Vehicle lamp fitting

The vehicle lamp achieves three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth by using a first lens to project an illumination pattern and a second lens with light-blocking and passing portions, enhancing perceived depth and brightness distribution.

WO2026048630A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-03-05ICHIKOH IND LTD
View PDF 4 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/JP2025/029198
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-08-30
Filing Date
2025-08-20
Publication Date
2026-03-05

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing vehicle lamps struggle to achieve three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth, as described in Patent Document 1.

Method used

A vehicle lamp design comprising a light source, a first lens that guides light and projects an illumination pattern with bright and dark portions, a second lens with a light-blocking pattern and light-passing portions, and a third lens that emits light to the front, creating a three-dimensional light-emitting area with varying brightness levels.

Benefits of technology

The design realizes a three-dimensional light-emitting area with a sense of depth by effectively guiding and diffusing light through multiple lenses, enhancing the perceived depth and brightness distribution.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure JP2025029198_05032026_PF_FP_ABST
    Figure JP2025029198_05032026_PF_FP_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

This vehicle lamp fitting comprises a light source, a first lens that guides light from the light source and emits the light in a forward direction, and a second lens that is disposed in front of the first lens, has a light blocking pattern in which a light blocking portion that blocks a portion of the light from the first lens and a light passing portion that passes a portion of the light are formed, the second lens emitting the light that has passed through the light passing portion in the forward direction, wherein: the first lens emits, toward the second lens, an emission pattern having a bright portion and a dark portion of the light; and in the light blocking pattern, the light passing portion is disposed in a portion to which the bright portion of the emission pattern is emitted.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Vehicle lighting fixtures

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

[0002] A known vehicle lamp has hemispherical control steps formed on the light-emitting elements, each with a different curvature, so that the light-emitting elements arranged two-dimensionally in the vertical and horizontal directions appear three-dimensionally illuminated with a sense of depth, with the light-emitting elements on both sides in the vertical direction brighter and the central light-emitting element darker (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2024-74472 A

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for vehicle lighting fixtures to achieve three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth. With the configuration described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to fully achieve three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a vehicle lamp that can achieve three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.

[0006] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention comprises a light source, a first lens that guides light from the light source and emits it to the front side, and a second lens that is arranged on the front side of the first lens and has a light-blocking pattern formed with a light-blocking portion that blocks part of the light from the first lens and a light-passing portion that passes part of the light, and emits the light that has passed through the light-passing portion to the front side, wherein the first lens projects an illumination pattern having bright and dark portions due to the light onto the second lens, and the light-blocking pattern has the light-passing portion arranged in a portion where the bright portion of the illumination pattern is illuminated.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a rear part of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a first lens. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a state where a second lens is viewed from the rear. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of a state where a second lens is viewed from the front. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of a state where a second lens is viewed from the front. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a state where a vehicle lamp is viewed from the rear of a vehicle. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a state where a second lens is viewed from the front.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] In this embodiment, the front and rear directions are directions in a state where the device is mounted on a vehicle (mounted on a vehicle). For example, when the device is mounted on the front of the vehicle, the front is the front direction (front side) and the rear is the rear direction (rear side). When the device is mounted on the rear of the vehicle, the rear is the front direction (front side) and the front is the rear direction (rear side). When the device is mounted on the side of the vehicle, the outside of the vehicle is the front direction (front side) and the inside of the vehicle is the rear direction (rear side).

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the rear of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 2, a running device 3, and a vehicle lamp 100. The vehicle body 2 has a driver's cab in which a driver sits. The vehicle body 2 is supported by the running device 3. The running device 3 has wheels on which tires 4 are mounted, a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and a brake device for slowing down or stopping the running device 3. The vehicle 1 includes a boarding / alighting door provided on a side of the vehicle body 2, and a tailgate 7 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. The boarding / alighting door and the tailgate 7 are each movably supported on the vehicle body 2 via a hinge mechanism.

[0012] In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. Therefore, the rear side in the front-to-rear direction will be described as the front side of the vehicle lamp 100, and the front side in the front-to-rear direction will be described as the back side of the vehicle lamp 100.

[0013] The vehicle lighting device 100 includes functional lamps, such as a tail lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit in conjunction with the lighting of the head lamps, a stop lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit in conjunction with the operation of the brake device, and a rear turn signal lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and lit to indicate the direction in which the vehicle 1 is traveling to those around it.

