic diagram of a moving body according to embodiment 1. Schematic diagram of a light emitting device according to embodiment 1. Cross-sectional view of a light emitting device according to embodiment 1. Schematic diagram of a lens according to embodiment 1 as seen from above. Schematic diagram of a lens according to embodiment 2 as seen from above. Schematic diagram of a lens according to embodiment 3 as seen from above.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement positions, and connection forms shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concepts will be described as optional components. In the description of each embodiment, a description of the same configuration as the previous embodiment will be omitted.

[0011] Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Each figure is a schematic diagram in which emphasis, omission, and proportions have been appropriately adjusted to illustrate the present invention, and may differ from the actual shape, positional relationship, and proportions. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the term "match" includes subtle differences such as manufacturing errors. Specifically, the term "match" is used even when there is a difference of 0% to 10% in dimensions.

[0012] In the following embodiments, an orthogonal coordinate system in which three axes, an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, intersect at right angles may be described.

[0013] 1 is a schematic diagram of a moving body 2 according to embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the moving body 2 includes a first support 20 and a second support 21.

[0014] The first support 20 is, for example, the body of a car, a motorcycle, or the like. The second support 21 is, for example, a side mirror, and is provided on the side of the first support 20. The second support 21 protrudes from the first support 20. The second support 21 is provided with a light emitting device 1 and an imaging device 3. In the following description, the direction perpendicular to the road surface is defined as the up-down direction, i.e., the Z-axis direction.

[0015] The light emitting device 1 is a device that emits light that is detected by the imaging device 3. More specifically, the light emitting device 1 is attached to the second support 21 facing downward so as to emit light toward the road surface. The light emitted by the light emitting device 1 is, for example, near-infrared light with a wavelength of approximately 700 nm to 2500 nm. More specifically, the light emitted by the light emitting device 1 is near-infrared light with a half-width that falls within the range of 700 nm to 2500 nm, and the half-width preferably falls within the range of 900 nm to 1000 nm, and the peak value preferably falls within the range of 900 nm to 1000 nm. However, the light emitted by the light emitting device 1 may be any light that is detected by the imaging device 3, and may be light in the visible light region, for example.

[0016] The imaging device 3 is a device, such as a camera, that captures an image of the road surface around the moving object 2. The imaging device 3 receives light reflected from the road surface, including near-infrared light emitted by the light-emitting device 1. With this configuration, the imaging device 3 can acquire information about the road surface.

[0017] In the first embodiment, the light emitting device 1 and the imaging device 3 are provided on the second support 21, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the light emitting device 1 and the imaging device 3 may be provided on the first support 20.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the light emitting device 1 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the light emitting device 1 includes a light source unit 10 that emits near-infrared light, a cylindrical lens 11 that houses the light source unit 10, and a packing 13.

[0019] The light source unit 10 is enclosed in the lens 11 and emits near-infrared light. The near-infrared light emitted by the light source unit 10 passes through the lens 11 and becomes near-infrared light irradiated by the light emitting device 1. The light source unit 10 is, for example, an LED (light-emitting diode) that emits near-infrared light. At this time, the light source unit 10 emits near-infrared light using power supplied from external wiring (not shown) connected to the connector 123.

[0020] The lens 11 is an optical component that irradiates near-infrared light emitted by the light source unit 10 onto a predetermined road surface area, and also serves as the housing of the light-emitting device 1 that houses the light source unit 10. More specifically, the lens 11 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole, including a cylindrical portion and a bottom. In the first embodiment, the lens 11 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, including a cylindrical portion and a bottom that covers the opening of the cylindrical portion. The lens 11 is made of a resin, such as an acrylic resin, that has a transmittance of 80% or more for components of near-infrared light with a wavelength of at least 900 nm or more. In this case, when the wavelength of visible light is 400 nm to 780 nm, the visible light transmittance of the lens 11 is 10% or less, thereby preventing the internal structure of the lens 11 from being visible from the outside and spoiling the appearance. The lens 11 may have a transmittance of 90% or more for wavelength components of near-infrared light with a wavelength of 900 nm or more in the near-infrared light wavelength range.

