Display device, vehicle, and planar light-emitting device

Abstract

Realized is a display device that exhibits no sense of incongruity in appearance.　An emblem (1) is provided with: a light source (20); a first light guide (10) that guides light from the light source along a light guide path and emits the light from a light guide path exit surface (11) that forms a part of the light guide path; a light-emitting surface (31) that emits light from the light source and the first light guide; and a light amount adjustment unit (60) that reduces the difference between the amount of light to be emitted from the light source region (31a) and the amount of light to be emitted from the adjacent region (31b) in the light-emitting surface.

Description

Display device, vehicle, and surface light-emitting device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device, and a vehicle and a surface light-emitting device that include the display device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an emblem to be attached to a vehicle body. The emblem includes a substantially flat lower cover, an upper cover, and an emblem body, which are stacked in this order from bottom to top. The lower cover, the upper cover, and the emblem body form a mark that combines a substantially circular shape with a horizontal portion passing through the center of the circle. The emblem is divided by the horizontal portion and has an opening formed radially inward of the emblem. A component housing chamber is formed inside the lower cover and the upper cover. A circuit board is disposed over almost the entire area of ​​the component housing chamber, and multiple light sources are fixed to the circuit board.

[0003] JP 2012-126339 A

[0004] However, in the conventional technology described above, there is a possibility that the difference in the amount of light between the vicinity of the light source and other areas will be large, resulting in an unnatural appearance.

[0005] An object of one embodiment of the present disclosure is to realize a display device or the like that does not look strange.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source, a first light guide that guides light from the light source along a light guide path having the shape of at least a part of a design and emits the light from a light guide path emission surface that forms part of the light guide path, a light emitting surface that emits light from the light source and the first light guide, and a light intensity adjustment unit that reduces the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region, when a region on the light emitting surface near the light source is defined as a light source region and a region adjacent to the light source region is defined as an adjacent region.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the light amount adjustment unit reduces the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region on the light-emitting surface, thereby reducing luminance unevenness between the light source region and the adjacent region.

[0008] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light intensity adjustment unit adjusts the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region so that the difference is within 50% of the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region on the light-emitting surface is sufficiently small, thereby sufficiently reducing luminance variations between the light source region and the adjacent region.

[0010] In addition, in the display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light amount adjustment unit includes a first light amount suppression unit that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the light traveling from the light source toward the light source region of the light-emitting surface is blocked by the first light amount suppressing portion, thereby reducing luminance unevenness between the light source region and the adjacent region.

[0012] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first light quantity suppression unit and the first light guide are arranged between the light source and the light emitting surface in a direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface, in that order from the light source side, and the light quantity adjustment unit adjusts the light quantity using the region of the first light guide arranged between the light source and the light emitting surface and the first light quantity suppression unit.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the luminance unevenness between the light source region and the adjacent region is reduced.

[0014] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light amount adjustment unit includes a second light amount suppression unit that suppresses light from the light source from entering a gap between the first light guide and a light source substrate that supports the first light guide, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the second light amount suppressing portion suppresses light from the light source from entering the gap between the first light guide and the light source substrate, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface, thereby reducing brightness unevenness caused by light from the light source entering the gap between the first light guide and the light source substrate.

[0016] Furthermore, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover that is arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the thickness of the diffusion cover that is arranged at least in the area between the light source and the light-emitting surface is 0.3 mm or more.

[0017] According to the above configuration, the appearance of the display device is improved.

[0018] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, both surfaces of the diffusion cover having a curved shape, and the light guide path exit surface of the first light guide having a curved shape that follows the shape of the surface of the diffusion cover.

[0019] According to the above configuration, the surface of the diffusion cover opposite to the light-emitting surface side is supported by the first light guide, so that damage to the diffusion cover due to external impact or the like can be suppressed.

[0020] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover includes a transparent layer and a diffusion layer located closer to the light-emitting surface than the transparent layer and having higher diffusion performance than the transparent layer.

[0021] According to the above configuration, it is possible to minimize the reduction in the amount of light due to the light being diffused by the diffusion cover, and further to reduce the difference in brightness between the vicinity of the light source and other areas.

[0022] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover has a higher diffusion performance in the light-source facing area of ​​the surface facing the light source that faces the light source than in areas other than the light-source facing area.

[0023] According to the above configuration, the difference between the amount of light in the light source facing region and the amount of light in the region other than the light source facing region is reduced, thereby reducing uneven brightness.

[0024] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first light guide has two or more adjacent incident surfaces, each having a normal direction different from that of the light guide path exit surface, for receiving light from the light source, and the normal directions of the multiple incident surfaces are different from each other, and multiple light sources are provided corresponding to each of the multiple incident surfaces.

[0025] According to the above configuration, each light source can be a general light source that emits light in only one direction.

[0026] In addition, a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure further includes a second light guide that guides light from the light source to the first light guide, and causes light to enter the first light guide via the second light guide from the back side opposite the light guide path exit surface.

[0027] According to the above configuration, a general light source can be used as the light source, thereby reducing the cost of the display device.

[0028] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first light guide is provided with a third light quantity suppression section in a partial region of a surface having a normal direction different from that of the light guide path exit surface, where light incident from the light source is emitted to the outside of the first light guide without being totally reflected within the light guide path, to reduce the quantity of light emitted from the surface of the partial region.

[0029] According to the above configuration, the amount of light emitted to the outside of the first light guide in the partial region is reduced, thereby reducing brightness unevenness caused by the light being emitted to the outside of the first light guide in the partial region.

[0030] Furthermore, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light amount adjustment unit includes a first light amount suppression unit that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface, a second light amount suppression unit that suppresses light from the light source from entering a gap between the first light guide and a light source substrate that supports the first light guide, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface, and a light amount suppression unit connecting member that connects the first light amount suppression unit and the second light amount suppression unit together, and the light amount suppression unit connecting member is included in the third light amount suppression unit.

[0031] According to the above configuration, the efficiency with which light is incident from the light source to the first light guide is improved.

[0032] In addition, a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure further includes a light source substrate on which the light source is arranged, the light source being provided on the side opposite the light guide path exit surface of the first light guide, and a base substrate on which the light source substrate is placed, the side opposite the side of the light source substrate on the first light guide side, wherein the side of the light source substrate on the first light guide side and the side of the base substrate on the first light guide side are white.

[0033] According to the above configuration, the influence of the light source substrate and the base substrate on the appearance of the design is reduced.

[0034] In addition, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a plurality of the light sources are arranged at predetermined intervals from each other in the design area.

[0035] According to the above configuration, the amount of light emitted from the region between the light sources on the light-emitting surface increases, and uneven brightness is reduced.

[0036] Furthermore, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light guide path has an outer edge light guide path that follows the outer edge of the design, and an inner light guide path that extends inward from the outer edge light guide path, and the light source is disposed at at least one of (i) a branch point from the outer edge light guide path to the inner light guide path, and (ii) a bend point where the inner light guide path is bent.

[0037] According to the above configuration, it is possible to efficiently guide the light emitted from the light source in each direction from the branching portion or the bending portion.

[0038] Furthermore, in a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the light source has a peak amount of emitted light in a first direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface, and the amount of emitted light in a direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface and shifted by 90° from the first direction is 50% or more of the amount of emitted light in the first direction.

[0039] According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce variations in the amount of light emitted from the light source in each direction.

[0040] In addition, a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure further includes a cover having a design shape that allows the display device to be visually recognized by a user, a substrate that supports the first light guide and the cover, and a sidewall that is erected on the substrate and positioned between the first light guide and the cover, and the cover is joined to the substrate on the side opposite the sidewall from the first light guide.

[0041] According to the above configuration, the first light guide is prevented from being bonded to the decorative portion by an adhesive or the like that bonds the decorative portion to the substrate, and the side surfaces of the first light guide can be shielded from light.

[0042] In addition, a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure further includes a cover having a design shape that the display device can visually recognize by a user, and a semi-transparent reflective film that three-dimensionally covers the surface of the cover.

[0043] According to the above configuration, the quality of the design can be improved both when light is emitted and when light is not emitted.

[0044] In the display device according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the light transmittance of the semi-transmissive reflective film is 35% or less.

[0045] According to the above configuration, deterioration in the appearance of the design caused by external light passing through the semi-transmissive reflective film and returning light reflected inside the film making the inside of the luminous emblem visible is reduced.

[0046] In addition, a display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure further includes a cover having a design shape that allows the display device to be viewed by a user, and the cover includes both a diffusing material that diffuses light and an opalescent material that reflects light.

[0047] According to the above configuration, the concealment rate of the internal structure of the luminous emblem can be improved, and the transmittance of light from the inside can be improved.

[0048] A display device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a light-emitting emblem for a vehicle that is attached to a body of a vehicle.

[0049] According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be achieved in the light-emitting emblem for a vehicle.

[0050] Furthermore, a vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle equipped with the above-described display device and a millimeter-wave radar unit that identifies the position of surrounding objects, and the display device is mounted on top of the millimeter-wave radar unit.

