Vehicle lamp
The vehicle lighting device achieves three-dimensional light emission by using a light source, first and second lenses, and a light-shielding pattern to create varying light intensities, addressing the challenge of depth perception in vehicle lighting.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ICHIKOH IND LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle lighting devices struggle to effectively achieve three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.
A vehicle lighting device is designed with a light source unit, a first lens that emits light, a light shielding pattern on the lens, and a second lens that shapes the light to create a three-dimensional effect by varying the curvature of the incident and exit surfaces, along with a light-shielding and light-passing pattern to differentiate light intensity in different directions.
This configuration allows for the realization of a three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth, making certain areas appear brighter or darker based on their positional depth, enhancing the visual perception of light patterns.
Smart Images
Figure JP2025045082_02072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Vehicle lighting device
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device.
[0002] In order to make the light-emitting portions arranged two-dimensionally in the vertical and horizontal directions appear as three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth, the curvature of the hemispherical control steps formed in the light-emitting portions is made different for each light-emitting portion so that the light-emitting portions on both sides in the vertical direction are bright and the central light-emitting portion is dark. A vehicle lighting device is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-74472
[0004] In recent years, in vehicle lighting devices, it has been required to realize three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth. With the configuration described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to sufficiently realize three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle lighting device capable of realizing three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.
[0006] The vehicle lighting device according to the present invention includes a light source unit, a first lens that emits light from the light source unit to the front side, a light shielding pattern that is disposed on at least one of the front side and the back side of the first lens and has a light shielding portion that shields a part of the light from the light source unit and a light passing portion that allows a part of the light to pass through, and a second lens that emits the light passing through the first lens and the light shielding pattern to the front side of the vehicle. The first lens has an incident surface on which the light is incident and an exit surface from which the light is emitted, and at least one of the incident surface and the exit surface has a shape that is curved or bent toward the front side or the back side in a longitudinal sectional view.
[0007] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to realize three-dimensional light emission with a sense of depth.
[0008] Figure 1 shows an example of the rear of a vehicle according to the embodiment. Figure 2 shows an example of a vehicle lamp according to the embodiment. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a light source side lens. Figure 4 shows an example of the first lens viewed from the rear side when the light source is not lit. Figure 5 shows an example of the first lens viewed from the front side when the light source is not lit. Figure 6 shows an example of the first lens viewed from the front side when the light source is lit. Figure 7 shows an example of the first lens viewed from the rear side (front side) when the light source is lit. Figure 8 shows an example of the operation of the vehicle lamp according to the embodiment. Figure 9 shows an example of the vehicle lamp viewed from the rear of the vehicle. Figure 10 shows another example of the first lens. Figure 11 shows a configuration in which a light-shielding pattern is arranged on the incident surface of the first lens shown in Figure 10(A) and a diffusion pattern is formed on the exit surface. Figure 12 shows an example of the correspondence between the light-shielding pattern, diffusion pattern, irradiation pattern and light-emitting area when using the first lens. Figure 13 shows a configuration in which a light-shielding pattern is placed on the incident surface of the first lens shown in Figure 10(D), and a diffusion pattern is formed on the exit surface. Figure 14 shows an example of the correspondence between the light-shielding pattern, diffusion pattern, irradiation pattern, and light-emitting region when using the first lens.
[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily substituted or substantially identical to those that are easily substituted by those skilled in the art.
[0010] In this embodiment, the front and rear directions are defined as the directions when the device is mounted on a vehicle (vehicle-mounted state). For example, when mounted on the front of a vehicle, the front is forward and the rear is backward. When mounted on the rear of a vehicle, the rear is forward and the front is backward. When mounted on the side of a vehicle, the outside of the vehicle is forward and the inside of the vehicle is backward.
[0011] Figure 1 shows an example of the rear of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle body 2, a running gear 3, and a vehicle lighting fixture 100. The vehicle body 2 has a driver's cab where the driver sits. The vehicle body 2 is supported by the running gear 3. The running gear 3 has wheels on which tires 4 are mounted, a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and a braking device for decelerating or stopping the running gear 3. The vehicle 1 comprises passenger doors provided on the sides of the vehicle body 2 and a back door 7 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. The passenger doors and the back door 7 are each movably supported by the vehicle body 2 via a hinge mechanism.
[0012] In this embodiment, the vehicle lights 100 are provided on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle lights 100 are provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. Therefore, the rear side in the front-rear direction will be described as the front side of the vehicle lights 100, and the front side in the front-rear direction will be described as the rear side of the vehicle lights 100.