[0021] The lens 11 has a light-projecting unit 110 which is the bottom of the cylindrical lens 11 and which irradiates near-infrared light emitted by the light source unit 10, a wall 114 which is the cylindrical portion of the cylindrical lens 11 and rises from the outer periphery of the light-projecting unit 110, and a locking unit 115 which is provided on the wall 114 and which locks and fixes the light-emitting device 1 to the second support 21. By providing a plurality of locking units 115 on the wall 114, the light-emitting device 1 is firmly locked and fixed by the second support 21. In the first embodiment, three locking units 115 are provided on the lens 11.

[0022] The packing 13 is a cushioning material provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the light-projecting unit 110. The outer peripheral side surface of the packing 13 coincides with the outer peripheral side surface of the wall unit 114. The packing 13 is, for example, an elastic sponge. The lens 11 comes into contact with the second support 21 via the packing 13, and the packing 13 can suppress abnormal noise caused by vibration between the second support 21 and the light-emitting device 1. The packing 13 may be made of an elastomer having rubber elasticity.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of light-emitting device 1 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 3, light-projecting unit 110 has outer lens surface 111, inner lens surface 112, scattering surface 113, and position fixing unit 116. Structural component 12 is fixed to light-projecting unit 110.

[0024] Outer lens surface 111 is a surface that emits near-infrared light on the outer bottom surface of lens 11. Outer lens surface 111 is a substantially spherical surface.

[0025] Inner lens surface 112 is one of the surfaces onto which near-infrared light emitted by light source unit 10 can directly enter, and is located at the center of the inner bottom surface of lens 11. The near-infrared light that has entered inner lens surface 112 passes through the inside of light-projecting unit 110 and is irradiated from outer lens surface 111.

[0026] Scattering surface 113 is one of the surfaces onto which near-infrared light emitted by light source unit 10 can directly enter, and is provided on the inner bottom surface of lens 11 outside inner lens surface 112. Scattering surface 113 has a wavy surface. Therefore, near-infrared light incident on scattering surface 113 is scattered by scattering surface 113, and most of the near-infrared light is not irradiated from outer lens surface 111.

[0027] The position fixing portion 116 is a component for fixing the structural component 12 to the lens 11. The position fixing portion 116 is, for example, a pillar provided on the inner bottom surface of the lens 11 and passes through a hole provided in the structural component 12. Then, with the position fixing portion 116 passing through the hole provided in the structural component 12, the structural component 12 can be fixed to the lens 11 by thermally caulking the tip of the position fixing portion 116. More specifically, the position fixing portion 116 passes through holes provided in the substrate 120, the thermal conduction sheet 121, and the heat sink 122 of the structural component 12. In this case, the position fixing portion 116 is positioned so as to overlap the light projecting unit 110 when the light projecting unit 110 is viewed from the Z-axis direction. In particular, in this embodiment, the position fixing portion 116 is positioned inside, not outside, the light projecting unit 110. This configuration allows the light emitting device 1 to reduce its size in the XY plane.

[0028] It is preferable to provide a plurality of position fixing parts 116 in order to stabilize the structural component 12. In the first embodiment, two position fixing parts 116 are arranged at positions facing each other across the center of the lens 11. With this configuration, the distance between the position fixing parts 116 can be increased, so that the structural component 12 can be fixed more stably.

[0029] The structural component 12 includes a substrate 120, a thermally conductive sheet 121, a heat sink 122, a connector 123, and a shade 124. Note that it is not necessary to provide all of these structural components 12. For example, the thermally conductive sheet 121 and the heat sink 122 may be omitted.

[0030] The substrate 120 is a circuit board to which the light source unit 10 is fixed on one side, and a lighting circuit for lighting the light source unit 10 is mounted.

[0031] The thermally conductive sheet 121 is attached to one of the side surfaces of the substrate 120 opposite to the side surface to which the light source unit 10 is fixed. The thermally conductive sheet 121 is, for example, a metal sheet with high thermal conductivity, and can efficiently dissipate heat emitted by the light source unit 10.

[0032] The heat sink 122 is a component that dissipates heat generated by the light source unit 10 through the thermally conductive sheet 121 .

[0033] The connector 123 is a terminal to which external wiring can be connected. The light source unit 10 is turned on by power supplied from the outside via the connector 123.

[0034] The shade 124 is a component that covers a portion of the inner lens surface 112 of the near-infrared light emitted by the light source unit 10, and is a cover that blocks a portion of the near-infrared light emitted from the light source unit 10 so as to be incident on the inner lens surface 112. The shade 124 prevents the near-infrared light from being emitted in the direction of the first support 20 of the moving body 2. This prevents the near-infrared light reflected by the first support 20 from entering the imaging device 3 and causing halation.

