Vehicle lamp

Abstract

This vehicle lamp is provided with: a light source; a light-emitting unit that emits light of the light source on the front side; an inner panel that is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit and covers a portion of the light-emitting unit; and an outer lens that is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit and the inner panel and that covers the light-emitting unit and the inner panel. The front-side color of the inner panel is set such that the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit and the inner panel is equal to or less than a reference value when viewed from the front side.

Description

Vehicle lighting fixtures

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A vehicle lamp is known that includes a light source, a light-emitting unit that emits light from the light source to the front, and an outer lens that is disposed in front of the light-emitting unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-154949

[0004] In the above-mentioned vehicle lamp, it is required that the light-emitting portion is inconspicuous to the surroundings when not emitting light.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a vehicle lamp that can make a light-emitting portion less noticeable to the surroundings when not emitting light.

[0006] The vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises a light source, a light-emitting unit that emits light from the light source toward the front, an inner panel that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit and covers a part of the light-emitting unit, and an outer lens that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit and the inner panel and covers the light-emitting unit and the inner panel, and the color of the front side of the inner panel is set so that the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit and the inner panel when viewed from the front side is below a reference value.

[0007] According to the present invention, the light-emitting portion can be made inconspicuous to the surroundings when not emitting light.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an example of a vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view showing a configuration along the A-A cross section in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the operation of the vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of the operation of the vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing another example of a vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing another example of a vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view schematically showing another example of a vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of the operation of the vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of the operation of the vehicular lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a view showing another example of a light-emitting section.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments 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 these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical. In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions refer to directions when the vehicle lamp is mounted on a vehicle and viewed from the driver's seat in the direction of vehicle travel. In this embodiment, the up-down direction is parallel to the vertical direction, and the left-right direction is horizontal. In this embodiment, the front and rear directions refer to directions when the vehicle lamp is mounted on a vehicle (mounted on a vehicle). For example, when mounted on the front of a vehicle, the front is the front direction (front side), and the rear is the rear direction (rear side).

[0010] Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration along the cross section A-A in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, a part of the outer lens 50 is omitted so that the inside can be seen.

[0011] 1 and 2, a vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment is mounted, for example, on the front of a vehicle. The vehicle lamp 100 includes a light source 10, a light-emitting unit 20, an inner panel 30, an inner housing 40, an outer lens 50, and an outer housing 60.

[0012] 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 source 10 is mounted on a circuit board 12. One or more light sources 10 may be provided.

[0013] The light-emitting unit 20 transmits light from the light source 10 and emits it to the front side. The light-emitting unit 20 is, for example, plate-shaped. The light-emitting unit 20 has an incident surface 21 and an exit surface 22. The light-emitting unit 20 is formed using a transparent resin material such as acrylic resin, PC (polycarbonate), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate, methacrylic resin), etc. The light-emitting unit 20 is provided with a light-diffusing unit 25, for example, a textured surface. Note that the light-diffusing unit 25 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0014] The inner panel 30 is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit 20. The inner panel 30 is disposed so as to cover a portion of the front side of the light-emitting unit 20. The inner panel 30 has an opening 31. When viewed from the front side, the light-emitting surface 22 of the light-emitting unit 20 is exposed through the opening 31. The color of the front side of the inner panel 30 is set so that the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30 is equal to or less than a reference value when the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30 are viewed directly from the front side without the outer lens 50 passing through. The contrast ratio may be the value of maximum luminance / minimum luminance between the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30. The reference value of the contrast ratio may be, for example, 1 to 3, more preferably 1.5 to 2.5. The reference value may be a value outside the above range. The reference value may be set, for example, by fabricating a prototype of the vehicle lamp and conducting tests or simulations. By setting the contrast ratio between the light emitting section 20 and the inner panel 30 when viewed from the front to a reference value or less, the light emitting section 20 can be made less noticeable than the inner panel 30 when viewed from the front.

[0015] In this embodiment, the color of the front side of the inner panel 30 may be, for example, gray. Note that the color of the front side of the inner panel 30 is not limited to gray and may be another color. The color of the front side of the inner panel 30 may be set, for example, according to the color of the surroundings of the vehicle lamp 100.

