Optical member and light source unit

Abstract

Provided is a novel feature wherein deformation in a lens part is less likely to occur when an optical member is fixed. This optical member 19 is formed from a resin material, and has a lens part for controlling incident light from the back side and emitting same from a front side 19b, a protrusion 19f that is deformed when being pressed by a pressing member, and a groove 19g formed around the protrusion 19f.

Description

Optical components and light source units

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical member.

[0002] A conventional vehicle lamp has been known that includes an optical element having a lens portion between a light source and a reflector, which controls the spread of light emitted from the light source and focuses the light (see Patent Document 1). This optical element is an injection-molded product made of a transparent material, such as a resin material such as heat-resistant silicone.

[0003] International Publication No. 20 / 080410

[0004] The optical member is fixed to the circuit board on which the light-emitting element is mounted with screws to precisely maintain the positional relationship between the light-emitting element of the light source and the lens portion. The optical member is made of a resin material, and there is a risk that the lens portion may be deformed when the optical member is fixed to the circuit board with screws. As a result, if the positional relationship between the light-emitting element and the lens portion is shifted or the optical surface of the lens portion is deformed, the desired light distribution pattern of the vehicle lamp cannot be obtained.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its exemplary purposes is to provide a new technique that makes it difficult for deformation to occur in the lens portion when fixing an optical member.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an optical element according to one embodiment of the present invention is an optical element made of a resin material, and has a lens portion that controls light incident from the back side and emits it from the front side, a protrusion that deforms when pressed by a pressing member, and a groove formed around the protrusion.

[0007] According to this aspect, even if the protrusion of the optical member is pressed by the pressing member, deformation of the protrusion is absorbed by the groove formed around the protrusion, so deformation of the lens portion can be suppressed.

[0008] A plurality of protrusions may be provided, and the lens portion may be provided in an area surrounded by the plurality of protrusions. In this way, the lens portion provided in the area surrounded by the plurality of protrusions is less likely to be affected by deformation of any of the plurality of protrusions due to the groove.

[0009] The lens portion may further include a flat base adjacent to the lens portion. The protrusion may have a height of 0.3 to 1.0 mm from the surface of the base. This makes it difficult for the pressing member to come into contact with the base even if the pressing member deforms the protrusion.

[0010] Silicone resin may be used as the resin material, which allows for both the transparency and molding precision required for an optical member to be achieved.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a light source unit including an optical element, a circuit board on which a light-emitting element facing a lens portion is mounted, and a pressing member for deforming the protrusion. The pressing member has, on a surface facing the optical element, a pressing portion for pressing the protrusion and an abutment portion for regulating the distance between the pressing member and the circuit board.

[0012] According to this aspect, it is possible to realize a light source unit in which the positional relationship between the light emitting element and the lens portion can be maintained with high precision.

[0013] The pressing member may be a reflector made of resin having a reflective surface that reflects the light emitted from the lens portion, thereby reducing the number of parts.

[0014] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present invention between a manufacturing method, a lighting fixture or lighting device, a light emitting module, a light source, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention.

[0015] According to the present invention, deformation of the lens portion is less likely to occur when the optical member is fixed.

[0016] 12 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main part of a vehicle lamp unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lamp unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 15 is a rear view of a reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16 is a bottom view of a reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17 is a side view of a reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 18 is a front view of a circuit board. FIG. 19 is a front view of an optical member according to the present embodiment. FIG. 19 is a side view of an optical member according to the present embodiment. FIG. 19 is a rear view of an optical member according to the present embodiment. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a protrusion of the optical member. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a state in which an optical member is assembled at a predetermined position on a reflector. FIG. 22 is a side view showing a state in which a circuit board is assembled from the back side of the optical member shown in FIG.

[0017] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a vehicle lamp unit according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lamp unit shown in Fig. 2. The vehicle lamp unit 10 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is a vehicle headlamp provided at the front of a vehicle, and is configured to be able to form both a low beam and a high beam light distribution pattern.

