Vehicle light guide and vehicle lamp

Abstract

This vehicle light guide comprises: an incidence part on which light from a light source is incident; a light guide part that has a first reflection surface by which the light incident from the incidence part is reflected upwards, a second reflection surface by which the light reflected by the first reflection surface is reflected upwards, and a third reflection surface which is provided in a state of being bent forward from the upper end of the second reflection surface and by which the light reflected by the first reflection surface and the light reflected by the second reflection surface are reflected forwards; and an emission part from which the light reflected by the third reflection surface is emitted forwards.

Description

Vehicle light guide and vehicle lighting fixture

[0001] The present invention relates to a light guide for a vehicle and a vehicle lamp.

[0002] A known vehicle headlamp configuration includes, for example, a light-emitting element and a light-transmitting block through which light from the light-emitting element passes, with first and second reflecting surfaces formed on the surface of the light-transmitting block to reflect the light that passes through the light-transmitting block (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-324013

[0004] In a vehicle headlamp such as that described in Patent Document 1, it is required to reduce the number of parts and increase the light utilization efficiency.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a vehicle light guide and a vehicle lamp that can reduce the number of parts and improve the light utilization efficiency.

[0006] The vehicle light guide of the present invention comprises a light guide section having an incident section into which light from a light source is incident, a first reflecting surface that reflects the light incident from the incident section upward, a second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface upward, and a third reflecting surface that is bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface forward, and an exit section that emits the light reflected by the third reflecting surface forward.

[0007] A vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a light source and the above-described vehicle light guide that guides light from the light source and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle.

[0008] A vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure is a vehicle lamp including: a light source provided on a substrate; a first lens member having a light introduction portion that introduces light from the light source and an emission portion that emits the introduced light; and a second lens member provided on the light emission side of the first lens member that introduces and then emits light emitted from the first lens member from an incident surface, wherein the first lens member has a first reflecting portion that is positioned in a substrate normal direction with respect to the light introduction portion and that reflects light from the light introduction portion in a specific direction along a substrate plane; a second reflecting portion that further reflects the light reflected in the specific direction by the first reflecting portion; and a third reflecting portion that reflects light that has been reflected by the first reflecting portion and the second reflecting portion and reaches the first lens member, toward the emission portion. The second reflecting portion has a surface portion that forms a first optical path along which the reaching light is reflected toward the third reflecting portion at an angle at which the light is reflected at the third reflecting portion, a first inclined portion that transmits the reaching light and forms a second optical path along which the reaching light is reflected toward the third reflecting portion at an angle at which the light is transmitted at the third reflecting portion, and is inclined with respect to the surface portion in the cross section in the specific direction, and a second inclined portion that transmits the reaching light and forms a third optical path along which the reaching light is reflected toward the exit portion without passing through the third reflecting portion, and guides the light that has transmitted through the exit portion out of the incident surface of the second lens element, and is inclined with respect to the surface portion and the first inclined portion in the cross section in the specific direction.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and improve the light utilization efficiency.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a vehicular lamp according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration along the A-A cross section in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicular lamp as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicular lamp as viewed from behind. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration along the B-B cross section in FIG. 4. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of an illumination pattern projected onto a virtual screen in front of the vehicle. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of an illumination pattern projected onto a virtual screen in front of the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of a vehicular lamp according to a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration along the C-C cross section in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicular lamp as viewed from above. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicular lamp as viewed from behind. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an illumination pattern projected onto a virtual screen in front of the vehicle. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a vehicular lamp according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicular lamp according to the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is an enlarged front perspective view showing details of the low beam lens shown in FIG. 13 . FIG. 15 is an enlarged rear perspective view showing details of the low beam lens shown in FIG. 13 . FIG. 16 is an A-A cross-sectional view of FIG. 14 . FIG. 17 is an A-A end view 1 of FIG. 14 . FIG. 18 is an A-A end view 2 of FIG. 14 . FIG. 19 is an A-A end view 3 of FIG. 14 . FIG. 20 is an enlarged top perspective view of a portion of the low beam lens shown in FIG. 13 . FIG. 21 is an end view of another example of a low beam lens according to an embodiment. FIG. 22 is an end view showing an example of a lens member according to a comparative example. FIG. 23 is an end view of another example of a lens member according to a comparative example.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle light guide and a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that 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 the same.

[0012] In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, 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 the vehicle lamp 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).

[0013] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a front view showing an example of a vehicle lamp 100 according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration along the A-A cross section in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle lamp 100 as seen from above. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle lamp 100 as seen from behind. In Figs. 3 and 4, the support member 30 is omitted from illustration.

[0014] The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment includes a light source unit 10 , a vehicle light guide 20 , and a support member 30 .

[0015] The light source unit 10 has a light source 11 and a substrate 12. The light source 11 emits light (indicated by light rays L) for forming, for example, a low beam pattern. In this embodiment, for example, five light sources 11 are provided. Four or fewer or six or more light sources 11 may be provided. When two or more light sources 11 are provided, they can be arranged, for example, side by side in the left-right direction. The light sources 11 are mounted on a mounting surface 12a of the substrate 12. The substrate 12 is supported by a support member 30. The light emitting surface 11a of the light source 11 faces forward.

[0016] The vehicle light guide 20 is disposed in front of the light source unit 10. The vehicle light guide 20 guides light from the light source 11 and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle light guide 20 includes an incident portion 21, a light guide portion 22, and an exit portion 23.

[0017] The light emitted from the light source 11 is incident on the incident portion 21. An incident portion 21 is provided for each light source 11. The incident portion 21 has an opposing incident surface 21a, a lateral incident surface 21b, and a reflecting surface 21c.

[0018] The opposing incident surface 21a faces the light emitting surface 11a of the light source 11. Light emitted forward from the light emitting surface 11a is incident on the opposing incident surface 21a. The opposing incident surface 21a is formed, for example, in a circular shape when viewed from behind. The opposing incident surface 21a may be formed in other shapes, such as an oval shape or an elliptical shape, when viewed from behind. The opposing incident surface 21a is, for example, a convex surface that protrudes toward the light source 11, but may also be a flat surface. The opposing incident surface 21a causes parallel light to be incident toward the first reflecting surface 22a. The light incident from the opposing incident surface 21a is irradiated forward of the vehicle in a pattern that is wider than that of the lateral incident surface 21b.

[0019] The side incident surface 21b is disposed along the outer periphery of the opposing incident surface 21a. The side incident surface 21b is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the opposing incident surface 21a. Light emitted laterally from the light emitting surface 11a is incident on the side incident surface 21b. The side incident surface 21b may be formed so that its diameter decreases toward the front. The side incident surface 21b irradiates light in a more concentrated pattern toward the front of the vehicle than the opposing incident surface 21a.

[0020] The reflecting surface 21c is disposed along the outer periphery of the side entrance surface 21b, and internally reflects the light incident from the side entrance surface 21b forward so as to condense the light.

[0021] The light guide portion 22 guides the light incident from the incident portion 21. The light guide portion 22 has a first reflecting surface 22a, a second reflecting surface 22b, a third reflecting surface 22c, and an edge portion 24.

[0022] The first reflecting surface 22a is provided for each light source 11 and each incident portion 21. The first reflecting surface 22a is disposed in front of the incident portion 21. The first reflecting surface 22a internally reflects light that is incident from the incident portion 21 and travels forward, upward or diagonally forward. The first reflecting surface 22a may be formed to internally reflect light toward the edge portion 24.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration along the B-B cross section in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the first reflecting surface 22a is formed in a state where one curved surface is divided into sawtooth shapes for each light source 11 in a cross-sectional view. Note that the first reflecting surface 22a is not limited to the above configuration. For example, multiple first reflecting surfaces 22a may be formed by a single curved surface. Also, a single first reflecting surface 22a may be divided into multiple curved surfaces in the left-right direction.