[0016] When setting the color of the front side of the inner panel 30, an appropriate color can be set by, for example, adjusting the brightness relative to a reference color (reference color). For example, when the light-emitting unit 20 has the light diffusion unit 25, the brightness of the light-emitting unit 20 when viewed from the front side is higher than when the light-emitting unit 20 does not have the light diffusion unit 25. In this case, in order to make the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30 equal to or lower than a reference value, the color of the front side of the inner panel 30 can be set so that the brightness is higher relative to the reference color.

[0017] The inner housing 40 is disposed inside the outer housing 60 and holds the circuit board 12 , the light emitting section 20 and the inner panel 30 .

[0018] The outer lens 50 transmits light emitted from the light-emitting surface 22 of the light-emitting unit 20 and emits the light toward the front side. The outer lens 50 is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30. The outer lens 50 is disposed in a state where it covers the front sides of the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30.

[0019] The outer lens 50 is formed to have a light transmittance of, for example, 10% or more and 50% or less. By setting the light transmittance of the outer lens 50 to 50% or less, the back side of the outer lens 50 can be blurred, making the light-emitting unit 20 less noticeable compared to the surrounding inner panel 30. By setting the light transmittance to 10% or more, brightness can be ensured when viewed from the front side when the light source 10 is turned on. A so-called smoke lens can be used as the outer lens 50. The outer lens 50 can be, for example, a color similar to that of the inner panel 30. Note that the outer lens 50 does not have to be a color similar to that of the inner panel 30.

[0020] The outer housing 60 holds the light source 10 , the light emitting unit 20 , the inner panel 30 , the inner housing 40 and the outer lens 50 .

[0021] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 100 configured as described above will be described. Figures 3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment. When the light source 10 is turned on, light is emitted from the light-emitting surface 11. The light emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 passes through the light-emitting unit 20 and is emitted to the front side. The light emitted from the light-emitting unit 20 passes through the outer lens 50 and is emitted to the front side. When the vehicle lamp 100 is viewed from the front side, this light causes the light-emitting portion 51 corresponding to the light-emitting unit 20 to appear illuminated, as shown in Figure 3.

[0022] When the light source 10 is turned off from this state, the light from the light-emitting portion 51 goes out, as shown in Fig. 4. At this time, the contrast ratio between the light-emitting portion 20 and the inner panel 30 when viewed from the front side is equal to or less than a reference value, so the light-emitting portion 20 appears inconspicuous against the inner panel 30. In addition, an outer lens 50 formed with a light transmittance of 10% to 50% is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting portion 20 and the inner panel 30. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 100 is viewed from the front side, the light-emitting portion 20 appears inconspicuous to the extent that it cannot be visually distinguished from the surroundings.

[0023] As described above, the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment comprises a light source 10, a light-emitting unit 20 that emits light from the light source 10 toward the front, an inner panel 30 that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit 20 and covers a portion of the light-emitting unit 20, and an outer lens 50 that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30 and covers at least the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30, and the color of the inner panel 30 is set so that the contrast between the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30 is below a reference value when viewed from the front side.

[0024] With this configuration, the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit 20 and the inner panel 30 when viewed from the front is set to a reference value or less, so that the light-emitting unit 20 can be made inconspicuous relative to the inner panel 30 when viewed from the front. This makes it possible to make the light-emitting unit 20 inconspicuous relative to the surroundings when not emitting light.

[0025] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the outer lens 50 is set so that the light transmittance is 10% or more and 50% or less.

[0026] With this configuration, by setting the light transmittance of the outer lens 50 to 50% or less, the back side of the outer lens 50 can be blurred, making the light-emitting unit 20 less noticeable against the surrounding inner panel 30. By setting the light transmittance to 10% or more, brightness can be ensured when viewed from the front side when the light source 10 is turned on.

[0027] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the color of the inner panel 30 is set by adjusting the brightness relative to a reference color.

[0028] With this configuration, the color of the inner panel 30 can be appropriately set according to the contrast ratio with the light-emitting unit 20 .