[0051] According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the millimeter waves from being affected by the display device.

[0052] A surface light emitting device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes any one of the display devices described above.

[0053] According to the above configuration, the surface light emitting device exhibits the same effects as the display device.

[0054] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a display device or the like that does not look strange can be realized.

[0055] 1 is a plan view showing an example of an emblem according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an emblem according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface, showing an example of the shape of a light deflection part. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the shape of an insertion part. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of adjustment of the amount of light absorption when a first light amount suppression part is formed by printing. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an emblem according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of a first light amount suppression part included in an emblem according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an emblem according to a second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a first specific example of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a second specific example of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a third specific example of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a fourth specific example of the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a fifth specific example of the second embodiment. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a sixth specific example of embodiment 2. FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to embodiment 3. FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a first modified example of embodiment 3. FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a second modified example of embodiment 3. FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to a third modified example of embodiment 3. FIG. 32 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to embodiment 4. FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem according to embodiment 5. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a specific example of a reflective structure part. FIG. 35 is a plan view showing an outline of an emblem according to embodiment 6. FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 24. FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 24. FIG. 38 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an emblem according to embodiment 7. FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in FIG. 27. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an emblem related to a seventh specific example of embodiment 2, and an oblique view showing the general shape of a light suppression structure in which the second light suppression section and the first light suppression section are integrated.29 is a plan view showing an example of the shape of a light deflection section, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light guide exit surface. FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the structure of a light source. FIG. 31 is a view showing an example of an emblem according to a third modified example of embodiment 1. FIG. 32 is a view showing an example of an emblem according to a fourth modified example of embodiment 1. FIG. 33 is a view showing an example of an emblem according to a fifth modified example of embodiment 1. FIG. 34 is a view showing an example of an emblem according to a sixth modified example of embodiment 1. FIG. 35 is a view showing an example of a light amount suppression structure, different from that shown in FIG. 29 , in which a second light amount suppression section and a first light amount suppression section are integrated. FIG. 36 is a view showing an example of an emblem according to a first modified example of embodiment 2. FIG. 37 is a view for explaining the thickness of a first light guide in an emblem according to a second modified example of embodiment 2. FIG. 38 is a graph showing the relationship between the value of T1 / T0 and brightness in an emblem according to a second modified example of embodiment 2. FIG. 39 is a perspective view showing an example of an emblem according to a modified example of embodiment 6.

[0056] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Note that in the drawings, when there are multiple components that should be assigned the same reference numeral, only some of the components may be assigned the same reference numeral.

[0057] (Configuration of Emblem) Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an emblem 1 (display device) according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the emblem 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part in Fig. 3.

[0058] The emblem 1 is an example of a display device according to the present disclosure. The emblem 1 is, for example, a light-emitting emblem for a vehicle that is attached to the body of the vehicle. The emblem 1 allows a user to visually recognize a predetermined design. The predetermined design may be, for example, a design indicating the manufacturer or brand of the vehicle, but is not limited to this.

[0059] The emblem 1 is not necessarily limited to an illuminating emblem for a vehicle, but may also be an illuminating emblem used on an item other than a vehicle. The emblem 1 may also be an illuminating logo, picture, or mark. The display device according to the present disclosure is not limited to an emblem, but may be any display device that displays an image. Furthermore, the display device according to the present disclosure may also be applied to a surface light-emitting device. For simplicity, in the following description, the predetermined design that the emblem 1 presents to the user may simply be referred to as the design. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the emblem 1 includes a light source 20, a first light guide 10, and a light intensity adjustment unit 60. The emblem 1 further includes a light source substrate 41, a base substrate 42, a reflector 45, a diffuser 47, and a cover 30.

[0060] The light source 20 causes light L to enter the first light guide 10. A specific example and the position of the light source 20 will be described later.

[0061] The first light guide 10 guides the light L in accordance with the design. The material of the first light guide 10 may be, for example, polycarbonate, acrylic, other translucent resin, or glass.

[0062] The first light guide 10 has a light guide path exit surface 11, a back surface 12, and a side surface 13. The light guide path exit surface 11 is the surface from which light L is emitted from the first light guide 10. The back surface 12 is the surface opposite to the light guide path exit surface 11. The side surface 13 is a surface connecting the light guide path exit surface 11 and the back surface 12. The light guide path exit surface 11 and the back surface 12 may be parallel to each other. Furthermore, the side surface 13 may be perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11 and the back surface 12.

[0063] In the first light guide 10, a light guide path 14 is defined by a light guide path exit surface 11, a back surface 12, and a side surface 13. The light guide path 14 has the shape of at least a part of the design. The light guide path 14 has an outer edge light guide path 141 that follows the outer edge of the design, and an inner light guide path 142 that extends inward from the outer edge light guide path 141. In FIG. 1 , the outer edge light guide path 141 has an annular shape without a starting point or an end point. However, the outer edge light guide path 141 may have a shape that has a starting point and an end point. For example, the outer edge light guide path 141 may have a shape in which a portion of the annular shape is interrupted.

[0064] The light guide 14 also has a branching portion 143 where the outer edge light guide 141 branches into the inner light guide 142, and a bending portion 144 where the inner light guide 142 is bent. In the example shown in Fig. 1 , the light guide 14 has two branching portions 143 and one bending portion 144. However, the number of branching portions 143 and bending portions 144 that the light guide 14 has is not limited to these.

[0065] The first light guide 10 guides the light L from the light source 20 along a light guide path 14. Specifically, the first light guide 10 guides the light L from the light source 20 by total reflection at a light guide path exit surface 11, a back surface 12, and a side surface 13.

[0066] In the following description, the direction in which light L is guided inside the first light guide 10 may be referred to as the light guide direction. In addition, the side of the light guide path exit surface 11 relative to the back surface 12 may be referred to as the upper side, and the side opposite to the upper side may be referred to as the lower side.

[0067] An optical deflection section 12a that deflects light L is provided on the back surface 12 of the first light guide 10. The light L deflected by the optical deflection section 12a is not totally reflected by the light guide path exit surface 11 and is emitted from the light guide path exit surface 11.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the light deflection unit 12a taken along a plane perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11, showing examples of the shape of the light deflection unit 12a. Different examples of the shape of the light deflection unit 12a are indicated by reference numerals 501 to 504. The light deflection unit 12a may be a concave portion having a triangular cross section, as indicated by reference numeral 501. The light deflection unit 12a may also be a convex portion having a triangular cross section, as indicated by reference numeral 502. The light deflection unit 12a may also be a concave portion having an arc-shaped cross section, as indicated by reference numeral 503. The light deflection unit 12a may also be a convex portion having an arc-shaped cross section, as indicated by reference numeral 504. In either example, light L incident on the light deflection unit 12a is reflected and emitted from the light guide path exit surface 11. The shape of the light deflection unit 12a is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5. The light deflection unit 12a may also be white dots printed on the back surface 12. The light deflection section 12 a may be provided on the light guide path exit surface 11 side, instead of on the rear surface 12 .

[0069] FIG. 30 is a plan view showing an example of the shape of the light deflection unit 12a, viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11. Reference numeral 3001 indicates a case where the planar shape of the light deflection unit 12a is circular, and reference numeral 3002 indicates a case where the planar shape of the light deflection unit 12a is a rectangle elongated in a direction perpendicular to the incident direction of light. As shown in the figure, multiple rows of multiple light deflection units 12a are arranged parallel to each other in a direction perpendicular to the incident direction of light. Furthermore, in adjacent rows, the positions of the light deflection units 12a relative to the incident direction of light are shifted. By changing the arrangement density, size, and / or shape of the light deflection units 12a, the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting surface 31 can be adjusted, allowing the emblem 1 to emit light uniformly.

[0070] The cover 30 has a design shape that allows the user to visually recognize the emblem 1. The cover 30 may be disposed on the light guide path exit surface 11 side of the first light guide 10. Alternatively, the cover 30 may seal the periphery of the first light guide 10. This allows the user to recognize the shape of the cover 30 as the design. The cover 30 may be formed from a material that diffuses light or a transparent material. Note that if the shape of the light emitted from the first light guide 10 can be recognized as the design shape, the cover 30 may be omitted.

[0071] When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11, the first light guide 10 is smaller than the cover 30. That is, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11, the entire first light guide 10 overlaps with the cover 30. Furthermore, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11, the cover 30 has a portion that does not overlap with the first light guide 10. This allows the light emitted from the light guide path exit surface 11 to be efficiently diffused by the cover 30.

[0072] The cover 30 may contain both a light-diffusing material and a light-reflecting opaque material. This allows for a higher concealment rate for the internal structure of the emblem 1 at the same thickness compared to when the cover 30 contains only the light-diffusing material. Also, the transmittance of light from the inside can be improved compared to when the cover 30 contains only the opaque material.

[0073] Examples of opaque materials include pigments or dyes such as titanium dioxide or silica, and examples of diffusing materials include glass beads or glass pillars.

