Display lighting fixture

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a display lighting fixture configured so as to cause a partial region of a light transmission control member to emit light by guiding emitted light from a light source toward an area forward of the lighting fixture via the light transmission control member, wherein the partial region appears to light up differently between a lighting fixture non-light up period and a lighting fixture light up period. A light transmission control member 40 is formed in the form of a two-color molded article provided with a transparent resin part 40P and an opaque resin part 40S. At such time, a partial region Z is constituted of only the transparent resin part 40P, whereas a region at the periphery of the partial region Z is constituted of a laminated structure of the transparent resin part 40P and the opaque resin part 40S. In addition, a half vapor deposited film 60 is formed at least on the rear surface of the partial region Z, and a white-colored light diffusion member 50 is disposed on the lighting fixture rear side of the light transmission control member 40. As a result, the partial region Z of the light transmission control member 40 appears to light up with a silvery metallic color by means of the reflection of external light during the lighting fixture non-light up period, and appears to light up uniformly with a white color by means of the transmission of emitted light from a light source 20 during the lighting fixture light up period.

Description

Display lamp

[0001] The present invention relates to an indicator lamp to be mounted on a vehicle or the like.

[0002] Conventionally, indicator lamps mounted on vehicles and the like have been known that are configured to emit light from a light source through a light-transmittance control member toward the front of the lamp, thereby causing a partial area of ​​the light-transmittance control member to emit light.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a configuration of such an indicator lamp in which a metallic light-shielding film layer is formed on a part of the front surface of the light-transmission control member.

[0004] The indicator lamp described in Patent Document 1 is configured so that when the lamp is not lit, the light-shielding film layer appears to glow due to external light being reflected by the light-shielding film layer, while when the lamp is lit, the surrounding area of ​​the light-shielding film layer appears to glow due to light emitted from the light source.

[0005] Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 06-010983

[0006] In terms of enhancing the display function, it is desirable to configure such an indicator lamp so that when the lamp is not lit, a portion of the light-transmitting control member appears to glow due to external light, while when the lamp is lit, this portion of the light appears to glow in a different manner than when the lamp is not lit.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an indicator lamp that is configured to illuminate a partial area of ​​a light-transmitting control member by irradiating light emitted from a light source toward the front of the lamp through a light-transmitting control member, and that can make the partial area appear to glow in different ways when the lamp is off and when the lamp is on.

[0008] The present invention is intended to achieve the above object by devising a configuration for the light-transmittance control member.

[0009] That is, the indicator lamp according to the present invention is configured to illuminate a partial area of ​​the light-transmitting control member by irradiating light emitted from a light source toward the front of the lamp through a light-transmitting control member, wherein the light-transmitting control member is configured as a two-color molded product having a transparent resin part and an opaque resin part, the partial area is made up of only the transparent resin part, and the peripheral area of ​​the partial area is made up of a laminated structure of the transparent resin part and the opaque resin part, the light-transmitting control member is configured such that a half-deposited film is formed on a rear surface of at least the partial area, and light diffusing means is provided on the rear side of the light-transmitting control member to make the emitted light from the light source incident on the partial area as colored diffused light.

[0010] The above-mentioned "indicator lamp" is not particularly limited in type as long as it is configured so that a partial area of ​​the light-transmitting control member can emit light, and for example, an illuminating emblem or indicator lamp attached to a vehicle or the like can be adopted.

[0011] The type of the "light source" is not particularly limited, and for example, a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode, an incandescent bulb, or the like can be used.

[0012] The specific location and size of the "partial region" are not particularly limited.

[0013] The specific configuration of the above-mentioned "light diffusion means" is not particularly limited as long as it is provided on the rear side of the light-transmittance control member of the lamp so as to allow the light emitted from the light source to be incident on a partial area as colored diffused light.

[0014] The above-mentioned "colored diffused light" means light that is diffused in a state colored in any color, and for example, light that is diffused in white or light that is diffused in blue can be used.