[0024] The second reflecting surface 22b is disposed above the first reflecting surface 22a and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a upward or obliquely upward toward the front.

[0025] The third reflecting surface 22c is provided in a state of being bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface 22b, and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b forward.

[0026] The positions, dimensions, angles, etc. of the first reflecting surface 22a, the second reflecting surface 22b, and the third reflecting surface 22c of the light guide unit 22 are set so that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b reaches the edge portion 24 side of the third reflecting surface 22c more closely than the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a. For example, the angle α between the second reflecting surface 22b and a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is set to be equal to or greater than 0° and equal to or less than 40°. Furthermore, the angle β between the third reflecting surface 22c and a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is set to be equal to or greater than 10° and equal to or less than 50°.

[0027] The edge portion 24 is provided at a bent portion from the second reflecting surface 22b to the third reflecting surface 22c. The edge portion 24 is provided at the boundary portion between the upper end of the second reflecting surface 22b and the lower end of the third reflecting surface 22c. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the edge portion 24 is provided at a corner formed by the second reflecting surface 22b and the third reflecting surface 22c. The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment is used when forming a low beam pattern. In this configuration, the edge portion 24 is located at a focal position (rear focal position) F of the light exit surface 23a, which will be described later. The edge portion 24 is provided so as to extend in the left-right direction.

[0028] A cutoff forming portion 25 is provided on the edge portion 24. The cutoff forming portion 25 is disposed, for example, in the center of the edge portion 24 in the left-right direction. The cutoff forming portion 25 forms a cutoff line CL in the low beam pattern by passing light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a and the second reflecting surface 22b. The cutoff forming portion 25 has a first linear portion 25a, an inclined portion 25b, and a second linear portion 25c. The first linear portion 25a and the second linear portion 25c are portions for forming horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc of the low beam pattern (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). The inclined portion 25b is a portion for forming an oblique cutoff line CLb of the low beam pattern (see FIGS. 6A and 6B).

[0029] The exit portion 23 emits the light guided by the light guide portion 22 toward the front of the vehicle. The exit portion 23 has an exit surface 23a. The exit surface 23a emits the light that has entered the entrance portion 21 and been guided by the light guide portion 22 toward the front. The exit surface 23a has a curved shape that is convex toward the front from both sides in the vertical direction toward the center.

[0030] The vehicle light guide 20 has an attachment portion 26. The attachment portion 26 is fixed to the support member 30 via a fixing member such as a screw member 41.

[0031] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 100 configured as described above will be described. When the light source 11 of the light source unit 10 is turned on, a light ray L is emitted forward from the light-emitting surface 11a. As shown in Fig. 2, the light ray L enters the vehicle light guide 20 from the opposing incident surface 21a or the side incident surface 21b of the incident unit 21. Fig. 2 shows an example of the light ray L entering from the opposing incident surface 21a. Note that the light ray entering from the side incident surface 21b is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 21c.

[0032] Of the light rays L, light ray L1 incident from the opposing incident surface 21 a of the incident portion 21 travels forward and is internally reflected upward by the first reflecting surface 22 a in the light guiding portion 22. The light ray L1 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22 a reaches the entire range of the second reflecting surface 22 b and the third reflecting surface 22 c. Therefore, the light ray L1 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22 a is incident on the range up to the front side of the third reflecting surface 22 c, i.e., the entire or almost entire range in the front-to-rear direction of the third reflecting surface 22 c, and is internally reflected forward.

[0033] Of the light rays L, light ray L2 incident from the lateral incident surface 21b of the incident portion 21 is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 21c and then internally reflected upward by the first reflecting surface 22a in the light guiding portion 22. The light ray L2 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a reaches a region of the third reflecting surface 22c along the edge portion 24, i.e., a region in the vicinity of the edge portion 24, either directly or by being internally reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b. The light ray L2 that reaches the third reflecting surface 22c is internally reflected forward by the third reflecting surface 22c.

[0034] The light beams L1 and L2 emitted from the light emission surface 23a are projected forward of the vehicle to form a low beam pattern.

[0035] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of an irradiation pattern P1 projected onto a virtual screen ahead of the vehicle. Note that FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the light constituting the irradiation pattern P1, distinguishing between an area irradiated with light incident from the opposing incident surface 21a and an area irradiated with light incident from the side incident surface 21b. FIGS. 6A and 6B show patterns corresponding to vehicles driving on the left side of the road. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, line V-V indicates the vertical line of the screen, and line H-H indicates the horizontal lines on the left and right sides of the screen. Here, the intersection of the vertical line and the horizontal line is considered to be the horizontal reference position.

[0036] The irradiation pattern P1 shown in Figures 6A and 6B includes a low beam pattern PL. The low beam pattern PL is formed by light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 23a. A portion of the light rays L1 and L2 is emitted from the emission surface 23a via the cutoff forming portion 25, thereby forming a cutoff line CL. Horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc are formed by light rays passing through the first linear portion 25a and the second linear portion 25c of the cutoff forming portion 25. Furthermore, an oblique cutoff line CLb is formed by light rays passing through the inclined portion 25b of the cutoff forming portion 25.

[0037] As described above, light ray L2 reaches the edge portion 24 side of the third reflecting surface 22c more closely than light ray L1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the area irradiated with light ray L2 (areas B1 to B5) is closer to the cutoff line CL than the area irradiated with light ray L1 (areas A1 to A5). The light ray L2 irradiating areas B1 to B5 forms the area PLa shown in FIG. 6A. The light ray L2 irradiating areas B1 to B5 (area PLa) and the light ray L1 irradiating areas A1 to A5 are combined to form the low beam pattern PL shown in FIG. 6A. In this way, light ray L1 and light ray L2 can improve the amount of light in the low beam pattern PL near the cutoff line CL. When forming the low beam pattern PL in combination with another lamp unit (not shown), the area PLa shown in FIG. 6A may be formed by areas A1 to A5 (including areas B1 to B5). That is, the area PLa in FIG. 6A may be formed by the light beam L1 irradiated onto the areas A1 to A5 and the light beam L2 irradiated onto the areas B1 to B5.

[0038] 6B , light from the incident portions 21 (opposing incident surfaces 21 a, lateral incident surfaces 21 b) located near the optical axis AX, i.e., at the center in the left-right direction, forms central regions A3 and B3 in the left-right direction of the low beam pattern PL. Light from the incident portions 21 located away from the optical axis AX in the left-right direction, i.e., at the center in the left-right direction (opposing incident surfaces 21 a, lateral incident surfaces 21 b), forms central regions A1, A2, B1, and B2 and regions A4, A5, B4, and B5 on both sides of the central regions A3 and B3 in the left-right direction of the low beam pattern PL.

[0039] As described above, the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment includes a light guide section 22 having an incident section 21 into which light from the light source 11 is incident, a first reflecting surface 22a that reflects the light incident from the incident section 21 upward, a second reflecting surface 22b that reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a upward, and a third reflecting surface 22c that is bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface 22b and reflects the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b forward, and an exit section 23 that emits the light reflected by the third reflecting surface 22c forward.

[0040] According to this configuration, the light from the light source 11 can be emitted forward of the vehicle using one vehicle light guide 20 without using a projection lens, etc., thereby reducing the number of parts. In addition, a portion of the light internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 22 a is reflected forward from the third reflecting surface 22 c via the second reflecting surface 22 b, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0041] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, the light guide portion 22 has an edge portion 24 that extends in the left-right direction from the second reflecting surface 22b to the bent portion of the third reflecting surface 22c, and the edge portion 24 has a cutoff forming portion 25 that forms the cutoff line CL of the low beam pattern PL, which is the irradiation pattern P1.

[0042] According to this configuration, when a low beam pattern PL having a cutoff line CL is irradiated ahead of the vehicle, the light utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0043] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, multiple incident portions 21 are arranged in the left-right direction, and light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a is incident on the third reflecting surface 22c along the edge portion 24 corresponding to the left-right position of the incident portion 21.