[0074] The light source substrate 41 is a substrate on which the light source 20 is arranged. The light source substrate 41 is provided on the surface side opposite to the light guide path exit surface 11 of the first light guide 10, i.e., on the back surface 12 side. The light source substrate 41 may be a so-called rigid substrate or an FPC (Film Printed Circuit) substrate.

[0075] The base substrate 42 is a substrate provided on the surface of the light source substrate 41 opposite to the first light guide 10. Of the components of the emblem 1, the base substrate 42 is located closest to the attachment target side of the emblem 1. The base substrate 42 is provided with an insertion portion 43. The insertion portion 43 is a portion that is inserted into an opening provided in the body when the vehicle emblem 1 is attached to the body or the like of the vehicle.

[0076] Fig. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the shape of the insertion portion 43. In Fig. 6, different examples of the shape of the insertion portion 43 are indicated by reference numerals 601 to 603. The insertion portion 43 may have a circular shape in a plan view, as indicated by reference numeral 601. Alternatively, the insertion portion 43 may have a square shape in a plan view, as indicated by reference numeral 602. Alternatively, the insertion portion 43 may have a regular hexagonal shape in a plan view, as indicated by reference numeral 603.

[0077] 6, a hole having a shape corresponding to the shape of the insertion portion 43 is formed on the body or the like, so that the insertion portion 43 can be fitted into the hole. Note that the shape of the insertion portion 43 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0078] The light source 20 is disposed at at least one of the branching portion 143 and the bending portion 144. In Fig. 1, the light source 20 is disposed at two branching portions 143. Alternatively, the light source 20 may be disposed at each of the two branching portions 143 and the bending portion 144, or may be disposed at only one of the two branching portions 143 and the bending portion 144.

[0079] The light source 20 emits the light L in each direction from the branching portion 143 or the bending portion 144 where the light source 20 is disposed. This allows the light L emitted from the light source 20 to be guided efficiently.

[0080] Specifically, the first light guide 10 has a housing portion 15 that houses a part of the light source 20 at at least one of the branching portion 143 and the bending portion 144. The light-emitting portion of the light source 20 is housed in the housing portion 15. The light source 20 may emit light L from the housing portion 15 into the first light guide 10 so that the optical axis is approximately parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11.

[0081] When the light source 20 has its light-emitting portion accommodated in the accommodation portion 15, the light source 20 may have a peak amount of emitted light in a first direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11. Furthermore, the amount of emitted light in a direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11 and shifted by 90 degrees from the first direction may be 50% or more of the amount of emitted light in the first direction. For example, the light source 20 may emit a uniform amount of light L in all directions within a plane parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11. This can reduce unevenness in the amount of light L guided in each branch direction.

[0082] Fig. 31 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the structure of the light source 20. In the example shown in Fig. 31, the light source 20 has a light-emitting layer 20E and an upper reflective layer 20R. The light-emitting layer 20E emits light in all directions. The upper reflective layer 20R blocks and reflects light emitted upward from the light-emitting layer 20E. The light source 20 having such a structure emits light in all directions around the periphery in a planar view from a direction perpendicular to the light source substrate 41. Therefore, a single light source 20 can emit light in multiple directions in a planar view from a direction perpendicular to the light source substrate 41.

[0083] The reflector 45 reflects light that enters the emblem 1 from the outside. The diffuser 47 diffuses light that is emitted from the first light guide 10. The reflector 45 and the diffuser 47 are not essential to the emblem 1 and may be omitted.

[0084] If the reflector 45 is omitted, the surface of the light source substrate 41 facing the first light guide 10 and the surface of the base substrate 42 facing the first light guide 10 may be white. This reduces the impact on the appearance of the design even if the light source substrate 41 and the base substrate 42 are located below the first light guide 10. In this case, the diffuser 47 may be made thicker to compensate for the omission of the reflector 45. By omitting the reflector 45 and making the diffuser 47 thicker, the appearance of the design is improved and the number of parts of the emblem 1 can be reduced.

[0085] In the emblem 1, the surface from which light is ultimately emitted to the outside is referred to as the light-emitting surface 31. The cover 30 is disposed between the light source 20 and the light-emitting surface 31. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the light-emitting surface 31 is the surface of the cover 30 opposite the first light guide 10 and the light source 20. However, the light-emitting surface 31 is not necessarily a surface of the cover 30. For example, if the emblem 1 is provided with a protective layer on the side of the cover 30 opposite the first light guide 10 and the light source 20 that protects the cover 30 from impacts, the surface of the protective layer becomes the light-emitting surface 31. Furthermore, if the cover 30 is omitted, the light guide path exit surface 11 becomes the light-emitting surface 31.

[0086] (Light Amount Adjustment Unit) The region of the light-emitting surface 31 near the light source 20 is referred to as the light source region 31a. Furthermore, the region of the light-emitting surface 31 adjacent to the light source region 31a is referred to as the adjacent region 31b. The light amount adjustment unit 60 reduces the difference between the amount of light emitted from the region of the light-emitting surface 31 near the light source 20 and the amount of light emitted from regions other than the region of the light source 20 near the light source 20. This reduces brightness unevenness between the light source region 31a and the adjacent region 31b on the light-emitting surface 31.

[0087] In particular, the light amount adjusting unit 60 may adjust the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region 31 a and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region 31 b so that the difference is within 50% of the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region 31 b, thereby sufficiently reducing the luminance unevenness between the light source region 31 a and the adjacent region 31 b on the light-emitting surface 31.

[0088] (First Light Amount Suppression Unit) The light amount adjustment unit 60 includes a first light amount suppression unit 61 that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source 20 in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface 31. The first light amount suppression unit 61 blocks a portion of the light emitted in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface 31 in the vicinity of the light source 20. Alternatively, the first light amount suppression unit 61 completely blocks the light emitted in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface 31 in the vicinity of the light source 20.

[0089] Generally, the amount of light incident from the light source 20 is greater in the light source region 31a than in the adjacent region 31b. In the emblem 1, the light incident from the light source 20 to the light source region 31a of the light-emitting surface 31 is blocked by the first light amount suppression portion 61, thereby reducing the amount of light emitted from the light source region 31a. Therefore, uneven brightness between the light source region 31a and the adjacent region 31b is reduced.

[0090] The first light amount suppressing unit 61 is a plate-shaped member that diffuses light. The first light amount suppressing unit 61 may be a member in which a light-absorbing pattern is printed on the surface of a translucent plate material. That is, the first light amount suppressing unit 61 may be formed by printing. In this case, the color of the printing may be white, gray, black, or a combination thereof. For example, the side that is exposed to external light may be white, and the opposite side may be black. Furthermore, the amount of light absorption may be adjusted by adjusting the density of the printing, so that the distribution of the light amount within the surface of the first light amount suppressing unit 61 becomes uniform.

[0091] 7 is a diagram showing an example of adjusting the amount of light absorption when the first light amount reduction unit 61 is formed by printing. In Fig. 7, different examples of adjusting the amount of light absorption are indicated by reference numerals 701 to 703. In all of the examples indicated by reference numerals 701 to 703, the amount of light absorption increases from left to right.

[0092] When the first light amount reduction unit 61 is formed by printing, the amount of light absorption may be adjusted by varying the density of the printing, as indicated by reference numeral 701. Alternatively, the printing may be in the form of dots, and the amount of light absorption may be adjusted by varying the size of the dots, as indicated by reference numeral 702. Alternatively, the printing may be in the form of dots, and the amount of light absorption may be adjusted by varying the number of dots, as indicated by reference numeral 703.

[0093] Alternatively, the first light amount suppressing unit 61 may be a neutral density (ND) filter that uniformly attenuates light, or a half mirror that reflects part of the light.

[0094] As described above, the first light amount suppressing portion 61 may be a separate member from the first light guide 10. Alternatively, the first light amount suppressing portion 61 may be integrated with the first light guide 10. Furthermore, the first light amount suppressing portion 61 may be integrated with the diffuser plate 47 or the cover 30.

[0095] (Second Light Amount Suppression Unit) The light amount adjustment unit 60 further includes a second light amount suppression unit 62. The second light amount suppression unit 62 suppresses light from the light source 20 from entering the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41, being reflected by the light source substrate 41, and being emitted from the light emitting surface 31. A specific example of the second light amount suppression unit 62 will be described in embodiment 2.

[0096] A gap may occur between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 due to tolerances during manufacturing of the emblem 1, etc. Furthermore, a portion of the light emitted from the light source 20 may enter this gap, and after being reflected by the light source substrate 41, the light may be emitted to the outside through the cover 30 without being reflected by the first light guide 10. In this case, the brightness of the emblem 1 increases near the light source 20, resulting in brightness unevenness. In the emblem 1, the light amount adjustment unit 60 is provided with the second light amount suppression unit 62, thereby reducing brightness unevenness caused by light entering the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41.