[0015] The indicator lamp according to the present invention is configured so that light emitted from the light source is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the light-transmission control member, thereby causing a partial area of ​​the light-transmission control member to emit light. This light-transmission control member is configured as a two-color molded product having a transparent resin portion and an opaque resin portion, and the partial area is made up of only the transparent resin portion while the area surrounding the partial area is made up of a laminated structure of the transparent resin portion and the opaque resin portion. In addition, a half-deposited film is formed on at least the rear surface of the partial area. Furthermore, light diffusing means is provided on the rear side of the light-transmission control member to cause the light emitted from the light source to enter the partial area as colored diffused light, thereby achieving the following advantageous effects.

[0016] In other words, when the lamp is not lit, the light-transmitting control member causes external light incident on the above-mentioned partial area to be reflected by the half-deposited film, causing the above-mentioned partial area to appear to shine in a silvery metallic color (e.g., an aluminum-like metallic color), and the surrounding area to appear in the color of the opaque resin part.

[0017] On the other hand, when the lamp is turned on, the light emitted from the light source is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the light diffusion means and the half vapor deposition film, so that the above-mentioned area of ​​the light-transmittance control member appears to glow uniformly with the color of the colored diffused light, and the surrounding area appears to be dark.

[0018] Therefore, when the light fixture is not lit, the light-transmitting control member can be made to appear to glow in a silvery metallic color due to reflection of external light in the above-mentioned region, while when the light fixture is lit, the above-mentioned region can be made to appear to glow uniformly in the color of colored diffused light due to transmission of light emitted from the light source.

[0019] Thus, according to the present invention, in an indicator lamp configured to emit light from a light source through a light-transmittance control member toward the front of the lamp, the partial area of ​​the light-transmittance control member can be made to appear to glow in a different manner when the lamp is turned on than when it is turned off, thereby improving the indicator function as an indicator lamp.

[0020] In the above configuration, if the light diffusion means is further configured by a light diffusion member disposed on the rear side of the light transmission control member relative to the lamp fixture, the following operational effects can be obtained.

[0021] That is, the light diffusing means can be configured, for example, by laminating a colored coating film on the surface of a half-deposited film formed on the rear surface of the light-transmittance control member, but adopting such a configuration requires strict control of the film thickness of the colored coating film. In contrast, by configuring the light diffusing means with a light diffusing member, the strict film thickness control required when a colored coating film is adopted is no longer necessary, making it possible to reduce the cost of the lamp configuration.

[0022] In this case, if the light diffusion member is made of a white resin member, the above-mentioned area will appear to glow in a silvery metallic color when the lamp is not lit, and will appear to glow uniformly in white when the lamp is lit, thereby further enhancing the display function as an indicator lamp.

[0023] Furthermore, if the light diffusing member is configured so that an opening is formed in the part of the opaque resin portion located on the rear side of the lamp, the weight can be reduced without impairing its function as a light diffusing means.

[0024] In the above configuration, if a transparent optical member configured to direct light emitted from the light source toward the light-transmittance control member is further arranged between the light source and the light-transmittance control member, uniform light emission in the partial area can be promoted when the lamp is turned on.

[0025] In this case, the optical element is configured to have an incident portion that receives light emitted from the light source, and first and second reflecting surfaces that sequentially totally reflect the light that has entered from this incident portion, and the first reflecting surface is configured to totally reflect the light that has entered from the incident portion on the front surface of the optical element toward the outer periphery around an imaginary axis that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the lamp, while the second reflecting surface is configured to be made up of a plurality of reflecting elements formed on the rear surface of the optical element, and these plurality of reflecting elements are configured to totally reflect the light that has been totally reflected by the first reflecting surface toward the light-transmittance control element, thereby making it possible to reduce the depth dimension of the indicator lamp and achieve uniform illumination in the above-mentioned partial area when the lamp is turned on.

[0026] 2 is a detailed view of part III of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a front view showing an indicator lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the optical members of the indicator lamp together with a light diffusion member and a light transmission control member; FIG. 6 is a front view showing the indicator lamp in a non-illuminated state; FIG. 7 is a front view showing the indicator lamp in a lit state;

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0028] Fig. 1 is a front view showing an indicator lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 1.