[0044] According to this configuration, the low beam pattern PL can be formed in accordance with the position of the incident portion 21 in the left-right direction.

[0045] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, multiple incident sections 21 are arranged in the left-right direction, and of the multiple incident sections 21, light from incident sections 21 that are arranged in a position near the optical axis AX of the exit section 23 forms a central region in the left-right direction of the low beam pattern PL, and light from incident sections 21 that are arranged at a position away from the optical axis AX forms regions on both sides of the central region in the left-right direction of the low beam pattern PL.

[0046] According to this configuration, the low beam pattern PL can be formed in an area corresponding to the position of the incident portion 21 in the left-right direction.

[0047] In the vehicle light guide 20 according to this embodiment, the incident portion 21 has an opposing incident surface 21a that faces the light source 10 and a lateral incident surface 21b that is arranged along the outer periphery of the opposing incident surface 21a, and light that enters from the opposing incident surface 21a is incident on the entire range of the third reflecting surface 22c in the fore-and-aft direction, and light that enters from the lateral incident surface 21b is incident on an area along the edge portion 24 of the third reflecting surface 22c.

[0048] With this configuration, the entire low beam pattern PL is formed by light incident from the opposing incident surface 21a, and the portion of the low beam pattern PL along the cutoff line CL is formed by light incident from the side incident surface 21b.

[0049] In the vehicle light guide 20 of this embodiment, the light guide section 22 has the first reflecting surface 22a, the second reflecting surface 22b, and the third reflecting surface 22c arranged so that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 22b reaches the edge portion 24 side of the third reflecting surface 22c further than the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 22a.

[0050] With this configuration, light ray L2, which is incident from the side incidence surface 21b and internally reflected by the first, second, and third reflection surfaces 22a, 22b, and 22c, reaches the third reflection surface 22c closer to the edge portion 24 than light ray L1, which is incident from the opposing incidence surface 21a, internally reflected by the reflection surface 21c, and then internally reflected by the first, second, and third reflection surfaces 22a, 22c. Therefore, the area irradiated with light ray L2 (areas B1 to B5 in FIG. 6B) is closer to the cutoff line CL than the area irradiated with light ray L1 (areas A1 to A5 in FIG. 6B). Therefore, light ray L1 and light ray L2 can improve the amount of light in the low beam pattern PL near the cutoff line CL.

[0051] The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment includes a light source 11 and the above-described vehicle light guide 20 that guides light from the light source 11 and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle.

[0052] This configuration makes it possible to provide a vehicle lamp 100 that reduces the number of parts and has high light utilization efficiency.

[0053] [Second embodiment] Fig. 7 is a front view showing an example of a vehicle lamp 200 according to a second embodiment. Fig. 8 is a view showing a configuration along the CC cross section in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a view showing an example of the vehicle lamp 200 as seen from above. Fig. 10 is a view showing an example of the vehicle lamp 200 as seen from behind. The support member 30 is omitted from Figs. 9 and 10.

[0054] The vehicle lamp 200 shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 includes a light source unit 110, a vehicle light guide 120, and a support member 130.

[0055] The light source unit 110 has a light source 111 and a substrate 112. The light source 111 emits light (indicated by light rays L) for forming, for example, a low beam pattern. In this embodiment, for example, five light sources 111 are provided. Four or fewer or six or more light sources 111 may be provided. The light source 111 is mounted on a mounting surface 112a of the substrate 112. The substrate 112 is supported by a support member 130. The light emitting surface 111a of the light source 111 faces forward.

[0056] The vehicle light guide 120 is disposed in front of the light source unit 110. The vehicle light guide 120 guides light from the light source 111 and irradiates the light ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle light guide 120 includes an incident portion 121, a light guide portion 122, an exit portion 123, a projection lens portion 126, and a connecting portion 128.

[0057] The incident portion 121 receives light emitted from the light source 111. A corresponding incident portion 121 is provided for each light source 111. In the present embodiment, the vehicle light guide 120 is provided with the incident portion 121 and the light guide portion 122 separably arranged. The incident portion 121 is provided separately from the light guide portion 122. The incident portion 121 has an opposing incident surface 121a, a lateral incident surface 121b, a reflecting surface 121c, and an exit surface 121d. The opposing incident surface 121a, the lateral incident surface 121b, and the reflecting surface 121c have the same configurations as the opposing incident surface 21a, the lateral incident surface 21b, and the reflecting surface 21c of the vehicle light guide 20 described above. The exit surface 121d emits light incident from the opposing incident surface 121a and light reflected by the reflecting surface 121c forward. The light exit surface 121d is formed, for example, in a planar shape.

[0058] Light guiding portion 122 guides the light incident from incident portion 121. Light guiding portion 122 is disposed in front of incident portion 121. Light guiding portion 122 has incident surface 122d, first reflecting surface 122a, second reflecting surface 122b, third reflecting surface 122c, and edge portion 124.

[0059] The incident surface 122d is disposed in front of and opposite to the exit surface 121d. Light emitted forward from the exit surface 121d is incident on the incident surface 122d. The incident surface 122d has a shape corresponding to the shape of the exit surface 121d. In this embodiment, the incident surface 122d is, for example, planar. The incident surface 122d may have a different shape from the exit surface 121d.

[0060] The first reflecting surface 122a is provided for each light source 111 and each incident portion 121. The first reflecting surface 122a is disposed in front of the incident surface 122d. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, for example, the first reflecting surface 122a is configured to be divided into a plurality of curved surfaces in the left-right direction. Note that the configuration of the first reflecting surface 122a is not limited to the above.

[0061] The second reflecting surface 122b is disposed above the first reflecting surface 122a. The second reflecting surface 122b reflects light reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a upward or diagonally upward toward the front. In this embodiment, the second reflecting surface 122b has a prism portion 127 (see FIGS. 8 and 10) below the cutoff forming portion 125 of the edge portion 124. The prism portion 127 has a shape in which two curved surfaces that protrude rearward are arranged vertically. The prism portion 127 reflects a portion of the light that reaches the second reflecting surface 122b to the third reflecting surface 122c, forming an overhead pattern PO (see FIG. 11) in front of the vehicle. The prism portion 127 is disposed in the center in the left-right direction.

[0062] The third reflecting surface 122c is provided in a state of being bent forward from the upper end of the second reflecting surface 122b, and reflects forward the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 122b (including the light reflected by the prism portion 127).

[0063] The positions, dimensions, angles, etc. of the first reflecting surface 122a, the second reflecting surface 122b, and the third reflecting surface 122c of the light-guiding section 122 are set so that light incident from the lateral incident surface 121b of the incident section 121 and internally reflected by the reflecting surface 121c reaches the edge portion 124 side (focal point F side) of the third reflecting surface 122c further than light incident from the opposing incident surface 121a of the incident section 121.

[0064] The edge portion 124 is provided at the bend between the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c. The edge portion 124 is provided at the boundary between the upper end of the second reflecting surface 122b and the lower end of the third reflecting surface 122c. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, the edge portion 124 is provided at the corner formed by the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c. The vehicle lamp 200 according to this embodiment is used when forming a low beam pattern. In this configuration, the edge portion 124 is located at a focal position (rear focal position) F of the light exit surface 123a, which will be described later. The edge portion 124 is provided extending in the left-right direction.

[0065] A cutoff forming portion 125 is provided on the edge portion 124. The cutoff forming portion 125 is disposed, for example, in the center of the edge portion 124 in the left-right direction. The cutoff forming portion 125 forms a cutoff line CL in the low beam pattern by passing light reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a and the second reflecting surface 122b. The cutoff forming portion 125 has a first linear portion 125a, an inclined portion 125b, and a second linear portion 125c. The first linear portion 125a and the second linear portion 125c are portions for forming horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc (see FIG. 11) of the low beam pattern. The inclined portion 125b is a portion for forming an oblique cutoff line CLb (see FIG. 11) of the low beam pattern.