[0097] When the emblem 1 is attached to a vehicle equipped with a millimeter-wave radar unit that detects the positions of objects around the vehicle, the emblem 1 may be attached overlapping the millimeter-wave radar unit. In this case, the millimeter-wave radar unit irradiates millimeter waves from between the outer edge light guide 141 and the inner light guide 142, thereby preventing the emblem 1 from affecting the millimeter waves.

[0098] (Modification 1) Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an emblem 1A according to a first modification of embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 8, the emblem 1A includes a first light amount suppression unit 61A instead of the first light amount suppression unit 61. The first light amount suppression unit 61A completely blocks light from the light source 20.

[0099] Furthermore, in the emblem 1A, a first light quantity suppression unit 61A and a first light guide 10 are arranged, in that order from the light source 20 side, between the light source 20 and the light emitting surface 31 in a direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface 31. That is, a portion of the first light guide 10 extends above the light source 20. Furthermore, the first light quantity suppression unit 61A is arranged on the light source 20 side of the first light guide 10 that extends above the light source 20.

[0100] In the emblem 1A, the region of the first light guide 10 located between the light source 20 and the light-emitting surface 31 is referred to as region 16. Like the other regions of the first light guide 10, region 16 is provided with a light deflection section 12a. The light amount adjustment section 60 adjusts the light amount using region 16 and the first light amount suppression section 61A. Specifically, in region 16, the light amount adjustment section 60 blocks light emitted from the light source 20 using the first light amount suppression section 61A, and causes the light to exit from region 16 using the light deflection section 12a located in region 16. This light amount adjustment section 60 also reduces brightness unevenness between the light source region 31a and the adjacent region 31b on the light-emitting surface 31.

[0101] The first light amount suppressing unit 61A may be black on both the light source 20 side and the light-emitting surface 31 side. Alternatively, the first light amount suppressing unit 61A may be black on the light source 20 side and white on the light-emitting surface 31 side. In the latter case, light incident on the first light amount suppressing unit 61A from the light-emitting surface 31 side is more likely to be reflected by the first light amount suppressing unit 61A than when the light-emitting surface 31 side is black. Therefore, in this case, light traveling directly from the light source 20 toward the light-emitting surface 31 side can be blocked, and the amount of light deflected by the light deflection unit 12a in the first light amount suppressing unit 61A can be increased.

[0102] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of the first light amount suppression unit 61A. In Fig. 9, two different examples of the first light amount suppression unit 61A are shown with reference numerals 901 and 902. For simplicity, some components are omitted from Fig. 9.

[0103] As indicated by reference numeral 901, the first light amount suppressing portion 61A may be a separate member from the first light guide 10. Alternatively, as indicated by reference numeral 902, the first light amount suppressing portion 61A may be formed integrally with the first light guide 10 in a state where it is inserted into the first light guide 10.

[0104] (Variation 2) Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an emblem 1B according to a second variation of embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 10, emblem 1B differs from emblem 1A in that it has light deflection portion 12b instead of light deflection portion 12a in region 16. The amount of light deflected by light deflection portion 12b is greater than the amount of light deflected by light deflection portion 12a.

[0105] Light is less likely to be incident on region 16. For this reason, if light deflection units 12a are provided in both region 16 and other regions, the intensity of light emitted from region 16 may be smaller than the intensity of light emitted from regions other than region 16. In emblem 1B, by providing light deflection unit 12b in region 16, the difference in the amount of light between region 16 and other regions can be reduced, thereby reducing uneven brightness.

[0106] (Variation 3) Fig. 32 is a diagram showing an example of an emblem 1C according to a third variation of embodiment 1. The base substrate 42 is omitted from Fig. 32. In addition to the configuration of the emblem 1, the emblem 1C further includes an inner wall 43. The inner wall 43 is provided upright on the light source substrate 41. The inner wall 43 is located between the side surface 13 of the first light guide 10 and the cover 30.

[0107] The cover 30 is joined to the light source substrate 41 on the opposite side of the inner wall 43 from the first light guide 10. Specifically, the light source substrate 41 may further have an extension portion 44 extending from the inner wall 43 to the opposite side of the first light guide 10. The cover 30 may be joined to the extension portion 44 by, for example, bonding with an adhesive or ultrasonic welding.

[0108] In this case, when manufacturing the emblem 1C, the material of the cover 30 melted by the adhesive or ultrasonic waves is blocked by the inner wall 43. This has the effect of preventing abnormal light emission and uneven brightness caused by light leakage or absorption that occurs when adhesive or the like adheres to the light guide.

[0109] Furthermore, when the emblem 1C is in use, the light that is not reflected by the side surface 13 can be blocked by the inner wall 43. Therefore, deterioration in the appearance of the design that the user sees of the emblem 1C, which is caused by light leaking from the side surface 13, is reduced.

[0110] (Variation 4) Fig. 33 is a diagram showing an example of an emblem 1D according to a fourth variation of embodiment 1. The base substrate 42 is omitted from Fig. 33. In addition to the configuration of the emblem 1, the emblem 1D further includes a semi-transmissive reflective film 35 that three-dimensionally covers the surface of the cover 30. Here, "covering three-dimensionally" means covering not only the surface of the cover 30 on the light guide path exit surface 11 side of the first light guide 10, but also the surface of the cover 30 on the side of the side surface 13.

[0111] In the emblem 1D, the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 can reflect and return a portion of the light emitted from the first light guide 10. As a result, the light ultimately emitted from the emblem 1D can be made uniform, improving the quality of the design as perceived by the user. Furthermore, in the emblem 1D, the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 also improves the reflectance of external light, thereby improving the quality of the design as perceived by the user when the light source 20 is not emitting light.

[0112] In particular, it is preferable that the light transmittance of the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 be 35% or less. If the light transmittance of the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 is too high, external light will pass through the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 when the light source 20 is not emitting light, and the interior of the emblem 1D will be visible due to the returned light reflected internally, degrading the appearance of the design. By setting the light transmittance of the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 to 35% or less, degradation of the appearance of the design is reduced.

[0113] (Variation 5) Figure 34 is a diagram showing an example of an emblem 1E according to a fifth variation of embodiment 1. The emblem 1E differs from the emblem 1 in that it includes a base substrate 42A instead of the base substrate 42. The base substrate 42A differs from the base substrate 42 in that it has a curved shape. In the example shown in Figure 34, the base substrate 42A has a shape in which the center is convex upward relative to the outer edge, relative to the flat surface indicated by the dashed line. However, the curved shape of the base substrate 42A is not limited to this.

[0114] The curved shape of the base substrate 42A is a shape that fits the surface of the object to which the emblem 1E is attached, such as a vehicle body, thereby improving the stability of the emblem 1E when attached to the object.

[0115] (Variation 6) Figure 35 is a diagram showing an example of an emblem 1F according to a sixth variation of embodiment 1. The base substrate 42 is omitted from Figure 35. In addition to the configuration of the emblem 1, the emblem 1F further includes a transparent layer 36. The transparent layer 36 is a layer formed of a light-transmitting material. The radius of curvature at the corners of the transparent layer 36 may be larger than the radius of curvature at the corners of the cover 30. The emblem 1F maintains the appearance of the design while mitigating the risk of injury from the corners of the cover 30.

[0116] Second Embodiment The following describes emblems 2A to 2G equipped with second light-amount suppression units 62A to 62F as specific examples of the second light-amount suppression unit 62. In the drawings of each specific example, the light-amount adjustment unit 60 is shown equipped with a first light-amount suppression unit 61A. However, the light-amount adjustment unit 60 may be equipped with the first light-amount suppression unit 61 instead of the first light-amount suppression unit 61A.

[0117] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2A according to a first specific example of embodiment 2. The emblem 2A includes a second light-amount suppressing portion 62A. The second light-amount suppressing portion 62A is a wall provided on the light source 20 side of the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41. In the emblem 2A, light traveling from the light source 20 toward the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 is blocked by the second light-amount suppressing portion 62A. The second light-amount suppressing portion 62 may be integral with the light source substrate 41. Alternatively, the second light-amount suppressing portion 62 may be integral with the reflector 45.

[0118] 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2B according to a second specific example of the second embodiment. The emblem 2B includes a second light-amount suppressing portion 62B. The second light-amount suppressing portion 62B is a portion of the light source substrate 41 that is painted black. The second light-amount suppressing portion 62B reduces the intensity of light reflected by the light source substrate 41. The second light-amount suppressing portion 62B is provided at a position where light that enters the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 enters the light source substrate 41. In the emblem 2B, the second light-amount suppressing portion 62B reduces the amount of light that enters the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 and is reflected by the light source substrate 41.

[0119] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2C according to a third specific example of the second embodiment. The emblem 2C includes a second light-intensity suppressing portion 62C. The second light-intensity suppressing portion 62C is a double-sided tape that bonds the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 together. The second light-intensity suppressing portion 62C has cushioning properties. Therefore, even if the size of the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 varies, the second light-intensity suppressing portion 62C can bond the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 together without leaving a gap. In the emblem 2A, light traveling from the light source 20 toward the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41 is blocked by the second light-intensity suppressing portion 62C.