[0029] 1 and 2, the direction indicated by X is the "front of the lamp," the direction indicated by Y is the "left direction" (the "right direction" when viewed from the front of the lamp) perpendicular to the "front of the lamp," and the direction indicated by Z is the "upward direction." This is the same in other figures.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indicator lamp 10 according to this embodiment is a light-emitting emblem to be attached to the front end of a vehicle, and has a vertically symmetrical configuration.

[0031] The indicator lamp 10 is configured so that light emitted from the two light sources 20 is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the light-transmitting control member 40, causing a portion Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 to appear to emit light when viewed from the front of the lamp, thereby allowing it to function as a light-emitting emblem.

[0032] Specifically, the indicator lamp 10 is configured such that two light sources 20 are incorporated into a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body 12 and a light-transmitting cover 14 attached to the front end opening thereof, together with an optical member 30 and a light diffusing member 50. In this case, the light-transmitting cover 14 is formed so as to extend along the surface shape of the vehicle body panel 100 indicated by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2, and this light-transmitting cover 14 is endowed with the function of a light-transmitting control member 40.

[0033] The partial region Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 is a region for forming the light-emitting shape of the light-emitting emblem, and is composed of a central region ZA formed in a rightward V-shape (a leftward V-shape when viewed from the front of the lamp) and an annular region ZB formed in a horizontally elongated ring shape around the central region ZA. The left edge of the central region ZA extends to a position where it overlaps with the annular region ZB at two upper and lower points. A certain gap is provided between the left edge of the central region ZA and the annular region ZB.

[0034] The two light sources 20 are both white light-emitting diodes, and are arranged at a fixed interval in the vertical direction with their light-emitting surfaces 20a facing forward (specifically, toward the front of the lamp). The pair of upper and lower light sources 20 are mounted on a common substrate 22 and supported by the lamp body 12.

[0035] The optical member 30 is a colorless, transparent resin member (e.g., a polycarbonate resin member) that has a horizontally elongated oval outer shape when viewed from the front of the lamp and is disposed so as to cover the pair of upper and lower light sources 20 from the front side of the lamp. The optical member 30 is configured to emit light from the two light sources 20 as substantially parallel light toward the front of the lamp. The optical member 30 has a peripheral edge 38 that is formed on the outer periphery of the substrate 22 and extends toward the rear side of the lamp, and is supported by the lamp body 12 at the peripheral edge 38.

[0036] The optical element 30 includes a pair of upper and lower incident portions 32 for receiving light emitted from a pair of upper and lower light sources 20, a pair of upper and lower first reflecting surfaces 34 for totally reflecting the light incident from the pair of upper and lower incident portions 32, and a second reflecting surface 36 for totally reflecting the light totally reflected from the pair of upper and lower first reflecting surfaces 34.

[0037] Each of the pair of upper and lower incident portions 32 is disposed on the rear surface 30 b of the optical member 30 so as to be positioned in front of each of the pair of upper and lower light sources 20 .

[0038] The pair of upper and lower first reflecting surfaces 34 are arranged on the front surface 30 a of the optical member 30 so as to be positioned in front of the pair of upper and lower incident portions 32 of the lamp.

[0039] Next, a specific configuration of the light-transmitting control member 40 will be described.

[0040] Fig. 3 is a detailed view of part III in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, the indicator lamp 10 is shown with the front of the lamp facing upward.

[0041] 3 , the light-transmitting control member 40 is configured as a two-color molded product including a transparent resin portion 40P and an opaque resin portion 40S. Specifically, in this light-transmitting control member 40, the transparent resin portion 40P is configured as a colorless and transparent primary molded product, and the opaque resin portion 40S is configured as an opaque (e.g., black) secondary molded product. In this case, the light-transmitting control member 40 has a partial region Z (i.e., a central region ZA and annular region ZB) configured only with the transparent resin portion 40P, and a peripheral region surrounding this partial region Z configured with a laminated structure of the transparent resin portion 40P and the opaque resin portion 40S.