[0035] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing lens 11 according to embodiment 1 as viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 4, on the inside of the bottom of lens 11, inner lens surface 112, scattering surface 113, and intermediate surface 117 are arranged in this order from the center.

[0036] Inner lens surface 112 is provided at the center of the inner bottom surface of lens 11, and is a lens surface that is elongated in a predetermined direction. With this configuration, light-emitting device 1 can evenly irradiate near-infrared light to the sides of first support 20. In addition, scattering surface 113 is provided on the outer periphery of inner lens surface 112, and the outer periphery of scattering surface 113 is circular and concentric with the inside of the bottom of lens 11.

[0037] Here, the surface onto which the near-infrared light emitted by the light source unit 10 is assumed to be incident is referred to as the incident region X. In the first embodiment, the incident region X is the region including the inner lens surface 112 and the scattering surface 113. In this case, the surface between the incident region X and the wall unit 114 is the intermediate surface 117. Almost no near-infrared light emitted by the light source unit 10 is incident on the intermediate surface 117.

[0038] Position fixing portion 116 is disposed on intermediate surface 117. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the influence of position fixing portion 116 on the near-infrared light irradiated from outer lens surface 111.

[0039] As described above, the light emitting device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a light source unit 10 that emits light, a cylindrical lens 11 that receives the light emitted by the light source unit 10 and emits the incident light, and a structural component 12 to which the light source unit 10 is attached. The lens 11 includes a light projecting unit 110 that is the bottom of the cylindrical lens and emits light, a wall 114 that is also a cylindrical portion with a bottom and rises from the outer periphery of the light projecting unit 110, and a position fixing unit 116 that fixes the structural component 12 to the lens 11. The position fixing unit 116 is arranged at a position that overlaps with the light projecting unit 110 when the light projecting unit 110 is viewed in a plan view.

[0040] With this configuration, the position fixing portion 116 that fixes the structural component 12 to the lens 11 is positioned so that it overlaps with the light-projecting portion 110 when viewed in a plane, thereby suppressing the expansion of the light-emitting device 1 in the XY plane direction and enabling the light-emitting device 1 to be made smaller.

[0041] The light projecting unit 110 also has an incident area X, which is an area where light is incident. The position fixing unit 116 is formed in the light projecting unit 110 between the incident area X and the wall unit 114.

[0042] With this configuration, position fixing portion 116 can be prevented from affecting near-infrared light emitted from outer lens surface 111 .

[0043] Furthermore, the visible light transmittance of the lens 11 is 10% or less, and the infrared light transmittance is 80% or more. With this configuration, the lens 11 can transmit near-infrared light while suppressing the transmission of visible light. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the internal structure of the lens 11 from being visible from the outside, which would detract from the aesthetic appearance.

[0044] The light emitting device 1 also has a packing 13 that surrounds the outer periphery of the light projecting unit 110. The outer periphery side surface of the packing 13 coincides with the outer periphery side surface of the wall unit 114.

[0045] This configuration allows the light emitting device 1 to be reduced in size by suppressing the expansion of the light emitting device 1 in the XY plane direction.

[0046] The light emitting device 1 is supported by a moving object 2 that includes an imaging device 3 , and emits light that is detected by the imaging device 3 .

[0047] With this configuration, the imaging device 3 can acquire information about the road surface.

[0048] Second Embodiment Next, a light emitting device 1 according to a second embodiment will be described.

[0049] 5 is a schematic diagram of lens 11 according to embodiment 2, viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 5, position fixing portion 116 is disposed on scattering surface 113. With this configuration, position fixing portion 116 can be prevented from affecting near-infrared light irradiated from outer lens surface 111. Furthermore, because position fixing portion 116 is not provided on intermediate surface 117, intermediate surface 117 can be narrowed, further suppressing the expansion of lens 11 in the XY plane.

[0050] In the first embodiment, scattering surface 113 is wide near both ends in the short dimension of inner lens surface 112 and narrow near both ends in the long dimension of inner lens surface 112. Therefore, position fixing portion 116 is disposed near both ends in the short dimension of inner lens surface 112. This configuration makes it easier to form position fixing portion 116.