[0120] 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2D according to a fourth specific example of embodiment 2. The emblem 2D includes a second light amount suppressing portion 62D. The second light amount suppressing portion 62D is a portion of the back surface 12 of the first light guide 10 near the light source 20 that protrudes toward the light source substrate 41. In the emblem 2D, the second light amount suppressing portion 62D blocks light from the light source 20 toward the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41.

[0121] 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2E according to a fifth specific example of Embodiment 2. The emblem 2E includes a second light amount suppressing portion 62E. Similar to the second light amount suppressing portion 62D, the second light amount suppressing portion 62E is a combination of a protruding portion of the rear surface 12 of the first light guide 10 and a recessed portion provided in the light source substrate 41. In the second light amount suppressing portion 62E, the protruding portion of the rear surface 12 of the first light guide 10 is housed in a recessed portion provided in the light source substrate 41.

[0122] For this reason, in emblem 2E, the lower end of second light amount suppressing portion 62E is located below the surface of light source substrate 41 that supports first light guide 10. In emblem 2E, light from light source 20 is even less likely to enter the gap between first light guide 10 and light source substrate 41 than in emblem 2D.

[0123] 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2F according to a sixth specific example of embodiment 2. The emblem 2F includes a second light amount suppression portion 62F. The second light amount suppression portion 62F is a light-blocking portion that is continuous with the first light amount suppression portion 61A and is located further downward from the light source 20 than the first light amount suppression portion 61A. As indicated by arrows RR in Fig. 16 , the second light amount suppression portion 62F blocks light that enters the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41, is reflected by the light source substrate 41, and is directed toward the light-emitting surface 31.

[0124] As described above, in emblems 2A to 2F, second light amount suppressing portions 62A to 62F suppress light from light source 20 from entering the gap between first light guide 10 and light source substrate 41, being reflected by light source substrate 41, and being emitted from light-emitting surface 31. Therefore, in emblems 2A to 2F, brightness unevenness caused by light from light source 20 entering the gap between first light guide 10 and light source substrate 41 is reduced.

[0125] 11 to 15, each of the emblems 2A to 2E includes a light deflection portion 12a above the first light quantity suppression portion 61A. Meanwhile, the emblem 2F includes a light deflection portion 12b above the first light quantity suppression portion 61A and the second light quantity suppression portion 62F. However, the combination of the second light quantity suppression portions 62A to 62F with the light deflection portions 12a, 12b is not particularly limited. That is, the emblems 2A to 2E may include the light deflection portion 12b, and the emblem 2F may include the light deflection portion 12a.

[0126] In FIG. 29 , 2901 denotes a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 2G according to a seventh specific example of Embodiment 2. The emblem 2G includes a light-intensity suppression structure in which the second light-intensity suppression portion 62A included in the emblem 2A according to the first specific example of Embodiment 2 and the first light-intensity suppression portion 61A included in the emblem 1A according to the first modified example of Embodiment 1 are integrated. Reference numeral 2902 in FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing the outline of the light-intensity suppression structure in which the second light-intensity suppression portion 62A and the first light-intensity suppression portion 61A are integrated. This configuration can block light traveling directly from the light source 20 toward the light-emitting surface 31 and light traveling from the light source 20 toward the gap between the first light guide 10 and the light source substrate 41. The light-intensity suppression structure also functions to block light traveling from the light source 20 toward the outer periphery of the emblem 2G.

[0127] Fig. 36 is a diagram showing another example of a light amount suppression structure in which the second light amount suppression unit 62A and the first light amount suppression unit 61A are integrated, different from Fig. 29. In the example shown in Fig. 36, the second light amount suppression unit 62A and the first light amount suppression unit 61A are integrated by a light amount suppression unit connecting member 64 that is larger in size in the direction along the side surface 13 than the first light amount suppression unit 61A.

[0128] Furthermore, the size of the first light amount suppressing unit 61A may be larger than the size of the housing unit 15 when no external force is applied. In this case, the first light amount suppressing unit 61A is press-fitted into the housing unit 15. Taking into account that the first light amount suppressing unit 61A will be press-fitted into the housing unit 15, the first light amount suppressing unit 61A may be made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber.

[0129] In this case, the first light amount suppressing portion 61A can be press-fitted into the housing portion 15 to improve the adhesion between the first light guide 10 and the first light amount suppressing portion 61A, thereby reducing the occurrence of eyeballs caused by light leaking between the first light guide 10 and the first light amount suppressing portion 61A.

[0130] 37 is a diagram showing an example of an emblem 2H ​​according to a first modification of embodiment 2. In emblem 2H, straight line Ln0 is a straight line extending from the end of the upper surface of the light source 20 on the first light guide 10 side in a direction perpendicular to the light source substrate 41. Straight line Ln1 is a straight line extending from the end of the upper surface of the light source 20 on the first light guide 10 side in a direction toward the end of the lower surface of the first light amount suppressing unit 61A on the first light guide 10 side. Angle θ is the angle formed by straight line Ln0 and straight line Ln1.

[0131] In the emblem 2H, the angle θ may be 45° or greater, which reduces light leakage from above the light source 20 even if a small gap occurs between the first light guide 10 and the first light amount suppressing portion 61A.

[0132] 37 , the straight line Ln1 when θ=45° is indicated by a dashed line. In the emblem 2H, it is sufficient that the end of the lower surface of the first light quantity suppressing part 61A on the first light guide 10 side is located closer to the first light guide 10 than the dashed line.

[0133] (Variation 2) Fig. 38 is a diagram for explaining the thickness of the first light guide 10 in an emblem 2I according to a second variation of embodiment 2. The emblem 2I may include a light deflection portion 12a, similar to the emblem 2G shown in Fig. 29. The light deflection portion 12a is omitted in Fig. 38. In Fig. 38, thickness T0 is the thickness of the first light guide 10 at the point where light from the light source 20 is incident. Furthermore, thickness T1 is the thickness of the first light guide 10 above the light source 20. In the emblem 2I, T1 / T0 ≧ 0.05 may be satisfied.

[0134] Fig. 39 is a graph showing the relationship between the T1 / T0 value and luminance for emblem 2I. In Fig. 39, the horizontal axis is T1 / T0, and the vertical axis is L1max / L0ave. L1max is the maximum luminance at the top of light source 20. L0ave is the average luminance at the point where light from light source 20 enters.

[0135] 39 , when T1 / T0 is in the range of T1 / T0 ≧ 0.05, L1max / L0ave ≧ 1. In other words, when T1 / T0 is in the range of T1 / T0 ≧ 0.05, the maximum luminance at the top of the light source 20 is greater than the average luminance at the point where light from the light source 20 is incident. Therefore, by adjusting the size, number, and / or shape of the light deflection unit 12a at the top of the light source 20, it is possible to make the luminance at the top of the light source 20 and the luminance at the point where light from the light source 20 is incident equivalent to each other.

[0136] 17 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an emblem 3 according to embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 17, emblem 3 differs from emblem 1 in that it includes a diffusion cover 30A instead of cover 30 and in that it omits diffusion plate 47. The diffusion cover 30A is provided on light amount adjustment unit 60.

[0137] The diffusion cover 30A is disposed at least between the light source 20 and the light-emitting surface 31. In Fig. 17, the diffusion cover 30A is disposed so as to fit along the entire light-emitting surface 31. However, the diffusion cover 30A does not necessarily have to fit along the entire light-emitting surface 31.

[0138] The diffusion cover 30A is made of a material that diffuses light. Therefore, in an emblem 3 in which the diffusion plate 47 is omitted, the diffusion cover 30A diffuses light, allowing the design to be seen.

[0139] The upper surface of the diffusion cover 30A is curved upward. The thickness of the diffusion cover 30A disposed in the region between the light source 20 and the light-emitting surface 31 is 0.3 mm or more. By thickening the diffusion cover 30A in this manner in the region between the light source 20 and the light-emitting surface 31, the appearance of the emblem 3 is improved.

[0140] The bottom surface of the diffusion cover 30A is also curved upward. That is, both surfaces of the diffusion cover 30A are curved. This prevents the diffusion cover 30A from becoming too thick except above the light source 20. Therefore, a decrease in brightness due to excessive diffusion of light except above the light source 20 is suppressed.

[0141] 18 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of an emblem 3A according to a first modification of embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 18, the emblem 3A differs from the emblem 3 in that it includes a first light guide 10A instead of the first light guide 10.

[0142] As described above, both surfaces of the diffusion cover 30A are curved. Furthermore, the light guide path exit surface 11 of the first light guide 10A has a curved shape that follows the shape of the surface of the diffusion cover 30A. Therefore, in the emblem 3A, the space between the light guide path exit surface 11 and the underside of the diffusion cover 30A is smaller than in the emblem 3. Therefore, in the emblem 3A, the surface of the diffusion cover 30A opposite to the light emitting surface 31 is supported by the first light guide 10A, which makes it possible to prevent damage to the diffusion cover 30A due to external impacts, etc.