[0042] The peripheral edge 42 of the light-transmitting control member 40 is formed so as to extend toward the rear of the lamp while maintaining a laminated structure of a transparent resin portion 40P and an opaque resin portion 40S. An annular flange 44 extending in the circumferential direction is formed at the rear edge of the peripheral edge 42, and an annular leg 46 protruding toward the rear of the lamp is further formed on the annular flange 44. The annular flange 44 and the annular leg 46 are formed only by the opaque resin portion 40S. The light-transmitting control member 40 is supported by the lamp body 12 at the annular flange 44 and the annular leg 46.

[0043] The light-transmitting control member 40 has a configuration in which a half-deposited film 60 is formed on the rear surface of at least a partial region Z. Specifically, the half-deposited film 60 is formed over substantially the entire region of the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40 by vacuum deposition of aluminum or the like. At this time, the half-deposited film 60 is not formed on the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral edge portion 42 of the light-transmitting control member 40.

[0044] The front surface 40a of the light-transmitting control member 40 is coated with a hard coat (not shown) over the entire area of ​​the portion configured as the transparent resin portion 40P.

[0045] The light diffusing member 50 is made of a white resin member (e.g., a polycarbonate resin member) and is formed to extend along the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40. The light diffusing member 50 is formed so that its peripheral edge portion 52 extends toward the rear of the lamp fixture along the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral edge portion 42 of the light-transmitting control member 40, and an annular flange portion 54 extending in the outer circumferential direction is formed on the rear edge portion. The light diffusing member 50 is supported by the lamp body 12 at the annular flange portion 54.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the optical member 30 alone.

[0047] 3 and 4, each incident portion 32 of the optical member 30 is formed so as to protrude in a truncated cone shape from the rear surface 30b of the optical member 30 toward the rear of the lamp, and the rear end surface 32a is configured as an incident surface onto which light emitted from each light source 20 is incident. In this case, each incident portion 32 is formed around an imaginary axis Ax that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the lamp and passes through the light-emitting center of each light source 20. As a result, each incident portion 32 refracts the light emitted from each light source 20 from the rear end surface 32a in a direction closer to the imaginary axis Ax, causing it to enter the optical member 30.

[0048] The front surface 30a of the optical member 30 is formed in a flat shape along a vertical plane perpendicular to the imaginary axis Ax. Each first reflecting surface 34 of the optical member 30 is formed as an annular convex curved surface centered on the imaginary axis Ax, and is thereby formed to totally reflect the incident light from each incident portion 32 toward the outer periphery around the imaginary axis Ax. In this case, each first reflecting surface 34 totally reflects the incident light from each incident portion 32 as convergent light that is nearly parallel toward the rear of the lamp within a plane including the imaginary axis Ax.

[0049] The second reflecting surface 36 of the optical member 30 is composed of a plurality of reflecting elements 36s formed over the entire area of ​​the rear surface 30b of the optical member 30. In the upper half of the second reflecting surface 36, the plurality of reflecting elements 36s are arranged concentrically about an upper imaginary axis Ax (i.e., an axis passing through the light-emitting center of the upper light source 20), and each has a sawtooth cross-sectional shape. In the lower half of the second reflecting surface 36, the plurality of reflecting elements 36s are arranged concentrically about a lower imaginary axis Ax, and each has a sawtooth cross-sectional shape. Each of the plurality of reflecting elements 36s is formed to totally reflect the light emitted from the light source 20, which has been totally reflected by the first reflecting surface 34, toward the front of the lamp.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a front view showing the indicator lamp 10 in a non-illuminated state, and FIG. 6 is a front view showing the indicator lamp 10 in a lit state.

[0051] As shown in Figure 5, when the lamp is not lit, the light-transmitting control member 40 has external light incident on a partial area Z that is reflected by the half-deposited film 60, causing the partial area Z to appear to shine in a silvery metallic color (e.g., an aluminum-like metallic color), and the surrounding area to appear in the color of the opaque resin part 40S (e.g., black, etc.).