[0066] The light exiting portion 123 emits the light guided by the light guiding portion 122 toward the front of the vehicle. The light exiting portion 123 has an exiting surface 123a. The exiting surface 123a emits the light that has entered from the entrance portion 121 and been guided by the light guiding portion 122 toward the front. The exiting surface 123a has a curved shape that is convex toward the front from both sides in the vertical direction toward the center.

[0067] The projection lens unit 126 projects the light emitted from the emission unit 123 forward. The projection lens unit 126 is disposed in front of the emission unit 123 with a gap between it and the emission unit 123. The projection lens unit 126 has a projection-side incident surface 126a and a projection-side exit surface 126b. The projection-side incident surface 126a is disposed opposite the exit surface 123a of the emission unit 123 in the front-to-rear direction. The light emitted from the exit surface 123a is incident on the projection-side incident surface 126a. The projection-side exit surface 126b emits the light incident from the projection-side incident surface 126a forward.

[0068] 9, the projection-side exit surface 126a of the projection lens portion 126 has a smaller curvature than the exit surface 23a of the above-described vehicle light guide 120. In this way, by providing the projection lens portion 126, the curvature of the projection-side exit surface 126a can be reduced, thereby improving the design when viewed from the front side.

[0069] The connecting portion 128 integrally connects the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126. The connecting portion 128 has a bottom 128a and a side wall 128b. The bottom 128a connects the lower portions of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126. The side wall 128b connects the left and right side portions of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126. The bottom 128a and the side wall 128b form the vehicle light guide 120 in a shape in which an upper portion is hollowed out between the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126. In the vehicle light guide 120, the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 are integrally provided by the connecting portion 128, so the number of parts can be reduced compared to when a projection lens is provided separately. Furthermore, the connecting portion 128 connects the lower portions and both left and right sides of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126, respectively, so that the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 can be firmly connected.

[0070] The vehicle light guide 120 has an attachment portion 129. The attachment portion 129 is fixed to a support member 130 via a fixing member such as a screw member 141.

[0071] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 200 configured as described above will be described. When the light source 111 of the light source unit 110 is turned on, a light ray L is emitted forward from the light-emitting surface 111a. As shown in Fig. 8, the light ray L enters the vehicle light guide 120 from the opposing incident surface 121a or the side incident surface 121b of the incident unit 121. Fig. 8 shows an example of the light ray L entering from the opposing incident surface 121a. Note that the light ray entering from the side incident surface 121b is internally reflected forward by the reflecting surface 121c.

[0072] Of the light rays L, light ray L3 incident from the opposing incident surface 121a of the incident portion 121 is emitted forward from the exit surface 121d and enters the light guiding portion 122 from the incident surface 122d. In the light guiding portion 122, light ray L3 is internally reflected upward by the first reflecting surface 122a and reaches the entire range of the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c. Therefore, light ray L3 internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 122a is reflected directly or internally by the second reflecting surface 122b and is concentrated toward the focal point F (edge ​​portion 24), but is incident on the range up to the front side of the third reflecting surface 122c, i.e., the entire or almost entire range in the front-to-rear direction of the third reflecting surface 122c, and is then internally reflected forward. Furthermore, a portion of the light ray L3 (hereinafter referred to as light ray L4) is internally reflected by the prism portion 127 of the second reflecting surface 122b, reaches the third reflecting surface 122c, is internally reflected forward by the third reflecting surface 122c, and is emitted forward from the emission surface 123a. The light rays L3 and L4 emitted forward from the emission surface 123a are incident on the projection-side incident surface 126a of the projection lens portion 126, and are emitted forward of the vehicle from the projection-side emission surface 126b.

[0073] Of the light rays L, light ray L5 incident from side incidence surface 121b of incident portion 121 is internally reflected forward by reflecting surface 121c, emitted forward from emission surface 121d, and enters light guiding portion 122 from incident surface 122d. In light guiding portion 122, light ray L5 is internally reflected upward by first reflection surface 122a, and then reaches a region of third reflection surface 122c along edge portion 124, i.e., a region near edge portion 124, either directly or by being internally reflected by second reflection surface 122b. Light ray L5 that reaches third reflection surface 122c is internally reflected forward by third reflection surface 122c. Light ray L5 is emitted forward from emission surface 123a.

[0074] Light ray L5 incident from side entrance surface 121b reaches third reflecting surface 122c closer to edge portion 124 than light rays L3 and L4 incident from opposite entrance surface 121a. Light ray L5 emitted forward from exit surface 123a is incident on projection-side entrance surface 126a of projection lens unit 126 and is emitted forward of the vehicle from projection-side exit surface 126b.

[0075] The light rays L3 and L5 emitted from the projection-side exit surface 126b of the projection lens unit 126 are irradiated in front of the vehicle to form a low beam pattern, and the light ray L4 emitted from the projection-side exit surface 126b of the projection lens unit 126 is irradiated in front of the vehicle to form an overhead pattern.

[0076] Fig. 11 shows an example of an irradiation pattern P2 projected onto a virtual screen in front of a vehicle, corresponding to a left-hand traffic vehicle. In Fig. 11, line V-V indicates the vertical line of the screen, and line H-H indicates the horizontal lines on the left and right of the screen. In addition, the intersection of the vertical line and the horizontal line is assumed to be the horizontal reference position.

[0077] The irradiation pattern P2 shown in FIG. 11 includes a low beam pattern PL and an overhead pattern PO.

[0078] The low beam pattern PL is formed by light rays L3 and L5 emitted from the projection-side emission surface 126b. Portions of light rays L3 and L5 are emitted from the emission surface 123a via the cutoff forming portion 125, thereby forming a cutoff line CL. Horizontal cutoff lines CLa and CLc are formed by light rays passing through the first linear portion 125a and the second linear portion 125c of the cutoff forming portion 125. Furthermore, an oblique cutoff line CLb is formed by light rays passing through the inclined portion 125b of the cutoff forming portion 125.

[0079] The overhead pattern PO is formed by the light beam L5 emitted from the projection-side emission surface 126b. The overhead pattern PO is formed, for example, above the low beam pattern PL.

[0080] As described above, light ray L5 reaches the third reflecting surface 122c closer to the edge portion 124 than light ray L3. Therefore, light ray L5 is irradiated onto an area closer to the cutoff line CL (e.g., area PLa in FIG. 11 ) than light ray L3. Therefore, light ray L3 and light ray L5 can improve the amount of light in the low beam pattern PL near the cutoff line CL.

[0081] As described above, the vehicle light guide 120 according to this embodiment includes the incident portion 121, the light guide portion 122, and the exit portion 123, and further includes a projection lens portion 126 arranged in front of the exit portion 123 with a gap therebetween, which projects the light emitted from the exit portion 123 forward, and a connecting portion 128 which connects the exit portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 together.

[0082] According to this configuration, the provision of the projection lens unit 126 can reduce the curvature of the projection-side exit surface 126a, thereby improving the design when viewed from the front. In addition, the exit unit 123 and the projection lens unit 126 are provided integrally by the connecting unit 128, which can reduce the number of parts compared to when a separate projection lens is provided.

[0083] In the vehicle light guide 120 according to this embodiment, the connecting portion 128 connects the lower portions and both left and right side portions of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 to each other.

[0084] According to this configuration, the connecting portion 128 connects the lower portions and both left and right sides of the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126, respectively, so that the emission portion 123 and the projection lens portion 126 can be firmly connected.

[0085] In the vehicle light guide 120 according to this embodiment, the incident portion 121 and the light guide portion 122 are provided so as to be separable.

[0086] According to this configuration, since the incident portion 121 and the light guiding portion 122 can be separated, for example, the incident portion 121 and the light guiding portion 122 can be formed as separate members using different materials. As a result, for example, by forming the incident portion 121, which is closer to the light source 111, using a material with high heat resistance, a vehicle light guide 120 with high heat resistance can be obtained.