[0029] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the light-emitting section 20 has a light diffusion section 25, and the color of the inner panel 30 is set so that the brightness relative to the reference color is higher than when the light diffusion section 25 is not provided.

[0030] When the light-emitting unit 20 has the light diffusion unit 25, the brightness of the light-emitting unit 20 when viewed from the front side is higher than when the light-emitting unit 20 does not have the light diffusion unit 25. According to this configuration, the color is set so that the brightness relative to the reference color is higher than when the light diffusion unit 25 is not provided, so the color of the inner panel 30 can be set appropriately.

[0031] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the light emitting portion 20 is plate-shaped.

[0032] According to this configuration, in a configuration in which a plate-shaped light-emitting unit 20 is provided, the light-emitting unit 20 can be made inconspicuous relative to the inner panel 30 when viewed from the front, and therefore the light-emitting unit 20 can be made inconspicuous to the surrounding area when not emitting light.

[0033] 5 to 7 are diagrams schematically illustrating another example of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. In FIG. 5, a portion of the outer lens 150 is omitted to allow the interior to be seen. The vehicle lamp 200 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is an example of a vehicle headlamp provided, for example, at the front of a vehicle. The vehicle lamp 200 uses a rod-shaped light-emitting portion 120. The vehicle lamp 200 includes a light source 110, the light-emitting portion 120, an inner panel 130, an inner housing 140, an outer lens 150, an outer housing 160, and a lamp unit 170. Examples of the lamp unit 170 include a low beam unit that emits a low beam ahead of the vehicle and a high beam unit that emits a high beam ahead of the vehicle.

[0034] The light-emitting unit 120 guides light from the light source 110 and emits it toward the front side. The light-emitting unit 120 has an incident surface 121, a prism unit 122, and an exit surface 123. The incident surface 121 is disposed at an end of the light-emitting unit 120 in the longitudinal direction. Light from the light source 110 is incident on the incident surface 121. The prism unit 122 is disposed on the rear side of the light-emitting unit 120 and internally reflects the light that has entered from the incident surface 121 toward the front side. The exit surface 123 is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit 120 and emits the light that has been internally reflected by the prism unit 122 toward the front side.

[0035] The inner panel 130 is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit 120. The inner panel 130 has an opening 131. The opening 131 exposes a portion of the light-emitting surface 123 of the light-emitting unit 120 when viewed from the front side. The color of the front side of the inner panel 130 is set so that the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130 when viewed from the front side is equal to or less than a reference value. With this configuration, the light-emitting unit 120 can be made less noticeable compared to the inner panel 130 when viewed from the front.

[0036] The inner housing 140 supports the light emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130 .

[0037] The outer lens 150 is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130. The outer lens 50 can be, for example, the same color as the inner panel 130. The outer lens 150 transmits light emitted from the portion of the light-emitting unit 120's light-emitting surface 123 that is exposed to the opening 131 and emits the light to the front side. The outer lens 150 is disposed in a state where it covers the front sides of the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130. The outer lens 50 is formed so that the light transmittance is, for example, 10% or more and 50% or less. With this configuration, the back side of the outer lens 50 can be blurred, making the light-emitting unit 120 less noticeable compared to the surrounding inner panel 130.

[0038] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 200 configured as described above will be described. Figures 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment. When the light source 110 is turned on, light is emitted from the light-emitting surface 111. The light emitted from the light-emitting surface 111 enters the light-emitting section 120 through the incident surface 121, is internally reflected by the prism section 122, and is emitted to the front side from the exit surface 123. The light emitted from the light-emitting section 120 passes through the outer lens 150 and is emitted to the front side. Due to this light, when the vehicle lamp 200 is viewed from the front side, as shown in Figure 8, the light-emitting portion 151 corresponding to the light-emitting section 120 is displayed in an illuminated state.

[0039] When the light source 110 is turned off from this state, the light from the light-emitting portion 151 goes out, as shown in Fig. 9. At this time, the contrast ratio between the light-emitting portion 120 and the inner panel 130 when viewed from the front side is equal to or less than a reference value, so the light-emitting portion 120 appears inconspicuous compared to the inner panel 130. In addition, an outer lens 150 formed with a light transmittance of 10% to 50% is disposed on the front side of the light-emitting portion 120 and the inner panel 130. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 200 is viewed from the front side, the light-emitting portion 120 appears inconspicuous to the extent that it cannot be visually distinguished from the surroundings.