[0014] The vehicle lamps 100 are disposed, for example, on the vehicle body 2 side. In this embodiment, the vehicle body 2 is a fixed part. The back door 7 is a movable part. The structure of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left rear part of the vehicle body 2 and the structure of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right rear part of the vehicle body 2 are symmetrical in the left-right direction and are substantially identical in structure. The following description will mainly focus on the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the left rear part of the vehicle body 2, and the description of the vehicle lamp 100 provided on the right rear part of the vehicle body 2 will be simplified or omitted.

[0015] 2 and 3 are diagrams showing an example of a vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional view as seen from the side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view. The vehicle lamp 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is, for example, a signal lamp such as a tail lamp. In this embodiment, the front direction is the rear direction (rear) and the back direction is the front direction (forward). Furthermore, the left direction (left side) is the outside of the vehicle, and the right direction (right side) is the inside of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle lamp 100 includes a light source 5, a first lens 10, a second lens 20, a third lens 30, and a housing 40.

[0016] The light source 5 has a light source such as an LED or an organic EL. The light source 5 emits light, for example, red light upward or downward. In this embodiment, the light source 5 emits light upward. Note that the light source 5 may also be configured to emit light downward. That is, the light source 5 is arranged with the light-emitting surface 5a that emits light facing upward. Note that the light source 5 is not limited to a light source that emits red light, and may be a light source that emits light of another color, such as white. The multiple light sources 5 are mounted on a substrate 6. The substrate 6 is fixed to the housing 40. In this embodiment, multiple light sources 5 are arranged in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

[0017] The first lens 10 guides light from the light source 5 and emits it toward the front side. In this embodiment, the first lens 10 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the light source 5. The first lens 10 is disposed above the light source 5. Note that, in the case where the light source 5 is configured to emit light downward, the first lens 10 is disposed below the light source 5. The first lens 10 irradiates the second lens 20 with an irradiation pattern P (see FIG. 6B , etc.) having bright portions P2 and dark portions P1, which will be described later.

[0018] 4 is a perspective view showing an example of first lens 10. First lens 10 has an incident portion 11, a reflecting surface 12, and an exit surface 13. Incident portion 11 is disposed facing light source 5, and receives light from light source 5. Incident portion 11 has an opposing incident surface (incident surface) 11a, a lateral incident surface (incident surface) 11b, and a lateral reflecting surface 11c.

[0019] The opposing incident surface 11a faces the light-emitting surface 5a of the light source 5. Light emitted upward from the light-emitting surface 5a is incident on the opposing incident surface 11a. The opposing incident surface 11a is formed, for example, in a flat shape, but is not limited to this shape and may be a convex surface protruding toward the light source 5. The side incident surface 11b is arranged along the outer periphery of the opposing incident surface 11a. The side incident surface 11b is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the opposing incident surface 11a. Light emitted laterally from the light-emitting surface 5a is incident on the side incident surface 11b. The side incident surface 11b may be formed so that its diameter decreases upward. The side reflecting surface 11c is arranged along the outer periphery of the side incident surface 11b. The side reflecting surface 11c internally reflects light incident from the side incident surface 11b upward. The side reflection surface 11c may be formed with an optical element that reflects light incident from the side incidence surface 11b in a diffusive manner upward.

[0020] The reflective surface 12 reflects light incident from the opposing incident surface 11a and the side incident surface 11b toward the front side, toward the exit surface 13. A plurality of reflective surfaces 12 are provided at positions spaced apart in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the reflective surfaces 12 are provided separated in the vertical direction by a step portion 14. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the plurality of reflective surfaces, the upper reflective surface 12 is referred to as reflective surface 12A, and the lower reflective surface 12 is referred to as reflective surface 12B. In this embodiment, when viewed from above, the reflective surfaces 12A and 12B are arranged continuously in the front-to-rear direction. That is, the rear edge of the reflective surface 12A coincides with the front edge of the reflective surface 12B. Note that the positional relationship between the reflective surfaces 12A and 12B in the front-to-rear direction is not limited to the above. The reflective surfaces 12A and 12B may also be arranged at positions spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction. Each reflective surface 12 is, for example, planar. When viewed from the side (see FIG. 2 etc.), each reflective surface 12 is provided so as to extend obliquely upward toward the rear. Each reflective surface 12 is provided so as to direct light to regions of the exit surface 13 that are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. Specifically, light reflected by reflective surface 12A reaches exit region 13A of the exit surface 13. Light reflected by reflective surface 12B reaches exit region 13B of the exit surface 13. The ranges of exit region 13A and exit region 13B are not limited to the ranges shown in FIG. 2 etc. Note that multiple reflective surfaces 12 may be arranged in positions that do not overlap in the front-to-rear direction.