[0087] 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 vehicle light guide 120, the light guide section 122 may be provided with a first reflecting surface 122a that is separable from the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c. In this case, the positional relationship between the first reflecting surface 122a and the second reflecting surface 122b and the third reflecting surface 122c can be adjusted.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the vehicle light guide 20, 120 has been described with an example of a configuration for forming a low beam pattern PL, but is not limited to this configuration. The vehicle light guide 20, 120 can also be used to form other patterns, such as a high beam pattern or an ADB pattern. In this case, the cutoff forming portion 25, 125 is not provided. Furthermore, the edge portion 24, 124 may not be provided. Note that, when the edge portion 224, 124 is provided, the edge portion 24, 124 does not have to be positioned at the focal position F on the rear side of the exit surface 23 a, 123 a.

[0089] [Other Embodiments] Conventionally, a lens element that introduces light and guides and outputs the introduced light has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-2019-502245). This lens element has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. The lens element has a light introduction portion on one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped that introduces light from a light source. The lens element also has an emission portion on the opposite surface that faces the one surface that emits the introduced light.

[0090] Furthermore, this lens element has a convex portion that protrudes outward on the side located between the one surface and the opposing surface. The convex portion reflects a portion of the incident light toward a surface other than the opposing surface. As a result, the lens element prevents a portion of the light from exiting the opposing surface, thereby appropriately suppressing brightness.

[0091] Fig. 22 is an end view showing an example of a lens member according to a comparative example. Note that hatching on the end face is omitted in Fig. 22 in order to show the optical path. The present inventors have been researching a lens member 300 as shown in Fig. 22. This lens member 300 is configured such that a light introduction section 310 that introduces light from a light source LS provided on a substrate B and an emission section 320 that emits light are offset in a specific direction. The specific direction is a direction along the substrate plane and also a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the light source LS.

[0092] This lens member 300 includes a first reflecting portion 330, a second reflecting portion 340, and a third reflecting portion 350. The first reflecting portion 330 is disposed in a substrate normal direction with respect to the light introducing portion 310, and reflects light from the light introducing portion 310 in a specific direction. The second reflecting portion 340 further guides the light reflected in the specific direction by the first reflecting portion 330 toward the third reflecting portion 350, which is adjacent in the specific direction. The third reflecting portion 350 is disposed in a substrate normal direction with respect to the emitting portion 320, and reflects the light reflected and guided by the first reflecting portion 330 and the second reflecting portion 340 toward the emitting portion 320.

[0093] Furthermore, the present inventors have considered reducing the illuminance in a specific area in order to form an appropriate light distribution when such a lens member 300 is used in a vehicle lamp. To reduce the illuminance in a specific area, the present inventors have considered providing the third reflecting portion 350 with a convex portion or a concave portion that changes the reflection direction, as described in JP-A-2019-502245. In particular, because the third reflecting portion 350 is disposed opposite the light emitting portion 320, providing a concave portion or a convex portion in a part of the third reflecting portion 350 makes it easy to form an uneven portion corresponding to the position of the specific area where the illuminance is to be reduced.

[0094] However, after careful consideration, the inventors of the present invention found that if an uneven portion is formed at a position on the third reflecting portion 350 corresponding to a specific area, the illuminance of the specific area will be significantly reduced unless the reflection angle is set very precisely.

[0095] FIG. 23 is an end view showing another example of a lens member according to a comparative example. Note that hatching on the end surface is omitted in FIG. 23 in order to illustrate the optical path. FIG. 23 also shows an example in which an extreme convex portion 351 is provided at a position on the third reflecting portion 350 corresponding to a specific area. In the example shown in FIG. 23, light that reaches the convex portion 351 on the third reflecting portion 350 is transmitted without being reflected in its entirety. This results in an extreme reduction in illuminance in the specific area. To prevent such an extreme reduction, the convex portion 351 must be angled to reflect a certain amount of light while transmitting a certain amount of light, which, when considering tolerances, makes manufacturing extremely difficult.

[0096] The present disclosure provides a vehicle lamp that can reduce manufacturing difficulties while suppressing illuminance in a specific area when using a lens member in which the light introduction section and the light emission section are offset in a specific direction.

[0097] Vehicle lighting devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below, but the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the embodiments, some configurations are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate to the details of the omitted technologies within the scope of the content described below.

[0098] Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure. Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure. The vehicle lamp 201 shown in Figs. 12 and 13 is a headlamp provided on the front right side as seen from the driver. This vehicle lamp 201 includes a plurality of light sources 210, a substrate 220, a heat sink 230, a high beam lens 240, a low beam lens (first lens member) 250, a bracket 260, a projection lens (second lens member) 270, and a retainer 280.

[0099] The plurality of light sources 210 emit light and are configured by, for example, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). The plurality of light sources 210 include a plurality of high beam light sources 211 for forming a high beam light distribution pattern and a plurality of low beam light sources 212 for forming a low beam light distribution pattern.

[0100] The substrate 220 is a flat plate with one surface facing forward, and multiple light sources 210 are mounted on one surface. In the example shown in FIG. 13 , the substrate 220 is an L-shaped plate with the left side protruding upward. Multiple high beam light sources 211 are arranged in a row in the left-right direction along the plane of the substrate 220 in an upwardly protruding region 221. Multiple low beam light sources 212 are arranged in a substantially row in the left-right direction in a region 222 that is lower than the multiple high beam light sources 211 and offset in the left-right direction. The substrate 220 also has a power supply connector 223. The multiple light sources 210 can emit light by receiving power via the power supply connector 223. In the following description, the up-down direction refers to the so-called vertical direction, which is perpendicular to the left-right direction and extends along the plane of the substrate 220.

[0101] The heat sink 230 mounts the substrate 220 and the bracket 260, and also mounts the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250 via the substrate 220 and the bracket 260. The heat sink 230 has a flat portion 231 on which the substrate 220 is mounted and to which the bracket 260 is screwed, and side walls 232 on both left and right ends, and is generally U-shaped when viewed from above. The heat sink 230 also has a plurality of plate members 233. The plurality of plate members 233 are formed on the rear surface of the flat portion 231 and protrude rearward. The plurality of plate members 233 are formed to extend in the vertical direction. The heat sink 230 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, and the plurality of plate members 233 increase the surface area and improve heat dissipation.

[0102] High beam lens 240 is an optical component disposed in front of multiple high beam light sources 211. High beam lens 240 is configured to collimate and emit light emitted from multiple high beam light sources 211. High beam lens 240 has a size corresponding to a partial area 221 of substrate 220 where multiple high beam light sources 211 are provided.

[0103] The low beam lens 250 receives light emitted from the plurality of low beam light sources 212 and outputs the light after multiple reflections. The low beam lens 250 introduces light from the plurality of low beam light sources 212 and outputs the light from a position that is shifted in a specific direction (upward) along the plane of the substrate 220 relative to the introduction position. Therefore, the low beam lens 250 introduces light from below the high beam lens 240, but outputs light from approximately the same height as the high beam lens 240.

[0104] The bracket 260 has an opening 261 that allows light emitted from the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250 to pass through. The bracket 260 not only allows light from each lens 240, 250 to exit through the opening 261, but also serves as a member that covers the periphery of the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250. The bracket 260 has an attachment portion 262 for attachment to the heat sink 230. The bracket 260 is screwed to the heat sink 230 through the attachment portion 262. The bracket 260 also serves to contact the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250 at a position that does not optically interfere with them and press them backward. The high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250 are provided with a plurality of positioning pins P, which press the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250 against the bracket 260 and maintain a fixed position relative to the substrate 220 and the heat sink 230 via the positioning pins P.

[0105] The projection lens 270 is an optical member provided on the light emission side of the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250. Light emitted from the high beam lens 240 and the low beam lens 250 is incident on an incident surface (reference numeral 271 described below) of the projection lens 270 and is emitted so as to form a predetermined light distribution pattern in front of the vehicle. The projection lens 270 is formed to extend in the left-right direction and is attached to the bracket 260 via a retainer 280.