[0019] The vehicle lighting fixture 100 includes a lamp body 2, an outer lens 4 that covers the opening of the lamp body 2, a vehicle lighting unit 10 provided in a lamp chamber 6 surrounded by the lamp body 2 and the outer lens 4, and an aiming mechanism 8 that holds the vehicle lighting unit 10 so that it can be aimed. The vehicle lighting unit 10 includes a projection lens 12 that projects light emitted from a light source toward the front of the vehicle, a lens holder 14, a reflector 16, a shade 18, an optical member 19, a circuit board 20, and a heat sink 22.

[0020] The lens holder 14 has a substantially cylindrical lens holding portion 14a and two legs 14b protruding from the lens holding portion 14a toward the rear of the vehicle. The projection lens 12 is a transparent member integrally formed with a lens main body 12a that controls the optical path of light emitted from the light source and a flange-shaped mounting portion 12b that protrudes outward from the outer periphery of the lens main body 12a. The projection lens 12 is held in the lens holder 14 by aligning the mounting portion 12b of the projection lens 12 with the lens holding portion 14a of the lens holder 14 and fixing them in place. The projection lens 12 is manufactured by injection molding using a highly transparent and heat-resistant resin material such as acrylic or polycarbonate.

[0021] The reflector 16 according to this embodiment is preferably made of a resin material to reduce costs and weight, but may also be made of a metal material. The shade 18 is a thin plate-like member made of a metal material, and is assembled and fixed to the reflector 16.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a rear view of the reflector according to the present embodiment, Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the reflector according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the reflector according to the present embodiment.

[0023] The reflector 16 has a plate-shaped main body 16b having an opening 16a through which light emitted from the light source passes, and side reflecting portions 16c provided to protrude forward from both the left and right sides of the opening 16a. The shade 18 is provided to cross the opening 16a when viewed from the rear of the vehicle as shown in Figure 4, and forms a cut-off line of the light distribution pattern by blocking part of the light passing through the opening 16a.

[0024] In addition, on the back side (rear side of the vehicle) of the main body 16b of the reflector 16, four abutment portions are provided to regulate the distance between the reflector 16 and the circuit board 20 so that it does not become less than a predetermined value when the optical member 19 is sandwiched between the reflector 16 and the circuit board 20.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a front view of the circuit board 20. The circuit board 20 includes a first light source 20a having a plurality of light-emitting elements 21a arranged in a horizontal row for mainly forming a low-beam light distribution pattern, a second light source 20b having a plurality of light-emitting elements 21b arranged in a horizontal row for mainly forming a high-beam light distribution pattern, and a drive circuit (not shown) for driving each light-emitting element. The second light source 20b is disposed adjacent to the first light source 20a. The first light source 20a is located on the upper side, and the second light source 20b is located on the lower side. In other words, the light-emitting elements 21a are arranged above the light-emitting elements 21b. The first light source 20a and the second light source 20b are disposed so that their light-emitting surfaces face forward of the vehicle.

[0026] The drive circuit is a combination of passive elements such as capacitors and coils, active elements such as transistors and diodes, IC chips, memory, etc., and is mounted in an area below the area on the circuit board where each light source 20a, 20b is mounted.

[0027] Next, an optical member 19 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is a front view of the optical member according to this embodiment. Fig. 9 is a side view of the optical member according to this embodiment. Fig. 10 is a rear view of the optical member according to this embodiment.

[0028] The optical member 19 is made of a resin material. Examples of the resin material include silicone resin. This allows the optical member to achieve both the transparency and molding precision required. The optical member 19 includes condenser lenses 19c and 19d, which act as lens sections that control light incident from the back side 19a and emit it from the front side 19b, and a flat, plate-like base 19e adjacent to the condenser lenses 19c and 19d. Controlling light means, for example, directing light toward a desired pattern, direction, or region. The condenser lens 19c is positioned facing the front of the plurality of light-emitting elements 21a of the first light source 20a, and the condenser lens 19d is positioned facing the front of the plurality of light-emitting elements 21b of the second light source 20b.