[0143] (Variation 2) Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an emblem 3B according to a second variation of embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 19, emblem 3B differs from emblem 3 in that it includes a diffusion cover 30B instead of diffusion cover 30A. Diffusion cover 30B is provided on first light quantity reduction section 61. Diffusion cover 30B has a transmissive layer 321 and a diffusion layer 322 located closer to light-emitting surface 31 than transmissive layer 321.

[0144] The transmissive layer 321 is a layer that does not diffuse light. Alternatively, the transmissive layer 321 may be a layer that has a relatively small diffusion performance. The diffusion layer 322 has a higher diffusion performance than the transmissive layer 321. This minimizes the reduction in light quantity due to light diffusion by the diffusion cover 30B. Furthermore, the difference in brightness between the vicinity of the light source 20 and other areas can be reduced.

[0145] In particular, the thickness of the diffusion layer 322 may be 50% or less of the overall thickness of the diffusion cover 30B, which allows the internal structure of the emblem 3B to be concealed by the diffusion layer 322 and minimizes the reduction in light intensity due to light diffusion by the diffusion cover 30B.

[0146] The thickness of the diffusion layer 322 may or may not be constant. "Constant" here means that the thickness can be considered substantially constant, but does not necessarily mean that the thickness is completely constant. For example, the thickness of the diffusion layer 322 can be considered substantially constant if it is within ±5% of the average value of the thickness.

[0147] (Variation 3) Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an emblem 3C according to a third variation of embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 20, emblem 3C differs from emblem 3 in that it includes a diffusion cover 30C instead of diffusion cover 30A. Diffusion cover 30C is provided on first light quantity suppression portion 61. Diffusion cover 30C differs from diffusion cover 30A in that it includes a diffusion structure portion 33a.

[0148] The diffusion structure 33a is a portion provided on the surface of the diffusion cover 30C facing the light source 20 and has a structure for diffusing light. The diffusion structure 33a is formed, for example, by roughening the surface of the diffusion cover 30C facing the light source 20. The diffusion structure 33a is provided in a light source facing region 33 facing the light source 20 on the surface of the diffusion cover 30C facing the light source 20. Therefore, the diffusion performance of the light source facing region 33 of the diffusion cover 30C is higher than the diffusion performance of regions other than the light source facing region 33. As a result, the difference between the amount of light in the light source facing region 33 and the amount of light in regions other than the light source facing region 33 is reduced compared to when the diffusion structure 33a is not provided in the light source facing region 33. Therefore, brightness unevenness is reduced.

[0149] [Embodiment 4] Fig. 21 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an emblem 4 according to embodiment 4. In Fig. 21, the configuration of the main parts of the emblem 4 according to embodiment 4 is indicated by reference numeral 2102, and for comparison, the configuration of the corresponding part in the emblem 1 is indicated by reference numeral 2101. As shown in Fig. 21, the emblem 4 differs from the emblem 1 in that it includes a first light guide 10B instead of the first light guide 10 and in that it includes a plurality of light sources 20. The first light guide 10B differs from the first light guide 10 in that it includes a housing portion 15A instead of the housing portion 15.

[0150] As indicated by the reference numeral 2101, in the emblem 1, the housing portion 15 houses only one light source 20. The first light guide 10 has two or more adjacent incident surfaces 151 in the housing portion 15, through which light from the light source 20 is incident. The normal directions of the multiple incident surfaces 151 are all different from the normal direction of the light guide path exit surface 11. The normal directions of the multiple incident surfaces 151 are also different from one another. In the emblem 1, a single light source 20 causes light to be incident on each of the multiple incident surfaces 151. In this case, the light source 20 may have multiple side surfaces from which each light source emits light.

[0151] On the other hand, as shown by reference numeral 2102, in the emblem 4, the housing portion 15A houses a plurality of light sources 20. For this reason, the housing portion 15A is formed larger than the housing portion 15. The first light guide 10B has a plurality of incident surfaces 151 in the housing portion 15A, similar to the first light guide 10.

[0152] In the emblem 4, a plurality of light sources 20 are provided corresponding to the plurality of light incident surfaces 151. This allows the use of a general light source that emits light in only one direction for each of the light sources 20.

[0153] 22 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an emblem 5 according to embodiment 5. As shown in Fig. 22, emblem 5 differs from emblem 1 in that it includes light source 20A instead of light source 20 and further includes a second light guide 50.

[0154] The light source 20A emits light L from the rear surface 12 side of the first light guide 10 toward the light guide path exit surface 11. In other words, the direction in which the light L is emitted from the light source 20A is not parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11. The position of the light source 20A in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11 may be the same as the position of the light source 20. On the other hand, the position of the light source 20A in the direction perpendicular to the light guide path exit surface 11 is located below the position of the light source 20.

[0155] The second light guide 50 is a rod-shaped member through which light L is guided. The second light guide 50 has a second incident surface 51, a reflective structure 52, and a second exit surface 53. The second incident surface 51 is a surface onto which light L emitted from the light source 20A is incident. The reflective structure 52 is a portion having a structure that reflects light from the light source 20A in a direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11. This allows light L emitted from the light source 20A in a direction not parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11 to be directed in a direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11. The reflective structure 52 is located at the end of the second light guide 50 on the light guide path exit surface 11 side. The second exit surface 53 is a surface from which light L reflected by the reflective structure 52 is emitted. The material of the second light guide 50 may be the same as or different from the material of the first light guide 10 described above.

[0156] The reflective structure 52 may be a flat or curved surface that reflects the light L from the light source 20A in two or more directions parallel to the light guide path exit surface 11. In this case, there is no need to provide a component as the reflective structure 52 in the second light guide 50, and therefore the number of components can be reduced.

[0157] The second light guide 50 may be, for example, a prismatic rod having a bottom surface that serves as the second incident surface 51 and an upper surface that faces the bottom surface and functions as the reflective structure 52. In this case, part of the side surface of the prismatic rod serves as the second exit surface 53.

[0158] In the emblem 5, the light source 20A emits light L from the rear surface 12 side through the second light guide 50 into the first light guide 10. In this case, a general light source that does not emit light L in all directions within a plane can be used as the light source 20A. This reduces the cost of the emblem 5.

[0159] In the emblem 5, at least a portion of the second light guide 50 is housed in the housing portion 15 of the first light guide 10. Specifically, the second light guide 50 is housed in the housing portion 15 so that light L that enters from the second incident surface 51, is reflected by the reflective structure portion 52, and is emitted from the second exit surface 53 enters the first light guide 10.

[0160] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing a specific example of the reflecting structure 52. In Fig. 23, different specific examples of the reflecting structure 52 are shown with reference numerals 2301 to 2304.

[0161] The reflecting structure 52 may have two flat reflecting surfaces that reflect light L, as indicated by reference numeral 2301. Alternatively, the reflecting structure 52 may have two curved reflecting surfaces that reflect light L, as indicated by reference numeral 2302. Alternatively, when the reflecting structure 52 has a curved shape, the width of the second light guide 50 in the vicinity of the second incident surface 51 in a direction parallel to the second incident surface 51 may be narrower than the width of the reflecting structure 52 in that direction, as indicated by reference numeral 2303. Alternatively, the reflecting structure 52 may have three or more reflecting surfaces, as indicated by reference numeral 2304.

[0162] 22, the emblem 5 is also provided with a first light amount suppressing portion 61 and a second light amount suppressing portion 62, similar to the emblem 1. This reduces the luminance unevenness between the area near the light source 20 and other areas on the light-emitting surface 31.

[0163] Sixth Embodiment Fig. 24 is a plan view showing an outline of an emblem 6 according to a sixth embodiment. Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in Fig. 24. In Fig. 25, two different examples of the cross-section taken along line XXV-XXV in Fig. 24 are indicated by reference numerals 2501 and 2502. Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in Fig. 24. As shown in Figs. 24 to 26, the emblem 6 includes, in addition to the configuration of the emblem 1, a third light quantity suppression unit 63A and / or a third light quantity suppression unit 63B.

[0164] 24 shows partial regions 17A and 17B of the first light guide 10. The partial regions 17A and 17B are surface regions whose normal direction differs from that of the light guide path exit surface 11. The partial regions 17A and 17B are, for example, parts of the side surface 13 (see FIG. 3 ) of the first light guide 10. In the partial regions 17A and 17B, light incident from the light source 20 is not totally reflected within the light guide 14 and is emitted to the outside of the first light guide 10.

[0165] The emblem 6 includes a third light amount suppression portion 63A or a third light amount suppression portion 63B in the partial region 17A, as shown by reference numerals 2501 and 2502 in Fig. 25. The emblem 6 also includes a third light amount suppression portion 63A in the partial region 17B, as shown in Fig. 26.

[0166] The third light amount suppressing portions 63A and 63B reduce the amount of light emitted from the surface of the partial region 17A. Specifically, the third light amount suppressing portion 63A is a light-blocking member having light-blocking properties that is provided between the first light guide 10 and the cover 30 in one or both of the partial regions 17A and 17B. The third light amount suppressing portion 63B is a portion of the first light guide 10 itself that is formed from a light-blocking resin having light-blocking properties.