[0052] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, when the lamp is turned on, the light emitted from the pair of upper and lower light sources 20 is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the light diffusing member 50 and the half vapor deposition film 60, so that a portion Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 appears to glow uniformly with the color of the colored diffused light (i.e., white), and the surrounding area appears dark.

[0053] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0054] The indicator lamp 10 according to this embodiment is configured so that light emitted from the light source 20 is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the light-transmitting control member 40, thereby causing a partial region Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 to emit light. The light-transmitting control member 40 is configured as a two-color molded product having a transparent resin portion 40P and an opaque resin portion 40S, and the partial region Z is made up of only the transparent resin portion 40P, while the peripheral region of the partial region Z is made up of a laminated structure of the transparent resin portion 40P and the opaque resin portion 40S. In addition, a half-deposited film 60 is formed on the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40 (i.e., the rear surface of at least the partial region Z). Furthermore, a light diffusing member 50 is arranged on the rear side of the light-transmitting control member 40 as light diffusing means for making the emitted light from the light source 20 incident on the partial region Z as colored diffused light, and therefore the following effects can be obtained.

[0055] That is, when the lamp is not lit, external light incident on the partial area Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 is reflected by the half vapor deposition film 60, so that the partial area Z appears to shine with a silvery metallic color, and the surrounding area appears to be the color of the opaque resin part 40S, as shown in FIG. 5 .

[0056] On the other hand, when the lamp is turned on, the light emitted from the light source 20 is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the light diffusing member 50 and the half vapor deposition film 60, so that, as shown in Figure 6, a portion of the light-transmitting control member 40, area Z, appears to glow uniformly with the color of colored diffused light, and the surrounding area appears dark.

[0057] Therefore, when the lamp is not lit, the light-transmitting control member 40 can be made to have a portion Z that appears to glow in a silvery metallic color due to reflection of external light, while when the lamp is lit, the portion Z can be made to appear to glow uniformly in the color of colored diffused light due to transmission of light emitted from the light source 20.

[0058] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the indicator lamp 10 configured to emit light from a partial region Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 by irradiating the light emitted from the light source 20 toward the front of the lamp via the light-transmitting control member 40, the partial region Z can be made to appear to glow in a different manner when the lamp is turned off and when the lamp is turned on. This can improve the display function of the indicator lamp 10.

[0059] In particular, in this embodiment, the light diffusion means for making the light emitted from the light source 20 enter a portion of the area Z as colored diffused light is composed of a light diffusion member 50 arranged on the rear side of the light-transmitting control member 40, and therefore the following effects can be obtained.

[0060] That is, the light diffusing means can be configured, for example, by laminating a colored coating film on the surface of the half vapor deposition film 60 formed on the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40, but when such a configuration is adopted, strict film thickness control of the colored coating film is required. In contrast, when the light diffusing means is configured with the light diffusing member 50, strict film thickness control, etc., as when a colored coating film is used, is not necessary, and the lamp configuration can be made inexpensive.

[0061] In addition, in this embodiment, the light diffusion member 50 is made of a white resin member, so when the lamp is not lit, some areas Z appear to glow in a silvery metallic color, while when the lamp is lit, some areas Z appear to glow uniformly in white, thereby further enhancing the display function of the indicator lamp 10.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a transparent optical member 30 configured to direct light emitted from the light source 20 toward the light-transmitting control member 40 is disposed between the light source 20 and the light-transmitting control member 40, thereby promoting uniform light emission in a partial region Z when the lamp is turned on.