[0021] The exit surface 13 is disposed facing the front side, and emits the light reflected by the reflecting surface 12 toward the front side. An optical element 13p is formed on the exit surface 13. The optical element 13p diffuses the light in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions and emits it. An example of such an optical element 13p is a prism portion. The optical element 13p is formed over the entire exit surface 13.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first lenses 10 are arranged so that the exit surfaces 13 gradually incline toward the outside of the vehicle (left side) with respect to the front side from the inside of the vehicle (right side) to the outside of the vehicle (left side) in accordance with the shapes of the second lens 20 and the third lens 30 described below. Specifically, the exit surfaces 13 of the multiple first lenses 10 are arranged along an imaginary curved surface in which the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20 described below is offset toward the back side (front side). Note that the arrangement of the exit surfaces 13 of the multiple first lenses 10 is not limited to the above.

[0023] The second lens 20 is disposed on the front side of the first lens 10. In this embodiment, the second lens 20 is, for example, an inner lens disposed inside the lamp chamber. The second lens 20 is formed so as to curve from the inside (right side) of the vehicle to the outside (left side) of the vehicle, toward the rear side (front side). The second lens 20 has an incident surface 21 and an exit surface (second exit surface) 22. Light from the first lens 10 is incident on the incident surface 21. A diffusion element 21p is formed on the incident surface 21. Examples of the diffusion element 21p include a textured portion. The diffusion element 21p diffuses light incident on the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20 and propagates through the second lens 20. The incident surface 21 also has a portion perpendicular to the normal to the exit surface 13 of the first lens 10. In this embodiment, the incident surface 21 has six points perpendicular to the normal to the exit surface 13 of each first lens 10. In other words, as shown in Figure 3, if the normal to the exit surface 13 of the first lens 10 is N1 and the normal to the entrance surface 21 of the second lens 20 is N2, there will be points on the exit surface 13 and the entrance surface 21 where the normal N1 and the normal N2 are parallel or coincident.

[0024] The exit surface 22 emits light incident on the incident surface 21 toward the front side. A light-shielding pattern 23 is provided on the exit surface 22. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the second lens 20 as viewed from the rear side. As shown in FIG. 5, the light-shielding pattern 23 has a light-shielding portion 24 and a light-passing portion 25. The light-shielding portion 24 blocks light from the first lens 10. The light from the first lens 10 passes through the light-passing portion 25. In the second lens 20, the exit surface 22 emits light that has passed through the light-passing portion 25 toward the front side. The light-passing portions 25 are arranged on both sides of the exit surface 22 in the vertical direction, leaving a central portion empty. Hereinafter, the light-passing portion 25 provided on the upper side may be referred to as an upper light-passing portion 25A, and the light-passing portion 25 provided on the lower side may be referred to as a lower light-passing portion 25B. The upper light passing portion 25A and the lower light passing portion 25B have an outer shape that is trapezoidal and vertically symmetrical, and each has a lattice-shaped light-shielding portion 24 formed therein. The upper light passing portion 25A has a shape that extends upward from the center in the vertical direction and to the left, i.e., outside the vehicle. The lower light passing portion 25B has a shape that extends downward from the center in the vertical direction and to the left, i.e., outside the vehicle.