[0106] The retainer 280 is a member that forms the frame of the projection lens 270. The retainer 280 is attached to the periphery of the projection lens 270 without covering the light entrance surface and light exit surface of the projection lens 270. The retainer 280 has an attachment portion 281 for attachment to the bracket 260. The retainer 280 is screwed to the bracket 260 via the attachment portion 281 while holding the projection lens 270.

[0107] 14 and 15 are enlarged perspective views showing details of the low beam lens 250 shown in FIG. 13, with FIG. 14 being a front perspective view and FIG. 15 being a rear perspective view. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 14. For ease of explanation, FIG. 16 also illustrates the low beam light source 212, the substrate 220, and the projection lens 270. FIGS. 17 to 19 are end views taken along line A-A in FIG. 14. Note that hatching of the end faces is omitted in FIGS. 17 to 19 in order to show the optical path. For ease of explanation, FIG. 19 also illustrates the projection lens 270.

[0108] The low beam lens 250 shown in FIGS. 14 to 16 includes a light introduction portion 251 and an emission portion 252. The light introduction portion 251 introduces light from the multiple low beam light sources 212 into the low beam lens 250. A plurality of light introduction portions 251 are provided on the lower rear side of the low beam lens 250. The multiple light introduction portions 251 are arranged in a substantially straight line in the left-right direction. The multiple light introduction portions 251 are composed of five portions, from left to right: a first light introduction portion 251a, a second light introduction portion 251b, a third light introduction portion 251c, a fourth light introduction portion 251d, and a fifth light introduction portion 251e. A step 253 is formed where the multiple light introduction portions 251 are formed, and the first, second, and fifth light introduction portions 251a, 251b, and 251e are formed in positions that protrude slightly rearward due to the step 253.

[0109] 15 and 16 , the third light introducing portion 251c has a sake cup shape, and a bottom surface 251c2, which is located inside the stem 251c1 of the sake cup, faces directly toward one of the plurality of low beam light sources 212. Therefore, light from one low beam light source 212 enters the third light introducing portion 251c from the inner surface of the stem 251c1 or the bottom surface 251c2. The incident light is refracted at the bottom surface 251c2 and reflected at the side surface 251c3, which serves as a total reflection surface, and is then parallelized and travels forward. The same applies to the first, second, fourth, and fifth light introducing portions 251a, 251b, 251d, and 251e.

[0110] The light exit portion 252 shown in FIG. 14 is a portion that exits light introduced by the light introduction portion 251 (see FIG. 15). A plurality of light exit portions 252 are provided on the upper front side of the low beam lens 250. Therefore, the low beam lens 250 is configured such that the plurality of light exit portions 252 are positioned offset upward relative to the plurality of light introduction portions 251. The plurality of light exit portions 252 are provided in a substantially straight line in the left-right direction. The plurality of light exit portions 252 are configured of three portions, namely, a first light exit portion 252a, a second light exit portion 252b, and a third light exit portion 252c, in that order from the left.

[0111] The first light exit portion 252a corresponds to the first and second light introducing portions 251a and 251b and emits the light introduced by the first and second light introducing portions 251a and 251b toward the front of the vehicle and slightly toward the outside of the vehicle. On the other hand, the third light exit portion 252c corresponds to the fifth light introducing portion 251e and emits the light introduced by the third light introducing portion 251c toward the front of the vehicle and slightly toward the inside of the vehicle.

[0112] The second light exit portion 252b is located further rearward than the first and third light exit portions 252a and 252c. The second light exit portion 252b corresponds to the third and fourth light introducing portions 251c and 251d, and emits the light introduced by the third and fourth light introducing portions 251c and 251d toward the center of the front of the vehicle.

[0113] As shown in Figures 14 to 16, this low beam lens 250 has, in addition to the above configuration, a plurality of first reflecting portions 254, second reflecting portions 255, and third reflecting portions 256. Five of the plurality of first reflecting portions 254 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The five first reflecting portions 254 are located in front of the five light introducing portions 251, respectively, in the substrate normal direction. As shown in Figures 17 to 19, the plurality of first reflecting portions 254 reflect light from each light introducing portion 251 upward.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 15 , the second reflecting portion 255 is a portion provided on the rear surface of the low beam lens 250 and is located above the plurality of light introducing portions 251. This second reflecting portion 255 further reflects the light reflected upward by the plurality of first reflecting portions 254. The second reflecting portion 255 has a substantially planar surface portion 255a. The surface portion 255a reflects the light arriving from the plurality of first reflecting portions 254 toward the third reflecting portion 256. As shown in FIG. 17 , the surface portion 255a forms a first optical path L6 that reflects the light toward the third reflecting portion 256 at an angle at which the light is reflected at the third reflecting portion 256.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 15 , the third reflecting portion 256 is a portion located above the rear surface of the low beam lens 250. The third reflecting portion 256 and the plurality of emitting portions 252 are disposed opposite each other along the substrate normal direction. The third reflecting portion 256 forms a surface facing rearward and upward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17 , the third reflecting portion 256 reflects, toward the plurality of emitting portions 252, light along a direct optical path Ld that reaches the plurality of first reflecting portions 254 directly without passing through the second reflecting portion 255, and light along a first optical path L6 that is reflected by the second reflecting portion 255. The light emitted from the plurality of emitting portions 252 forms a light distribution pattern.

[0116] Furthermore, the second reflecting portion 255 according to this embodiment includes a first inclined portion 255b and a second inclined portion 255c. As shown in FIG. 15 , the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c are formed on the lower center side of the second reflecting portion 255. The first inclined portion 255b is inclined with respect to the surface portion 255a in the vertical cross section shown in FIG. 16 . Furthermore, the second inclined portion 255c is inclined with respect to the surface portion 255a and the first inclined portion 255b in the cross section. Light that reaches the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c is reflected at an angle different from that of the surface portion 255a, and forms an optical path different from the first optical path L6.

[0117] 15, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c are provided at the center in the left-right direction of the second reflecting portion 255. Therefore, light incident mainly from the third light introducing portion 251c and the fourth light introducing portion 251d among the plurality of light introducing portions 251 can reach the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c.

[0118] 18 , the first inclined portion 255b transmits a portion of the light that has been reflected by the first reflecting portion 254 and reached the first inclined portion 255b. The first inclined portion 255b also reflects another portion of the light that has reached the first inclined portion 255b toward the third reflecting portion 256. However, when reflecting the light toward the third reflecting portion 256, the first inclined portion 255b reflects the light at an angle such that the reflected light is transmitted without being reflected by the third reflecting portion 256. This optical path is referred to as a second optical path L7.

[0119] 19 , the second inclined portion 255c transmits a portion of the light that has reached it after being reflected by the first reflecting portion 254. Furthermore, the second inclined portion 255c forms a third optical path L8 that reflects another portion of the light that has reached it directly toward the emission portion 252 without passing through the third reflecting portion 256. The light on the third optical path L8 is guided out of the incident surface 271 of the projection lens 270 without reaching the projection lens 270.

[0120] 16, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c preferably protrude outward from the extension plane EP of the surface portion 255a. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, the area of ​​the first inclined portion 255b is preferably larger than the area of ​​the second inclined portion 255c.

[0121] FIG. 20 is an enlarged top perspective view of a portion of the low-beam lens 250 shown in FIG. 13 . Although FIG. 20 is a top perspective view, the angle of the perspective view is shallow, and the view is generally from above. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 20 , the ridge portion 255d, which is the boundary between the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c of the low-beam lens 250, has a maximum height at point C and gradually decreases in the left-right direction. Therefore, in the vertical cross section shown in FIG. 16 , the inclination angles of the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c relative to the surface portion 255a are maximum at point C and gradually decrease in the left-right direction. Therefore, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c have a gradually changing structure in which the inclination angle relative to the surface portion 255a gradually decreases in the left-right direction.