[0051] Third Embodiment Next, a light emitting device 1 according to a third embodiment will be described.

[0052] 6 is a schematic diagram of lens 11 according to embodiment 3, viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 6, the area covered by shade 124 is designated as shade area Y. In this case, position fixing unit 116a is disposed in shade area Y. Position fixing unit 116b is disposed on intermediate surface 117. With this configuration, position fixing unit 116 can be prevented from affecting near-infrared light irradiated from outer lens surface 111.

[0053] (Modifications) Although the light emitting device 1 according to the embodiment has been described above, the light emitting device 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0054] For example, three or more position fixing portions 116 may be formed. In this case, the position fixing portions 116 may be spaced equally apart in the circumferential direction of the lens 11. With this configuration, the lens 11 can fix the structural component 12 more stably.

[0055] Furthermore, the plurality of position fixing portions 116 may have at least one combination of different sizes. Alternatively, the distances between adjacent position fixing portions 116 in the circumferential direction of the lens 11 may be different. With this configuration, the lens 11 can prevent incorrect assembly of the structural components 12.

[0056] Furthermore, the position fixing section 116 may be arranged so as to straddle different regions. For example, the position fixing section 116 may be arranged so as to straddle the scattering surface 113 and the intermediate surface 117.

[0057] Alternatively, the plurality of position fixing units 116 may be arranged in different regions. For example, one of the position fixing units 116 may be arranged on the scattering surface 113 and the other may be arranged on the intermediate surface 117.

[0058] Furthermore, the lens 11 may not have the packing 13 , and the outer peripheral side surface of the light projecting portion 110 may coincide with the outer peripheral side surface of the wall portion 114 .

[0059] This configuration allows the light emitting device 1 to be reduced in size by suppressing the expansion of the light emitting device 1 in the XY plane direction.

[0060] In addition, the present disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the above embodiments that would occur to those skilled in the art, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the embodiments within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention also includes any combination of two or more claims from the multiple claims set forth in the claims at the time of filing, provided that there is no technical contradiction. For example, when a dependent claim set forth in the claims at the time of filing is made into a multiple claim or multiple multiple claims that cite all of the superordinate claims within the scope of the technical contradiction, the present invention also includes all combinations of claims included in that multiple claim or multiple multiple multiple claim.

[0061] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 light emitting device 10 light source section 11 lens 110 light projecting section 111 outer lens surface 112 inner lens surface 113 scattering surface 114 wall section 115 engaging section 116, 116a, 116b position fixing section 117 intermediate surface 12 structural component 120 substrate 121 thermally conductive sheet 122 heat sink 123 connector 124 shade 13 packing 2 moving body 20 first support 21 second support 3 imaging device

Claims

1. A light-emitting device comprising: a light source unit that emits light; a cylindrical lens with a bottom into which the light emitted by the light source unit is incident and which emits the incident light; and a structural component to which the light source unit is attached, wherein the lens has a light-projecting unit that is the bottom of the cylindrical lens and emits the light, a cylindrical portion with a bottom and a wall portion rising from the outer periphery of the light-projecting unit, and a position fixing unit that fixes the structural component to the lens, and the position fixing unit is positioned at a position that overlaps with the light-projecting unit when the light-projecting unit is viewed in a plane.

2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the light projecting section has an incident area into which the light is incident, and the position fixing section is formed between the incident area of ​​the light projecting section and the wall section.

3. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the lens has an inner lens surface that can emit the light to the outside of the lens when the light is incident thereon, and a scattering surface that is arranged to surround the inner lens surface and scatters the light when the light is incident thereon, and the position fixing portion is formed on the scattering surface.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the structural components include a substrate to which the light source unit is fixed, and a shade provided between the substrate and the lens for blocking a portion of the light incident on the lens, and the position fixing unit at least partially overlaps with the shade when the substrate is viewed in a plan view.

5. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the lens has a visible light transmittance of 10% or less and an infrared light transmittance of 80% or more.

6. The light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a packing surrounding the outer periphery of the light projecting portion, the outer periphery side of the packing coinciding with the outer periphery side of the wall portion.

7. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the lens has a light projection surface that emits the incident light, and an outer peripheral side surface of the light projection surface coincides with an outer peripheral side surface of the wall portion.

8. The light emitting device according to claim 1, which is supported by a moving body having an imaging device, and which emits the light to be detected by the imaging device.

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