[0025] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of a state in which the second lens 20 is viewed from the front side. Fig. 6A shows an example of a state in which the irradiation pattern P is not irradiated by the first lens 10. Fig. 6B shows an example of a state in which the irradiation pattern P is irradiated by the first lens 10.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , the first lens 10 irradiates the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20 with an irradiation pattern P having light-generated bright portions P2 and dark portions P1. The bright portions P2 are formed on both sides of the incident surface 21 in the vertical direction, with a central portion left empty. That is, the bright portions P2 include an upper bright portion P2a located above the vertical center of the incident surface 21 and a lower bright portion P2b located below the vertical center of the incident surface 21. The upper bright portion P2a is formed by light emitted from the exit region 13A. The lower bright portion P2b is formed by light emitted from the exit region 13B. The dark portion P1 is formed in a portion extending in the horizontal direction at the vertical center of the incident surface 21. The dark portion P1 is brighter than portions of the incident surface 21 where the irradiation pattern P is not formed (such as the periphery), but is brighter than the bright portion P2. The upper bright portion P2a is formed so that its brightness gradually decreases from top to bottom. The lower bright portion P2b is formed so that its brightness gradually decreases from bottom to top. The irradiation pattern P has a gradation such that its brightness gradually increases from the center in the vertical direction upward and downward. The bright portion P2 and dark portion P1 of the irradiation pattern P may be formed, for example, by the optical element 13p of the emission surface 13, the reflecting surfaces 12A and 12B, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, in the second lens 20, when viewed from the front, the light passing portion 25 of the light-shielding pattern 23 is arranged in a portion where the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P is irradiated. In this embodiment, the upper portion of the upper light passing portion 25A is arranged in a portion where the upper bright portion P2a is irradiated. Furthermore, the lower portion of the lower light passing portion 25B is arranged in a portion where the lower bright portion P2b is irradiated. Meanwhile, the lower portion of the upper light passing portion 25A and the upper portion of the lower light passing portion 25B are arranged in a portion where the dark portion P1 is irradiated. In this way, in the light-shielding pattern 23, the light passing portion 25 is formed across a portion of the emission surface 22 where the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P is irradiated and a portion where the dark portion P1 is irradiated. In the light-shielding pattern 23, the proportion of the light passing portion 25 is larger in a portion corresponding to the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P than in a portion corresponding to the dark portion P1 of the irradiation pattern P.

[0028] The third lens 30 emits light from the second lens 20 toward the front side of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the third lens 30 is an outer lens that forms a lamp chamber together with the housing 40. In this embodiment, the third lens 30 is, for example, red, the same color as the light emitted from the light source 5. The third lens 30 transmits red light and absorbs light different from red light. The third lens 30 is not limited to red, and may be another color or may be colorless. Note that the third lens 30 is not limited to an outer lens. The third lens 30 is formed so as to curve from the inside (right side) of the vehicle to the outside (left side) of the vehicle, toward the rear side (front side).

[0029] The operation of the vehicle lamp 100 configured as described above will now be described. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment. When the light source 5 is turned on, light is emitted upward from the light-emitting surface 5a of the light source 5. This light is incident on the first lens 10 from the opposing incident surface 11a and the side incident surface 11b.

[0030] In the following description, a portion of the light incident on the first lens 10 will be illustrated as light rays L1 and L2. The light rays L1 and L2 travel upward inside the first lens 10 and reach the reflecting surfaces 12A and 12B, respectively. The light rays L1 and L2 that reach the reflecting surfaces 12A and 12B are reflected backward by the reflecting surfaces 12A and 12B and are emitted from the emission regions 13A and 13B of the emission surface 13. The light rays L1 and L2 are diffused in the vertical and horizontal directions by the optical element 13p before being emitted, forming an irradiation pattern P (see FIG. 6B ) including a bright portion P2 and a dark portion P1 at the entrance surface 21 of the second lens 20. Because the light rays L1 and L2 are diffused by the optical element 13p before being emitted, the irradiation pattern P is formed so that the brightness gradually changes between the bright portion P2 and the dark portion P1.

[0031] The light rays L1 and L2 that form the irradiation pattern P are diffused by the diffusion element 21p when they enter the second lens 20 from the incident surface 21. This makes it possible to more gently change the brightness between the bright area P2 and the dark area P1. The light rays L1 and L2 are emitted from the exit surface 22, partially blocked by the light-shielding portion 24 of the light-shielding pattern 23, and the other portion passes through the light-transmitting portion 25 to enter the third lens 30 from the incident surface 31. The light rays L1 and L2 that entered the third lens 30 pass through the inside of the third lens 30 and are emitted from the exit surface 32 toward the front of the vehicle.