[0122] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20 , it is preferable that the inclination angle of the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c relative to the surface portion 255a is larger on the outside of the vehicle than on the inside of the vehicle in a cross section in the left-right direction. Headlights installed on the right side of the vehicle generally form a larger light distribution pattern to the right of a V-line, which is the illumination centerline. Similarly, headlights installed on the left side of the vehicle form a larger light distribution pattern to the left of the V-line, which is the illumination centerline. Here, the low beam lens 250 distributes light along the V-line from the lines above and below point C. Therefore, in the low beam lens 250 used in the headlight on the right side of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 20 , the angle θ2 formed between the right portion R and the surface portion 255a is larger than the angle θ1 formed between the left portion L and the surface portion 255a.

[0123] Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 201 according to this embodiment will be described. First, assume that the driver turns on the headlights at night or other times. In this case, at least a plurality of low beam light sources 212 are turned on. Light from the plurality of low beam light sources 212 is introduced into the low beam lens 250 through a plurality of light introducing portions 251.

[0124] Light introduced into low beam lens 250 reaches multiple first reflecting portions 254 and is reflected upward. As shown in Fig. 17 , a portion of the reflected light reaches third reflecting portion 256 directly and forms a direct light path Ld, where the light is reflected by third reflecting portion 256 toward exit portion 252. The light emitted via exit portion 252 is then emitted forward of the vehicle via projection lens 270, contributing to the formation of a light distribution pattern.

[0125] Further, another portion of the light reflected by the plurality of first reflecting portions 254 reaches the surface portion 255a, the first inclined portion 255b, and the second inclined portion 255c of the second reflecting portion 255. The light that reaches the surface portion 255a forms the first optical path L6 shown in FIG. 17 . That is, the light that reaches the surface portion 255a is reflected toward the third reflecting portion 256. This light is reflected by the third reflecting portion 256 toward the exit portion 252, and is emitted from the exit portion 252 toward the front of the vehicle via the projection lens 270, thereby contributing to the formation of a light distribution pattern.

[0126] As shown in Fig. 18 , a portion of the light that reaches the first inclined portion 255b is transmitted without being reflected by the first inclined portion 255b. Another portion of the light that reaches the first inclined portion 255b forms a second optical path L7. That is, another portion of the light that reaches the first inclined portion 255b is reflected toward the third reflecting portion 256. However, this light is transmitted without being reflected by the third reflecting portion 256. This light is not emitted toward the front of the vehicle and does not contribute to the formation of a light distribution pattern.

[0127] 19, a portion of the light that reaches the second inclined portion 255c is transmitted without being reflected by the second inclined portion 255c. Another portion of the light that reaches the second inclined portion 255c forms a third optical path L8. That is, another portion of the light that reaches the second inclined portion 255c is reflected directly toward the exit portion 252 without passing through the third reflecting portion 256. However, this light does not reach the incident surface 271 of the projection lens 270 through the exit portion 252, but is emitted toward the outside of the incident surface 271. Therefore, this light is not emitted toward the front of the vehicle and does not contribute to the formation of a light distribution pattern.

[0128] In this way, the light along the second optical path L7 and the third optical path L8 formed by the first inclined portion 255 b and the second inclined portion 255 c do not contribute to the formation of a light distribution pattern. Therefore, manufacturers of the low beam lens 250 can reduce the illuminance in a specific area by forming the first inclined portion 255 b and the second inclined portion 255 c in positions corresponding to the specific area where illuminance is desired to be reduced.

[0129] Furthermore, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c are formed on the second reflecting portion 255. Therefore, the low-beam lens 250 has the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c at locations that do not particularly affect the direct light path Ld that reaches the third reflecting portion 256 from the first reflecting portion 254. As a result, the low-beam lens 250 reduces the illuminance in a specific area by the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c while ensuring the formation of a light distribution pattern by light on the direct light path Ld. Therefore, the low-beam lens 250 does not need to reduce the illuminance by an appropriate amount by strict angle setting that takes tolerances into consideration, as described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23 , and manufacturing difficulties are reduced.

[0130] Furthermore, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c protrude beyond the extension plane EP of the surface portion 255a, making it difficult for them to block necessary light. FIG. 21 is an end view of another example of the low-beam lens 250 according to this embodiment. Note that hatching on the end surface has been omitted in FIG. 21 as well, in order to illustrate the optical path. The low-beam lens 250 may be configured, for example, by swapping the positions of the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c, as shown in FIG. 21 . In this case, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c are configured to be recessed with respect to the extension plane EP of the surface portion 255a.

[0131] 21, the second inclined portion 255c is located on some of the multiple paths from the first reflecting portion 254 to the surface portion 255a or directly to the third reflecting portion 256. This results in blocking some of the necessary light. Therefore, it is preferable that the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c have a protruding structure rather than a recessed structure with respect to the extension plane EP of the surface portion 255a.

[0132] Furthermore, the area of ​​the first inclined portion 255b of the low beam lens 250 is larger than the area of ​​the second inclined portion 255c. Therefore, the low beam lens 250 reduces the amount of light reflected by the second inclined portion 255c and reaching the outside of the incident surface 271 of the projection lens 270, and increases the amount of light reflected by the first inclined portion 255b and passing through the third reflecting portion 256. Here, the light reflected by the first inclined portion 255b and passing through the third reflecting portion 256 reaches the back side of the low beam lens 250, while the light reflected by the second inclined portion 255c and reaching the outside of the incident surface 271 of the projection lens 270 brightens the area around the projection lens 270. Therefore, the latter light causes discomfort to a viewer viewing the vehicular lamp 201 from the outside. However, if the area of ​​the first inclined portion 255b is larger than the area of ​​the second inclined portion 255c, the amount of light reaching the back side of the low beam lens 250 is increased, resulting in a configuration that is less likely to cause discomfort to the viewer.

[0133] Furthermore, the greater the angle of the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c relative to the surface portion 255a in the vertical cross section, the more the illuminance in the specific area of ​​the light distribution pattern is reduced. Here, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c have a gradually varying structure in which the angle relative to the surface portion 255a is greatest on the vertical line of point C, and the angle gradually decreases in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the boundary between the specific area where illuminance is to be reduced and its surrounding area is less clear, which reduces the sense of incongruity in the light distribution pattern.

[0134] Furthermore, the inclination angle of the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c relative to the surface portion 255a in a cross section in the left-right direction is larger on the outside of the vehicle than on the inside of the vehicle. Therefore, for example, if the vehicle lamp 201 is a headlamp, it can have an inclined structure according to the light distribution pattern to be formed, which contributes to reducing the illuminance in an appropriate area.

[0135] As described above, the low-beam lens 250 of the vehicle lamp 201 according to this embodiment has the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c, which transmit a portion of light and form the second and third optical paths L7 and L8. Therefore, the transmitted light, the light on the second optical path L7, and the light on the third optical path L8 do not exit the projection lens 270 in a manner that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern. Therefore, the low-beam lens 250 can reduce the illuminance in a specific area by providing the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c at positions corresponding to the specific area where illuminance is desired to be reduced. Furthermore, the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c are formed on the second reflecting portion 255. Therefore, the low-beam lens 250 reduces the illuminance in the specific area by the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c while ensuring the formation of a light distribution pattern by the light on the direct optical path Ld. Therefore, there is less need to reduce the illuminance by an appropriate amount by setting a strict angle that takes tolerances into consideration for the low beam lens 250, and manufacturing difficulties can be reduced. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 201 uses the low beam lens 250 in which the light entrance portion 251 and the light exit portion 252 are misaligned in a specific direction, manufacturing difficulties can be reduced while still reducing the illuminance in a specific area.

[0136] Although the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c may be recessed from the extension plane EP of the surface portion 255a, it is preferable that they be protruding. In this case, it is possible to prevent the recessed portions from blocking the necessary light to be emitted from the projection lens 270, compared to when the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c are recessed from the extension plane EP of the surface portion 255a.