[0063] In this case, the optical element 30 of this embodiment is equipped with an incident portion 32 that receives the light emitted from the light source 20, and first and second reflecting surfaces 34, 36 that sequentially totally reflect the light that has entered from this incident portion 32. The first reflecting surface 34 is formed on the front surface 30a of the optical element 30 so as to totally reflect the light that has entered from the incident portion 32 toward the outer periphery around an imaginary axis Ax that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the lamp. The second reflecting surface 36 is composed of a plurality of reflecting elements 36s formed on the rear surface 30b of the optical element 30. These plurality of reflecting elements 36s are configured so as to totally reflect the light that has been totally reflected by the first reflecting surface 34 toward the light-transmittance control element 40 as parallel light. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the depth dimension of the indicator lamp 10 while achieving uniform light emission in a partial area Z when the lamp is turned on.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the optical member 30 is described as being configured such that the light totally reflected by the first reflecting surface 34 of the plurality of reflecting elements 36s formed on the rear surface 30b is totally reflected as parallel light toward the light-transmitting control member 40, but it is also possible to configure the light to be totally reflected as diffused light toward the light-transmitting control member 40.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the light diffusing member 50 is described as being made of a white resin member, but the specific hue of the white may be other than pure white, such as milky white or cream.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the partial region Z for forming the luminous shape of the luminous emblem has been described as being composed of a rightward V-shaped central region ZA and a horizontally elongated elliptical annular region ZB, but other shapes are also possible. For example, the partial region Z may be configured such that the annular region ZB extends along the peripheral edge 42 of the light-transmitting control member 40. By adopting such a configuration, the peripheral edge 42 of the light-transmitting control member 40 can also appear to emit light when the lamp is turned on. In this case, the peripheral edge 42 of the light-transmitting control member 40 may be configured solely with the transparent resin portion 40P.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the display lamp 10 is described as being equipped with an optical element 30 for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the light source 20. However, instead of this optical element 30, it is also possible to adopt a configuration that includes a reflector for reflecting the light emitted from the light source 20 toward the light diffusion element 50, or to adopt a configuration in which the light emitted from the light source 20 is directly incident on the light diffusion element 50.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the light sources 20 are described as being arranged in two locations, one above the other, but it is also possible to configure the two light sources 20 to be arranged in positions different from those in the above embodiment, and it is also possible to configure the light sources 20 to be arranged in one or three or more locations.

[0069] Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0070] First, a first modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0071] 7 and 8 are views similar to FIGS. 1 and 3, showing an indicator lamp 110 according to this modified example.

[0072] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the basic configuration of this modification is the same as that of the above embodiment, but the configuration of the light diffusing member 150 is partially different from that of the above embodiment.

[0073] That is, the light diffusion member 150 of this modified example is also made of a white resin member formed to extend along the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40, and is supported on the lamp body 12 by an annular flange portion 154 formed on the rear edge portion of its peripheral portion 152. However, it differs from the above embodiment in that three openings 150a, 150b, 150c are formed in a portion of the opaque resin portion 40S located on the rear side of the lamp (i.e., an area outside the partial area Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 when viewed from the front of the lamp).

[0074] Of these three openings 150a to 150c, two openings 150a and 150b are formed so as to be located on the inner periphery of the annular region ZB on both the upper and lower sides of the central region ZA, and the remaining opening 150c is formed so as to be located on the inner periphery of the annular region ZB on the left side of the central region ZA.

[0075] Even when the configuration of this modified example is adopted, it is possible to obtain the same effects as in the above embodiment. That is, when the lamp is not lit, the light-transmitting control member 40 can have a partial region Z that appears to glow in a silvery metallic color due to reflection of external light, and when the lamp is lit, the partial region Z can appear to glow uniformly in the color of colored diffused light (i.e., white) due to transmission of light emitted from the light source 20.

[0076] Furthermore, by adopting the configuration of this modified example, it is possible to reduce the weight of the light diffusing member 150 without impairing its function as a light diffusing means, and this also makes it possible to reduce the weight of the indicator lamp 110.

[0077] Next, a second modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0078] FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing an indicator lamp 210 according to this modified example.

[0079] 9, the basic configuration of this modified example is similar to that of the above embodiment, but the light diffusing member 50 as in the above embodiment is not provided, and instead a colored coating film 270 is laminated on the surface of a half vapor-deposited film 60 formed on the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40. The colored coating film 270 is made of a white coating film and is formed over substantially the entire area of ​​the rear surface 40b of the light-transmitting control member 40.

[0080] In the indicator lamp 210 according to this modification, the light diffusing member 50 as in the above embodiment is not provided, and therefore the shape of the lamp body 212 is partially different from that in the above embodiment.