[0032] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the state in which the vehicular lamp 100 is viewed from the rear of the vehicle. When the vehicular lamp 100 is viewed from the rear of the vehicle, a light-emitting area AR as shown in Fig. 8 is visually recognized due to the light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 32. That is, in the light-emitting area AR, the brightness is low in an area AR2 in the vertical center, and high in areas AR1 on the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction. In this way, a three-dimensional light-emitting area AR with a sense of depth is visually recognized.

[0033] As described above, the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment comprises a light source 5, a first lens 10 that guides light from the light source 5 and emits it toward the front, a second lens 20 that is arranged on the front side of the first lens 10 and has a light-shielding pattern 23 formed with a light-shielding portion 24 that blocks part of the light from the first lens 10 and a light-passing portion 25 that passes part of the light, and emits the light that has passed through the light-passing portion 25 toward the front, and a third lens 30 that emits the light from the second lens 20 toward the front of the vehicle, and the first lens 10 emits an irradiation pattern P having a bright portion P2 and a dark portion P1 generated by light from the light source 5 onto the second lens 20, and the light-shielding pattern 23 has a light-passing portion 25 arranged in a portion where the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P is illuminated.

[0034] According to this configuration, the first lens 10 irradiates the second lens 20 with an irradiation pattern P having bright areas P2 and dark areas P1 produced by light from the light source 5, and the light passes through the light-shielding pattern 23, in which the light passing portion 25 is arranged, in the portion of the irradiation pattern P irradiated with the bright areas P2, and is emitted to the front side of the vehicle from the third lens 30, thereby forming a light-emitting area AR including a high-brightness area AR1 and a low-brightness area AR2. This makes it possible to realize a three-dimensional light-emitting area AR with a sense of depth.

[0035] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, a plurality of light sources 5 are arranged in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1, and the first lenses 10 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the light sources 5.

[0036] According to this configuration, the number and arrangement of the first lenses 10 can be set according to the number and arrangement of the light sources 5, which increases the degree of freedom in layout.

[0037] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the first lens 10 has an opposing incident surface 11a and a lateral incident surface 11b onto which light from the light source 5 is incident, a reflective surface 12 that reflects the light incident from the opposing incident surface 11a and the lateral incident surface 11b towards the front, and an exit surface 13 that emits the light reflected by the reflective surface 12 towards the front, and the reflective surfaces 12 are provided in multiple positions spaced apart in the vertical direction, and each reflective surface 12 is arranged so that light reaches areas of the exit surface 13 that are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and the light emitted from the areas of the exit surface 13 forms a bright portion P2 of the illumination pattern P.

[0038] According to this configuration, more light reaches regions that are spaced apart in the vertical direction on the emission surface of the first lens 10, and less light reaches the central region in the vertical direction than the upper and lower regions, thereby forming an irradiation pattern P in which the upper and lower regions are bright and the central region is dark. For the light-shielding pattern 23 of the second lens 20, by providing a light-shielding portion 24 in the central portion in the vertical direction and providing light-transmitting portions 25 above and below the central portion, it is possible to realize a light-emitting region AR in which the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction protrude and the central portion in the vertical direction appears to be recessed.

[0039] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the first lens 10 has an exit surface 13 that emits light toward the front, and an optical element 13p is formed on the exit surface 13 that diffuses and emits light in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0040] According to this configuration, by providing the optical element 13p on the light exit surface 13 of the first lens 10, it is possible to form a gradual change in brightness between the bright portion P2 and the dark portion P1.

[0041] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the second lens 20 has an exit surface 22 that emits light to the front side, and the light-shielding pattern 23 is provided on the exit surface 22 .

[0042] According to this configuration, the light-shielding pattern 23 is provided on the light-emitting surface 22 of the second lens 20, so that a three-dimensional light-emitting area AR with a sense of depth can be appropriately formed.

[0043] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the light-blocking pattern 23 has a light-passing portion 25 formed across the portion of the emission surface 22 where the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P is irradiated and the portion where the dark portion P1 is irradiated.

[0044] According to this configuration, a light passing section 25 is formed across the area where the bright section P2 of the irradiation pattern P is irradiated and the area where the dark section P1 is irradiated, thereby realizing a light-emitting area AR in which light and dark are clearly formed by the light that has passed through the light passing section 25.

[0045] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the second lens 20 has an incident surface 21 onto which light from the first lens 10 is incident, and a diffusion element 21p is formed on the incident surface 21.