[0137] Furthermore, it is preferable that the area of ​​the first inclined portion 255b is larger than the area of ​​the second inclined portion 255c. In this case, the low beam lens 250 reduces the amount of light that travels from the emission portion 252 outward to the incident surface 271 of the projection lens 270, and reduces the amount of light that strikes the bracket 260 and the like around the emission portion 252. As a result, the vehicular lamp 201 can make it less likely that a viewer viewing the vehicular lamp 201 from the outside will feel uncomfortable due to the glow of the bracket 260 and the like.

[0138] Furthermore, it is preferable that the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c have a gradually varying structure, in which case the boundary between the specific area with reduced illuminance and its surrounding area is less distinct, thereby reducing the sense of incongruity in the light distribution pattern.

[0139] Furthermore, the inclination angle of the first inclined portion 255b and the second inclined portion 255c relative to the surface portion 255a in a direction perpendicular to the specific direction is larger on the outside of the vehicle than on the inside of the vehicle, which can contribute to reducing the illuminance of an appropriate area according to the light distribution pattern when the vehicle lamp 201 is a headlight, for example.

[0140] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made or publicly known or well-known technologies may be combined within the scope of the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0141] For example, although the vehicular lamp 201 in the above embodiment is a headlamp, it is not limited to a headlamp. Furthermore, although the vehicular lamp 201 emits both high beam and low beam light, it is not limited to this and may emit only one type of light. In particular, the vehicular lamp 201 in the above embodiment reduces the illuminance of a specific area in a low beam light distribution pattern, but it may also be applied to reduce the illuminance of a specific area in a high beam light distribution pattern.

[0142] AX... optical axis, CL... cut-off offline, Cla, Clc... horizontal cut-off offline, Clb... diagonal cut-off offline, F... focal position, L, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5... light rays, P1, P2... irradiation patterns, PL... low beam pattern, PO... overhead pattern, 10, 110... light source unit, 11, 111... light sources, 11a, 111a... light emitting surfaces, 12, 112... substrates, 12a, 112a... mounting surfaces, 20, 120... vehicle light guides, 21, 121... incident parts, 21a, 121a... opposing incident surfaces, 21b, 121b... side incident surfaces, 21c, 121c... reflecting surfaces, 22, 120, 122... light guiding parts, 22a, 122a... first reflecting surface, 22b, 122b... second reflecting surface, 22c, 122c... third reflecting surface, 23, 123... emitting parts, 23a, 121d, 123a... emitting surfaces, 24, 124... edge parts, 25, 125... cut-off forming parts, 25a, 125a... first straight part, 25b, 125b... inclined part, 25c, 125c... second straight part, 26, 129... mounting parts, 30, 130... supporting members, 41, 141... screw members, 100, 200... vehicle lamps, 122d... incident surface, 126... projection lens part, 126a... projection side incident surface, 126b... projection side emitting surface, 127... prism part, 128... connecting part, 128a... bottom part, 128b... side wall part, 201... vehicle lamp, 210... light source, 211... high beam light source, 212... low beam light source, 220... substrate, 240... high beam lens, 250... low beam lens (first lens member), 251... light introduction part, 252... emitting part, 254... first reflecting part, 255... second reflecting part, 255a... face part, 255b... first inclined part, 255c... second inclined part, 256... third reflecting part, 270... projection lens (second lens member), 271... incident surface, EP... extension surface, L6... first optical path, L7... second optical path, L8... third optical path, Ld... direct optical path

Claims

1. A light guide for a vehicle comprising: an incident section into which light from a light source is incident; a light guide section having a first reflecting surface that reflects the light incident from said incident section upward; a second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected by said first reflecting surface upward; and a third reflecting surface that is bent forward from the upper end of said second reflecting surface and reflects the light reflected by said first reflecting surface and the light reflected by said second reflecting surface forward; and an exit section that emits the light reflected by said third reflecting surface forward.

2. A light guide for a vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the light guide portion has an edge portion extending in the left-right direction from the second reflecting surface to the bent portion of the third reflecting surface, and the edge portion has a cutoff forming portion that forms a cutoff line of the irradiation pattern.

3. A vehicle light guide according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the incident portions are arranged in the left-right direction, and the light reflected by the first reflecting surface is incident on the third reflecting surface along the edge portion corresponding to the position of the incident portion.

4. A light guide for a vehicle as described in claim 2, wherein a plurality of the incident portions are arranged in the left-right direction, and light from an incident portion of the plurality of incident portions that is arranged in the vicinity of the optical axis of the exit portion forms a central region of the irradiation pattern in the left-right direction, and light from an incident portion that is arranged at a position away from the optical axis forms regions on both sides of the central region in the left-right direction of the irradiation pattern.

5. A light guide for a vehicle as described in claim 2, wherein the incident portion has an opposing incident surface provided opposite the light source and a side incident surface arranged along the outer periphery of the opposing incident surface, and light incident from the opposing incident surface is incident on the entire range of the third reflecting surface in the fore-and-aft direction, and light incident from the side incident surface is incident on a region along the edge portion of the third reflecting surface.

6. A light guide for a vehicle as described in claim 2, wherein the first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface, and the third reflecting surface are arranged so that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface reaches the edge portion side of the third reflecting surface further than the light reflected by the first reflecting surface.

7. A light guide for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a projection lens section disposed in front of said emission section with a gap therebetween, for projecting the light emitted from said emission section forward; and a connecting section for integrally connecting said emission section and said projection lens section.

8. The vehicle light guide according to claim 7, wherein the connecting portion connects the lower portions of the emission portion and the projection lens portion and both left and right side portions of the emission portion and the projection lens portion.

9. The vehicle light guide according to claim 7, wherein the incident portion and the light guide portion are separable.

10. A vehicle lamp comprising: a light source; and a vehicle light guide according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which guides light from the light source and irradiates it ahead of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle lamp comprising: a light source provided on a substrate; a first lens element having a light introduction portion for introducing light from the light source and an emission portion for emitting the introduced light; and a second lens element provided on the light emission side of the first lens element for introducing and emitting light emitted from the first lens element from an incident surface, wherein the first lens element has: a first reflecting portion located in a substrate normal direction with respect to the light introduction portion and reflecting light from the light introduction portion in a specific direction along the substrate plane; a second reflecting portion further reflecting the light reflected in the specific direction by the first reflecting portion; and a third reflecting portion reflecting light reflected by the first reflecting portion and the second reflecting portion and reaching the light emission portion, wherein the second reflecting portion has: a surface portion forming a first optical path for reflecting the arriving light towards the third reflecting portion at an angle at which the light is reflected at the third reflecting portion; a first inclined portion inclined with respect to the surface portion in the cross section in the specific direction, the first inclined portion forming a second optical path that transmits light that has reached it and reflects the light that has reached it toward the third reflecting portion at an angle at which the light is transmitted at the third reflecting portion, and the second inclined portion inclined with respect to the surface portion and the first inclined portion in the cross section in the specific direction, the second inclined portion forming a third optical path that transmits light that has reached it and reflects the light that has reached it toward the exit portion without passing through the third reflecting portion, and directs light that has passed through the exit portion to outside the incident surface of the second lens member.

12. A vehicle lamp according to claim 11, wherein the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion protrude outward from an extension surface of the surface portion.

13. The vehicular lamp according to claim 11, wherein the area of ​​the first inclined portion is larger than the area of ​​the second inclined portion.

14. A vehicle lamp according to claim 11, wherein the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion have a gradually varying structure in which the inclination angle relative to the surface portion gradually decreases along the substrate plane and in a direction perpendicular to the specific direction.

15. A vehicle lamp according to claim 11, wherein the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion have a larger inclination angle with respect to the surface portion in a direction along the substrate plane and perpendicular to the specific direction on the outside of the vehicle than on the inside of the vehicle.

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