[0081] In the display lamp 210 according to this modified example, when the lamp is not lit, external light incident on a portion Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 is reflected by the half vapor deposition film 60, causing the portion Z to appear to glow in a silvery metallic color, and the surrounding area to appear in the color of the opaque resin part 40S.

[0082] On the other hand, when the lamp is turned on, the light emitted from the light source 20 is irradiated toward the front of the lamp through the colored paint film 270 and the half-deposited film 60, so that a portion of the light-transmitting control member 40 appears to glow uniformly in the color of the colored paint film 270, and the surrounding area appears dark.

[0083] Therefore, when the lamp is not lit, some areas Z of the light-transmitting control member 40 can be made to appear to glow in a silvery metallic color due to reflection of external light, while when the lamp is lit, some areas Z can be made to appear to glow uniformly in the color of colored diffused light (i.e., white) due to transmission of light emitted from the light source 20.

[0084] In this way, even when the configuration of this modified example is adopted, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effects as in the above embodiment.

[0085] Furthermore, by adopting the configuration of this modified example, it is possible to further reduce the thickness of the indicator lamp 210 and also to reduce the number of parts.

[0086] It should be noted that the numerical values ​​shown as the specifications in the above embodiment and its modified examples are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these may be set to different values ​​as appropriate.

[0087] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiment and its modifications, and various other modified configurations can be adopted.

[0088] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-151039, filed on September 2, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0089] The above descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms described. Numerous modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above description.

[0090] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 110, 210 Indicator lamp 12, 212 Lamp body 14 Light-transmitting cover 20 Light source 20a Light-emitting surface 22 Substrate 30 Optical member 30a Front surface 30b Rear surface 32 Incident portion 32a Rear end surface 34 First reflecting surface 36 Second reflecting surface 36s Reflecting element 38 Peripheral edge portion 40 Light-transmitting control member 40a Front surface 40b Rear surface 40P Transparent resin portion 40S Opaque resin portion 42 Peripheral edge portion 44 Annular flange portion 46 Annular leg portion 50, 150 Light diffusion member (light diffusion means) 52, 152 Peripheral edge portion 54, 154 Annular flange portion 60 Half-deposited film 100 Vehicle body panel 150a, 150b, 150c Opening 270 Colored paint film Ax Virtual axis Z Partial area ZA Central area ZB Annular area

Claims

1. An indicator lamp configured to illuminate a partial area of ​​a light-transmitting control member by irradiating light emitted from a light source toward the front of the lamp through a light-transmitting control member, wherein the light-transmitting control member is configured as a two-color molded product having a transparent resin part and an opaque resin part, the partial area is made up of only the transparent resin part, and the area surrounding the partial area is made up of a laminated structure of the transparent resin part and the opaque resin part, the light-transmitting control member is configured so that a half-deposited film is formed on a rear surface of at least the partial area, and light diffusing means is provided on the rear side of the light-transmitting control member to make the light emitted from the light source incident on the partial area as colored diffused light.

2. The indicator lamp according to claim 1, wherein said light diffusion means is constituted by a light diffusion member disposed on the rear side of said light transmission control member.

3. The indicator lamp according to claim 2, wherein the light diffusing member is made of a white resin material.

4. An indicator lamp as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the light diffusing member has an opening formed in a portion of the opaque resin portion located on the rear side of the lamp.

5. An indicator lamp as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a transparent optical member configured to direct light emitted from the light source towards the light-transmission control member is disposed between the light source and the light-transmission control member.

6. The indicator lamp according to claim 5, characterized in that the optical element comprises an incident portion for receiving light emitted from the light source, and first and second reflecting surfaces for sequentially totally reflecting the light incident from the incident portion, the first reflecting surface being formed on the front surface of the optical element so as to totally reflect the light incident from the incident portion towards the outer periphery around an imaginary axis extending in the front-to-rear direction of the lamp, and the second reflecting surface is made up of a plurality of reflecting elements formed on the rear surface of the optical element, and the plurality of reflecting elements are configured to totally reflect the light totally reflected by the first reflecting surface towards the light-transmittance control element.

Images