[0046] According to this configuration, the diffusion element 21p is formed on the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20, so that the light of the irradiation pattern P incident on the incident surface 21 can be diffused toward the inside of the second lens 20. This makes it possible to further blur the change in brightness between the bright portion P2 and the dark portion P1 of the irradiation pattern P.

[0047] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the first lens 10 has an exit surface 13 that emits light toward the front, and the second lens 20 has an entrance surface 21 into which light from the first lens 10 enters, and the entrance surface 21 of the second lens 20 has a portion that is perpendicular to the normal to the exit surface 13 of the first lens 10.

[0048] According to this configuration, even when the second lens 20 is curved in the front-to-back direction, the irradiation pattern P can be emitted from the first lens 10 along the shape of the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20 .

[0049] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the shading pattern 23 has a portion corresponding to the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P and a portion corresponding to the dark portion P1 of the irradiation pattern P, and the portion corresponding to the bright portion P2 has a larger proportion of light passing portions 25.

[0050] According to this configuration, the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P corresponds to the portion of the light-shielding pattern 23 where the proportion of the light-transmitting portion 25 is large, and the dark portion P1 of the irradiation pattern P corresponds to the portion of the light-shielding pattern 23 where the proportion of the light-shielding portion 24 is large.

[0051] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment, the light source 5 is disposed so as to emit light upward, and the first lens 10 is disposed above the light source 5 in the light emission direction.

[0052] According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a three-dimensional light emitting area AR that gives a sense of depth while suppressing the dimension in the depth direction.

[0053] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the first lens 10 is provided one-to-one with respect to the light source 5 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a single first lens 10 may be provided for a plurality of light sources 5. In this case, the exit surface 13 of the first lens 10 may be parallel to the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20. That is, the exit surface 13 of the first lens 10 may be shaped such that the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20 is offset toward the rear side (forward). Furthermore, the incident surface 21 of the second lens 20 may have a portion that is perpendicular to the normal to any portion of the exit surface 13 of the first lens 10.

[0054] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a dark area P1 is formed in the vertical center of the irradiation pattern P irradiated from the first lens 10, and bright areas P2 are formed above and below the center, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first lens 10 may have a configuration in which the reflective surfaces 12 are provided so as to direct light to respective central areas of the exit surface 13 in the vertical direction, and the bright areas P2 of the irradiation pattern P are formed by light emitted from the respective areas of the exit surface 13.

[0055] 9 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the second lens 20A as viewed from the front. Fig. 9 shows an example of the state in which an irradiation pattern P is irradiated by the first lens 10. In the example shown in Fig. 9, by allowing more light to reach the central region in the vertical direction of the exit surface of the first lens 10 and allowing less light to reach the upper and lower regions in the vertical direction than the central region in the vertical direction, an irradiation pattern PA can be formed on the entrance surface 21 of the second lens 20A, having a bright portion P2 in the central region in the vertical direction and dark portions P1 above and below. By providing the light-shielding pattern 23 of the second lens 20 with light-shielding portions 24 on the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction and a light-transmitting portion 25 in the center, a light-emitting region can be realized in which the central region in the vertical direction protrudes and the upper and lower sides appear recessed in the vertical direction.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the vehicle is described with the third lens 30 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the vehicle lamp may not be provided with the third lens 30, and the second lens 20 may also serve as an outer lens that forms a lamp chamber together with the housing 40.

[0057] As described above, the vehicle lamp 100 according to the present disclosure comprises a light source 5, a first lens 10 that guides light from the light source 5 and emits it to the front side, and a second lens 20 that is arranged on the front side of the first lens 10 and has a light-shielding pattern 23 formed with a light-shielding portion 24 that blocks part of the light from the first lens 10 and a light-passing portion 25 that passes part of the light, and emits the light that has passed through the light-passing portion 25 to the front side, and the first lens 10 irradiates an irradiation pattern P having a bright portion P2 and a dark portion P1 caused by light from the light source 5 onto the second lens 20, and the light-shielding pattern 23 has the light-passing portion 25 arranged in a portion where the bright portion P2 of the irradiation pattern P is irradiated.