[0029] The optical member 19 has a protrusion 19f that deforms when pressed, and a groove 19g that is formed in an annular shape around the entire circumference of the protrusion 19f. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the optical member 19, including the protrusion 19f. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the optical member 19 assembled in a predetermined position on the reflector 16. Fig. 13 is a side view showing the light source unit in which the circuit board 20 is assembled from the back side 19a of the optical member 19 shown in Fig. 12.

[0030] 11 to 13, even if the protrusions 19f of the optical member 19 are pressed by the reflector 16, the force caused by the deformation of the protrusions 19f is absorbed by the grooves 19g formed around the protrusions 19f, thereby suppressing deformation of the condenser lenses 19c and 19d. Furthermore, the protrusions 19f are provided at the four corners of the base 19e, and the condenser lenses 19c and 19d are provided in an area surrounded by the multiple protrusions 19f. As a result, the grooves 19g make it difficult for the deformation of any of the multiple protrusions 19f to be transmitted to the condenser lenses 19c and 19d.

[0031] The protrusion 19f may have a height of 0.3 to 1.0 mm from the surface of the base 19e, which makes it difficult for the reflector 16 to come into contact with the base 19e even if the reflector 16 deforms the protrusion 19f.

[0032] 13 includes an optical member 19, a circuit board 20, and a reflector 16 as a pressing member that deforms a protrusion 19f. The reflector 16 has, on a surface facing the optical member 19, a pressing portion 16e (see FIG. 4) that presses the protrusion, and four abutment portions 16d that regulate the distance between the reflector 16 and the circuit board 20. This allows the positional relationship between the light-emitting elements 21a, 21b and the condenser lenses 19c, 19d to be maintained with high precision. Furthermore, because the abutment portions 16d keep the distance between the reflector 16 and the circuit board 20 constant, the amount of deformation of the protrusion 19f pressed by the pressing portions 16e of the reflector 16 can also be kept constant. In addition, the reflector 16 in this embodiment is a resin part having a lateral reflecting portion 16c as a reflective surface that reflects light emitted from the focusing lenses 19c, 19d, and also serves as a pressing member, thereby reducing the number of parts in the vehicle lighting unit 10.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the lens holder 14 is fastened to the heat sink 22 with screws 24, and the reflector 16 is fastened to the heat sink 22 with screws 26, so that the optical member 19 is sandwiched and fixed between the reflector 16 and the circuit board 20.

[0034] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and suitable combinations and substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing orders in the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and to make modifications to the embodiments such as various design changes, and such modified embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0035] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-208049, filed on December 8, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0036] The above descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms described. Numerous modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above description.

[0037] 10 Vehicle lighting unit, 16 Reflector, 16a Opening, 16b Main body, 16c Side reflection portion, 16d Abutment portion, 16e Pressing portion, 16f Protrusion, 18 Shade, 19 Optical member, 19a Back side, 19b Front side, 19c Condenser lens, 19d Condenser lens, 19e Base, 19f Protrusion, 19g Groove, 20 Circuit board, 20a First light source, 20b Second light source, 21a Light-emitting element, 21b Light-emitting element, 22 Heat sink, 50 Light source unit, 100 Vehicle lighting fixture.

Claims

1. An optical component made of a resin material, comprising: a lens portion that controls light incident from the back side and emits it from the front side; a protrusion that deforms when pressed by a pressing member; and a groove formed around the protrusion.

2. The optical element according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and the lens portion is provided in an area surrounded by the plurality of the protrusions.

3. The optical element according to claim 1, further comprising a flat base adjacent to said lens portion, said protrusion having a height of 0.3 to 1.0 mm from the surface of said base.

4. The optical member according to claim 1, wherein the resin material is a silicone resin.

5. A light source unit comprising: an optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a circuit board on which a light emitting element facing said lens portion is mounted; and a pressing member for deforming said protrusion, wherein said pressing member has, on a surface facing said optical element, a pressing portion for pressing said protrusion, and an abutment portion for regulating the distance between said pressing member and said circuit board.

6. The light source unit according to claim 5, wherein the pressing member is a resin reflector having a reflective surface that reflects the light emitted from the lens portion.

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