[0040] As described above, the vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment comprises a light source 110, a light-emitting unit 120 that emits light from the light source 110 toward the front, an inner panel 130 that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit 120 and covers a portion of the light-emitting unit 120, and an outer lens 150 that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130 and covers at least the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130, and the color of the inner panel 130 is set so that the contrast between the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130 is below a reference value when viewed from the front side.

[0041] With this configuration, the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit 120 and the inner panel 130 when viewed from the front is set to a reference value or less, so that the light-emitting unit 120 can be made inconspicuous relative to the inner panel 130 when viewed from the front. This makes it possible to make the light-emitting unit 120 inconspicuous relative to the surroundings when not emitting light.

[0042] In the vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment, the light emitting portion 120 is rod-shaped.

[0043] According to this configuration, in a configuration in which a rod-shaped light-emitting unit 120 is provided, the light-emitting unit 120 can be made inconspicuous relative to the inner panel 130 when viewed from the front, and therefore the light-emitting unit 120 can be made inconspicuous to the surroundings when not emitting light.

[0044] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration using a plate-shaped light-emitting unit 20 and a rod-shaped light-emitting unit 120 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to these configurations. For example, a block-shaped light-emitting unit as shown below may be provided.

[0045] 10A is a diagram showing another example of a light-emitting unit. The light-emitting unit 220A shown in FIG. 10A has, as an incident surface side configuration, a first incident surface 221A facing the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10, a second incident surface 222A surrounding the periphery of the first incident surface 221A, and a reflecting surface 223A that reflects light incident from the second incident surface 222A forward. Light emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 is incident from the first incident surface 221A and the second incident surface 222A. Light incident on the first incident surface 221A and light incident from the second incident surface 222A and reflected by the reflecting surface 223A are emitted from the exit surface 224A. The exit surface 224A may be configured, for example, to be divided into multiple surfaces.

[0046] 10B has an incident surface 221B and an exit surface 222B. The incident surface 221B is planar. Light emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 enters through the incident surface 221B. The light incident on the incident surface 221B is emitted from the exit surface 222B. The exit surface 222B may be divided into, for example, a plurality of surfaces.

[0047] The light-emitting unit 220C shown in Fig. 10(C) has an incident surface 221C and an exit surface 222C. The incident surface 221C has a sawtooth shape in side view and forms, for example, a Fresnel lens. Light emitted from the light-emitting surface 11 enters through the incident surface 221C. The light incident on the incident surface 221C is emitted from the exit surface 222C. The exit surface 222C may be configured, for example, as being divided into a plurality of surfaces.

[0048] 10, 110... light source, 11, 111... light-emitting surface, 12... circuit board, 20, 120... light-emitting portion, 21, 121... incident surface, 22, 123... exit surface, 25... light diffusion portion, 30, 130... inner panel, 40, 140... inner housing, 50, 150... outer lens, 51, 151... light-emitting portion, 60, 160... outer housing, 100, 200... vehicle lamp, 122... prism portion, 131... opening

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising: a light source; a light-emitting unit that emits light from the light source to the front side; an inner panel that is arranged on the front side of the light-emitting unit and covers a part of the light-emitting unit; and an outer lens that is arranged on the front sides of the light-emitting unit and the inner panel and covers the light-emitting unit and the inner panel, wherein the color of the front side of the inner panel is set so that the contrast ratio between the light-emitting unit and the inner panel when viewed from the front side is equal to or lower than a reference value.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the outer lens is set to have a light transmittance of 10% or more and 50% or less.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the color of the inner panel is set by adjusting brightness with respect to a reference color.

4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 3, wherein the light-emitting portion has a light diffusion portion, and the color of the inner panel is set so that the brightness relative to the reference color is higher than when the light diffusion portion is not provided.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting portion is plate-shaped.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting portion is rod-shaped.

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