[0058] According to this configuration, the first lens 10 irradiates the second lens 20 with an irradiation pattern P having bright areas P2 and dark areas P1 produced by light from the light source 5, and the light passes through the light-shielding pattern 23, in which the light passing portion 25 is arranged, at the portion where the bright area P2 of the irradiation pattern P is irradiated, and is emitted toward the front of the vehicle, thereby forming a light-emitting area AR including a high-brightness area AR1 and a low-brightness area AR2. This makes it possible to realize a three-dimensional light-emitting area AR with a sense of depth.

[0059] AR...light-emitting area, AR1, AR2...area, L1, L2...light ray, N1, N2...normal, P, PA...irradiation pattern, P1...dark area, P2...bright area, P2a...upper bright area, P2b...lower bright area, 1...vehicle, 2...vehicle body, 3...traveling device, 4...tire, 5...light source, 5a...light-emitting surface, 6...substrate, 7...back door, 10...first lens, 11...incident portion, 11a...opposing incident surface, 11b...side incident surface, 11c... Side reflective surface, 12, 12A, 12B... reflective surface, 13, 22, 32... exit surface, 13A, 13B... exit region, 13p... optical element, 14... step portion, 20, 20A... second lens, 21, 31... incident surface, 21p... diffusion element, 23... light-shielding pattern, 24... light-shielding portion, 25... light-passing portion, 25A... upper light-passing portion, 25B... lower light-passing portion, 30... third lens, 40... housing, 100... vehicle lamp

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising: a light source; a first lens that guides light from the light source and emits it to the front side; and a second lens that is arranged on the front side of the first lens and has a light-blocking pattern formed with a light-blocking portion that blocks part of the light from the first lens and a light-passing portion that passes part of the light, and emits the light that has passed through the light-passing portion to the front side, wherein the first lens emits an illumination pattern having bright and dark portions due to the light onto the second lens, and the light-blocking pattern has the light-passing portion arranged in a portion where the bright portion of the illumination pattern is illuminated.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light sources are arranged in a width direction of the vehicle, and the first lenses are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the light sources.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first lens has an incident surface on which light from the light source is incident, a reflective surface that reflects the light incident from the incident surface toward the front, and an exit surface that emits the light reflected by the reflective surface toward the front, wherein a plurality of the reflective surfaces are provided at positions spaced apart in the vertical direction, and each of the reflective surfaces is provided so as to cause the light to reach areas of the exit surface that are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and the bright portion of the illumination pattern is formed by the light emitted from the areas of the exit surface.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first lens has an incident surface on which light from the light source is incident, a reflecting surface that reflects the light incident from the incident surface toward the front, and an exit surface that emits the light reflected by the reflecting surface toward the front, the reflecting surfaces are arranged so that the light reaches central areas of the exit surface in the vertical direction, and the bright portion of the illumination pattern is formed by the light emitted from the areas of the exit surface.

5. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first lens has an exit surface that emits the light toward the front, and an optical element is formed on the exit surface that diffuses the light in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions before emitting it.

6. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second lens has a second exit surface that emits the light to the front side, and the light blocking pattern is provided on the second exit surface.

7. A vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the light-blocking pattern has a light-passing portion formed across a portion of the second emission surface where the bright portion of the illumination pattern is irradiated and a portion where the dark portion is irradiated.

8. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second lens has a second incident surface onto which the light from the first lens is incident, and a diffusion element is formed on the second incident surface.

9. A vehicle lamp as described in claim 1, wherein the first lens has an exit surface that emits the light toward the front, the second lens has a second entrance surface into which the light from the first lens is incident, and the second entrance surface of the second lens has a portion that is perpendicular to the normal to the exit surface of the first lens.

10. A vehicle lamp as described in claim 1, wherein the shading pattern has a portion corresponding to the bright portion of the irradiation pattern and a portion corresponding to the dark portion of the irradiation pattern, and the portion corresponding to the bright portion has a larger proportion of the light passing portion.

11. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source is arranged to emit the light upward or downward, and the first lens is arranged in the light emitting direction relative to the light source.

12. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a third lens that emits the light from the second lens toward the front of the vehicle.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Optical system for vehicle lamp and vehicle

    CN116518325A

  • Automobile lamp lens structure and automobile

    CN218583029U

  • Lighting appliance for vehicle

    JP2019145311A

  • Vehicle light fixture

    JP2024056109A