[0167] The light transmittance of the third light amount suppressing portion 63A and the third light amount suppressing portion 63B may be 30% or less. In the emblem 6, most of the light incident on the partial regions 17A and 17B is reflected and guided through the first light guide 10. In other words, the amount of light that is not reflected by the partial regions 17A and 17B is very small. Therefore, as long as the amount of light that is not reflected by the partial regions 17A and 17B is 30% or less, even if some light leaks out of the partial regions 17A and 17B, the impact on the appearance of the design as perceived by the user is small.

[0168] The third light suppression portion 63A may be a light-blocking layer printed on the first light guide 10 in one or both of the partial regions 17A and 17B. Alternatively, the third light suppression portion 63A may be a tape made of a light-blocking material. In either case, the third light suppression portion 63A is preferably colored black on the side facing the first light guide 10 and white on the opposite side. This allows the third light suppression portion 63A to be inconspicuous against external light and to have high light-blocking properties against internal light. The third light suppression portion 63B can be obtained, for example, by forming the first light guide 10 by two-color molding using a transparent resin and a light-blocking resin. Alternatively, the base substrate 42 may also be formed of a light-blocking material.

[0169] In the emblem 6, the third light amount suppressing portion 63A and / or the third light amount suppressing portion 63B reduces the amount of light emitted to the outside of the first light guide 10 in the partial regions 17A and 17B. This reduces uneven brightness caused by the light being emitted to the outside of the first light guide 10 in the partial regions 17A and 17B.

[0170] 40 is a perspective view showing an example of an emblem 6A according to a modification of embodiment 6. In emblem 6A, as described in embodiment 2 with reference to FIG. 36 , second light suppression portion 62A and first light suppression portion 61A are integrated by light suppression portion connecting member 64.

[0171] In the emblem 6A, the light-amount suppression unit connecting member 64 is included in the third light-amount suppression unit 63B. In other words, the light-amount suppression unit connecting member 64 partially serves as the third light-amount suppression unit 63B. In this case, the light-amount suppression unit connecting member 64 is located outside the housing portion 15. Therefore, the light-incident surface 151, which is shown shaded in FIG. 40 and through which light enters the first light guide 10 from the housing portion 15, is not blocked by the light-amount suppression unit connecting member 64. This improves the efficiency with which light enters the first light guide 10 from the light source 20.

[0172] [Seventh Embodiment] Fig. 27 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an emblem 7 according to a seventh embodiment. As shown in Fig. 27, emblem 7 differs from emblem 1 in the number and arrangement of light sources 20. In emblem 7, light sources 20 are arranged at all of branching portions 143 and bending portions 144. Furthermore, in emblem 7, light sources 20 are arranged at portions other than branching portions 143 and bending portions 144. In emblem 7, a plurality of light sources 20 are arranged at predetermined intervals from one another in the design area.

[0173] Fig. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in Fig. 27. In Fig. 28, a number of different examples of the cross-section taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in Fig. 27 are indicated by reference numerals 2801 to 2803.

[0174] In the example shown by reference numeral 2801, the emblem 7 includes a first light guide 10 and a cover 30. That is, in the example shown by reference numeral 2801, the emblem 7 has the same configuration as the emblem 1 except for the number and arrangement of the light sources 20.

[0175] In the example shown by the reference numeral 2802, the emblem 7 includes a composite cover 30D. The composite cover 30D has a configuration in which a first light guide 331 and a diffusion cover 332 are integrated. The first light guide 331 may be the same as the first light guide 10, except that it is integrated with the diffusion cover 332. Alternatively, the first light guide 331 may have a relatively small diffusion performance, such as the transmissive layer 321. The diffusion cover 332 may be the same as the diffusion cover 30A, except that it is integrated with the first light guide 331.

[0176] In the example indicated by the reference numeral 2803, the emblem 7 includes a composite cover 30E. The composite cover 30E has a configuration in which a diffusion film 342 (such as a film) is laminated on a first light guide 341. The first light guide 341 may be the same as the first light guide 10, except for the fact that the diffusion film 342 is laminated thereon. Alternatively, the first light guide 341 may have a relatively small diffusion property, like the transmissive layer 321. The diffusion film 342 is a film made of a material with diffusion property that is formed on the surface of the first light guide 341.

[0177] In the emblem 7, a plurality of light sources 20 are arranged, and light from the light sources 20 arranged on both sides of the area between the light sources 20 on the light-emitting surface 31 is emitted from the area. Therefore, the amount of light emitted from the area between the light sources 20 on the light-emitting surface 31 is increased, and brightness unevenness is reduced.

[0178] Furthermore, even in the emblem 7 in which multiple light sources 20 are arranged, at least a part of the design is illuminated by light that is guided through the first light guide 10 and deflected by the light deflection section 12a, rather than by light that is emitted directly from the light source 20 to the light-emitting surface 31. Therefore, even in the emblem 7, the number of light sources 20 can be reduced compared to, for example, when the entire design is illuminated by light from the light sources 20.

[0179] Eighth Embodiment In the emblem 1, the chromaticity of the light emitted from the light guide path exit surface 11 may be shifted to yellow or red from the chromaticity of the light L emitted by the light source 20 due to the influence of the cover 30 and / or the semi-transmissive reflective film 35. For example, a chromaticity shift occurs when the cover 30 and / or the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 contains In. The emblem 1 may have a configuration that offsets such a chromaticity shift.

[0180] For example, the chromaticity of the light L emitted by the light source 20 may be shifted toward the blue side relative to the white point. Specifically, the chromaticity of the light L may be X<0.33 and Y<0.33. An additive may be added to the first light guide 10 to negatively shift the chromaticity of the light L in both X and Y. An additive may be added to the material of the cover 30 or the semi-transmissive reflective film 35 to negatively shift the chromaticity of the transmitted light in both X and Y. Specific examples of additives include blue pigments or dyes (copper phthalocyanine, ultramarine blue, etc.). Alternatively, the emblem 1 may further include a chromaticity-adjusting sheet that negatively shifts the chromaticity of the transmitted light in both X and Y.

[0181] By having the emblem 1 have one or more of these configurations, the chromaticity of the light finally emitted from the emblem 1 can be adjusted to a target color such as white.

[0182] [Additional Notes] The present disclosure can also be expressed as follows.

[0183] A display device according to aspect 1 of the present disclosure comprises a light source, a first light guide that guides light from the light source along a light guide path having the shape of at least a portion of a design and emits the light from a light guide path exit surface that forms part of the light guide path, a light emitting surface that emits light from the light source and the first light guide, and a light intensity adjustment unit that reduces the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region, when a region on the light emitting surface near the light source is defined as a light source region and a region adjacent to the light source region is defined as an adjacent region.

[0184] In a display device according to aspect 2 of the present disclosure, in aspect 1, the light intensity adjustment unit adjusts the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region so that the difference is within 50% of the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region.

[0185] A display device according to aspect 3 of the present disclosure is the display device of aspect 1 or 2, wherein the light amount adjustment unit includes a first light amount suppression unit that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface.

[0186] A display device according to aspect 4 of the present disclosure is a display device according to aspect 3, in which the first light quantity suppression unit and the first light guide are arranged between the light source and the light emitting surface in a direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface, in that order from the light source side, and the light quantity adjustment unit adjusts the light quantity using the region of the first light guide arranged between the light source and the light emitting surface and the first light quantity suppression unit.

[0187] A display device according to aspect 5 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit includes a second light intensity suppression unit that suppresses light from the light source from entering a gap between the first light guide and a light source substrate that supports the first light guide, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface.

[0188] A display device according to aspect 6 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the thickness of the diffusion cover arranged at least in the area between the light source and the light-emitting surface is 0.3 mm or more.

[0189] A display device according to aspect 7 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, both surfaces of the diffusion cover having a curved shape, and the light guide path exit surface of the first light guide having a curved shape that follows the shape of the surface of the diffusion cover.

[0190] A display device according to aspect 8 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover includes a transparent layer and a diffusion layer located closer to the light-emitting surface than the transparent layer and having higher diffusion performance than the transparent layer.

[0191] A display device according to aspect 9 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover arranged at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover has a higher diffusion performance in the light-source facing area of ​​the surface facing the light source that faces the light source than in areas other than the light-source facing area.

[0192] A display device according to aspect 10 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the first light guide has two or more adjacent incident surfaces, each having a normal direction different from that of the light guide path exit surface, for receiving light from the light source, and the normal directions of the multiple incident surfaces are different from each other, and multiple light sources are provided corresponding to each of the multiple incident surfaces.

[0193] A display device according to aspect 11 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 10, further comprising a second light guide that guides light from the light source to the first light guide, and causes light to enter the first light guide via the second light guide from the back side opposite the light guide path exit surface.

[0194] A display device according to aspect 12 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 11, wherein the first light guide is provided with a third light quantity suppression section in a partial region of a surface having a normal direction different from that of the light guide path exit surface, where light incident from the light source is emitted to the outside of the first light guide without being totally reflected within the light guide path, and which reduces the quantity of light emitted from the surface of the partial region.

[0195] A display device according to aspect 13 of the present disclosure is a display device according to aspect 12, wherein the light amount adjustment unit includes a first light amount suppression unit that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface, a second light amount suppression unit that suppresses light from the light source from entering a gap between the first light guide and a light source substrate that supports the first light guide, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface, and a light amount suppression unit connecting member that connects the first light amount suppression unit and the second light amount suppression unit together, and the light amount suppression unit connecting member is included in the third light amount suppression unit.

[0196] A display device according to aspect 14 of the present disclosure is, in any one of aspects 1 to 13, further comprising: a light source substrate on which the light source is arranged, which is provided on the side of the first light guide opposite the light guide path exit surface; and a base substrate on which the light source substrate is placed, which is provided on the side of the light source substrate opposite the side of the first light guide, wherein the side of the light source substrate facing the first light guide and the side of the base substrate facing the first light guide are white.

[0197] A display device according to aspect 15 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 14, wherein the light sources are arranged in the design area at predetermined intervals from each other.

[0198] A display device according to aspect 16 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 15, wherein the light guide path has an outer edge light guide path that follows the outer edge of the design and an inner light guide path that extends inward from the outer edge light guide path, and the light source is disposed at at least one of (i) a branch point from the outer edge light guide path to the inner light guide path, and (ii) a bend point where the inner light guide path is bent.

[0199] A display device according to aspect 17 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 16, wherein the light source has a peak amount of emitted light in a first direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface, and the amount of emitted light in a direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface and shifted 90° from the first direction is 50% or more of the amount of emitted light in the first direction.

[0200] A display device according to aspect 18 of the present disclosure is any of aspects 1 to 17, further comprising a cover having a design shape that the display device can visually recognize by a user, a substrate supporting the first light guide and the cover, and a sidewall erected on the substrate and positioned between the first light guide and the cover, wherein the cover is joined to the substrate on the side opposite the first light guide with respect to the sidewall.

[0201] A display device according to aspect 19 of the present disclosure is any one of aspects 1 to 18, further comprising a cover having a design shape that the display device can visually recognize by a user, and a semi-transparent reflective film that covers the surface of the cover in a three-dimensional manner.

[0202] A display device according to Aspect 20 of the present disclosure is the display device of Aspect 19, wherein the light transmittance of the semi-transmissive reflective film is 35% or less.

[0203] A display device according to aspect 21 of the present disclosure is any of aspects 1 to 20, further comprising a cover having a design shape that the display device can view to a user, the cover including both a diffusing material that diffuses light and an opaque material that reflects light.

[0204] A display device according to a twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure is a light-emitting emblem for a vehicle in any one of the first to twenty-first aspects, which is attached to a body of a vehicle.

[0205] A vehicle according to aspect 23 of the present disclosure is a vehicle equipped with the display device of aspect 22 and a millimeter-wave radar unit for identifying the position of surrounding objects, wherein the display device is mounted on top of the millimeter-wave radar unit.

[0206] A surface light emitting device according to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure includes the display device according to any one of the first to twenty-first aspects.

[0207] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0208] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4, 5, 6, 7 Emblem 10, 10A, 10B, 331 First light guide 11 Light guide exit surface 14 Light guide 141 Outer edge light guide 142 Inner light guide 143 Branch 144 Bent part 151 Incident surface 17A, 17B Partial region 20, 20A Light source 30A, 30B, 30C, 332 Diffusion cover 31 Light emitting surface 31a Light source region 31b Adjacent region 321 Transmissive layer 322 Diffusion layer 33 Light source opposing region 41 Light source substrate 42 Base substrate 50 Second light guide 60 Light amount adjustment section 61, 61A, 61B First light amount suppressor 62, 62A, 62B, 62C, 62D, 62E, 62F Second light amount suppressor 63, 63A, 63B Third light amount suppressor

Claims

1. A display device comprising: a light source; a first light guide that guides light from the light source along a light guide path that has the shape of at least a part of a design and emits the light from a light guide path emission surface that forms part of the light guide path; a light emitting surface that emits light from the light source and the first light guide; and a light amount adjustment unit that reduces the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region, where the region on the light emitting surface near the light source is defined as a light source region and the region adjacent to the light source region is defined as an adjacent region.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit adjusts the difference between the amount of light emitted from the light source region and the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region so that the difference is within 50% of the amount of light emitted from the adjacent region.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount adjustment section includes a first light amount suppression section that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface.

4. A display device as described in claim 3, wherein the first light quantity suppression unit and the first light guide are arranged in order from the light source side between the light source and the light emitting surface in a direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface, and the light quantity adjustment unit adjusts the light quantity using the area of ​​the first light guide arranged between the light source and the light emitting surface and the first light quantity suppression unit.

5. The display device described in claim 1, wherein the light amount adjustment unit includes a second light amount suppression unit that suppresses light from the light source from entering the gap between the first light guide and a light source substrate that supports the first light guide, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover disposed at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover disposed at least in the region between the light source and the light-emitting surface has a thickness of 0.3 mm or more.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit comprises at least a diffusion cover disposed between the light source and the light-emitting surface, both surfaces of the diffusion cover having a curved shape, and the light guide path exit surface of the first light guide having a curved shape that conforms to the shape of the surface of the diffusion cover.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit comprises a diffusion cover disposed at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover comprises a transparent layer and a diffusion layer positioned closer to the light-emitting surface than the transparent layer and having higher diffusion performance than the transparent layer.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light intensity adjustment unit includes a diffusion cover disposed at least between the light source and the light-emitting surface, and the diffusion cover has a higher diffusion performance in a light-source facing area of ​​the surface facing the light source that faces the light source than in areas other than the light-source facing area.

10. A display device as described in claim 1, wherein the first light guide has two or more adjacent incident surfaces, the normal directions of which are different from the light guide path exit surface, for receiving light from the light source, the normal directions of the multiple incident surfaces being different from each other, and a plurality of the light sources being provided corresponding to each of the multiple incident surfaces.

11. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a second light guide that guides light from the light source to the first light guide, and light is incident on the first light guide via the second light guide from the rear side opposite to the light guide path exit surface.

12. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first light guide is provided with a third light quantity suppression section in a partial region of a surface having a normal direction different from that of the light guide path exit surface, where light incident from the light source is emitted to the outside of the first light guide without being totally reflected within the light guide path, for reducing the quantity of light emitted from the surface of the partial region.

13. The display device described in claim 12, wherein the light amount adjustment unit comprises: a first light amount suppression unit that reduces the amount of light emitted from the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light-emitting surface; a second light amount suppression unit that suppresses light from the light source from entering a gap between the first light guide and a light source substrate that supports the first light guide, being reflected by the light source substrate, and being emitted from the light-emitting surface; and a light amount suppression unit connecting member that connects the first light amount suppression unit and the second light amount suppression unit together, wherein the light amount suppression unit connecting member is included in the third light amount suppression unit.

14. The display device of claim 1, further comprising: a light source substrate on which the light source is arranged, the light source being provided on the side of the first light guide opposite the light guide path exit surface; and a base substrate on which the light source substrate is placed, the side of the light source substrate opposite the side of the first light guide, the surface of the light source substrate on the side of the first light guide and the surface of the base substrate on the side of the first light guide are white.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said light sources are arranged at predetermined intervals in said design area.

16. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide path has an outer edge light guide path that follows the outer edge of the design and an inner light guide path that extends inward from the outer edge light guide path, and the light source is disposed at at least one of (i) a branch point from the outer edge light guide path to the inner light guide path, and (ii) a bent portion where the inner light guide path is bent.

17. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light source has a peak amount of emitted light in a first direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface, and the amount of emitted light in a direction parallel to the light guide path exit surface and shifted by 90° from the first direction is 50% or more of the amount of emitted light in the first direction.

18. A display device as described in claim 1, further comprising: a cover having a design shape that the display device can visually recognize by a user; a substrate that supports the first light guide and the cover; and a side wall that is erected on the substrate and positioned between the first light guide and the cover, wherein the cover is joined to the substrate on the side opposite the first light guide with respect to the side wall.

19. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a cover having a design shape that the display device can visually recognize by a user; and a semi-transparent reflective film that covers the surface of the cover in a three-dimensional manner.

20. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the light transmittance of said semi-transmissive reflective film is 35% or less.

21. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a cover having a design shape that is visible to a user, the cover including both a diffusing material that diffuses light and an opaque material that reflects light.

22. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 21, which is a light-emitting emblem for a vehicle that is attached to the body of a vehicle.

23. A vehicle comprising the display device according to claim 22 and a millimeter wave radar unit for identifying the position of surrounding objects, wherein the display device is attached to overlap the millimeter wave radar unit.

24. A surface light emitting device comprising the display device according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

Images