[0013] The vehicle lighting equipment 100 includes functional lamps. Examples of functional lamps include tail lamps located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 that illuminate in conjunction with the illumination of the headlights, stop lamps located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 that illuminate in conjunction with the operation of the brake device, and rear turn signal lamps located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 that illuminate to indicate the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 to the surroundings.
[0014] The vehicle lights 100 are, for example, positioned 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 light 100 provided on the left side of the rear of the vehicle body 2 and the structure of the vehicle light 100 provided on the right side of the rear of the vehicle body 2 are symmetrical in the left-right direction and are substantially the same structure. The vehicle light 100 provided on the left side of the rear of the vehicle body 2 will be mainly described below, and the description of the vehicle light 100 provided on the right side of the rear of the vehicle body 2 will be simplified or omitted.
[0015] Figure 2 shows an example of a vehicle light fixture 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional view as seen from the side. The vehicle light fixture 100 shown in Figure 2 is, for example, a signal light such as a taillight. In this embodiment, the front direction is the rear direction, and the rear direction is the front direction. Also, the left direction is the outside of the vehicle, and the right direction is the inside of the vehicle. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle light fixture 100 comprises a light-emitting part 9, a first lens 20, a light-shielding pattern 30, a second lens 40, and a housing 50.
[0016] The light-emitting unit 9 has a light source 5 and a light source-side lens 10. The light source 5 is, for example, an LED or an organic EL. The light source 5 emits, for example, red light upward or downward. In this embodiment, the light source 5 emits light upward. However, the light source 5 may be configured to emit light downward. That is, the light-emitting surface 5a of the light source 5 is positioned facing upward. Note that the light source 5 is not limited to a light source that emits red light, but may be a light source that emits light of other colors such as white. Multiple light sources 5 are mounted on a substrate 6. The substrate 6 is fixed to the housing 50, for example, via a fixing part 8. In this embodiment, multiple light sources 5 are arranged in the vehicle width direction.
[0017] The light source-side lens 10 guides the light from the light source 5 and emits it to the front. In this embodiment, the light source-side lens 10 is provided in a one-to-one ratio with respect to the light source 5. Although the explanation has used a configuration in which the light source-side lens 10 is provided in a one-to-one ratio with respect to the light source 5 as an example, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the light source-side lens 10 may be provided as a single unit for multiple light sources 5. The light source-side lens 10 is positioned above the light source 5. In the case where the light source 5 emits light downwards, the light source-side lens 10 is positioned below the light source 5. The light source-side lens 10 irradiates the first lens 20 with an irradiation pattern P (see Figure 7, etc.) having a bright area P2 and a dark area P1, which will be described later.
[0018] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a light source-side lens 10. The light source-side lens 10 has an incident portion 11, a reflective surface 12, and an outgoing surface 13. The incident portion 11 is positioned toward the light source 5, and light from the light source 5 is incident upon it. The incident portion 11 has an opposing incident surface (incident surface) 11a, a lateral incident surface (incident surface) 11b, and a lateral reflective surface 11c (see Figure 2).
[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 in a planar shape, for example, but is not limited to this shape and may be a convex surface that protrudes toward the light source 5. The lateral incident surface 11b is arranged along the outer circumference of the opposing incident surface 11a. The lateral 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 lateral incident surface 11b. The lateral incident surface 11b may be formed so that its diameter decreases towards the top. The lateral reflection surface 11c is arranged along the outer circumference of the lateral incident surface 11b. The lateral reflection surface 11c internally reflects the light incident from the lateral incident surface 11b upward. The lateral reflection surface 11c may have an optical element formed on it that reflects light incident from the lateral incidence surface 11b in a way that diffuses it upward.
[0020] The reflective surface 12 reflects light incident from the opposing incident surface 11a and the lateral incident surface 11b toward the front side toward the exit surface 13. Multiple reflective surfaces 12 are provided at positions separated in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the reflective surfaces 12 are provided separated in the vertical direction by a stepped portion 14. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between multiple reflective surfaces, the upper reflective surface 12 will be referred to as reflective surface 12A, and the lower reflective surface 12 will be referred to as reflective surface 12B. In this embodiment, when viewed from above, reflective surfaces 12A and 12B are arranged continuously in the front-to-back direction. That is, the rear edge of reflective surface 12A coincides with the front edge of reflective surface 12B. Note that the front-to-back positional relationship between reflective surfaces 12A and 12B is not limited to the above. The reflective surfaces 12A and 12B may be arranged at positions separated in the front-to-back direction. Each reflective surface 12 is, for example, planar. Each reflective surface 12 is positioned to extend diagonally upward toward the rear when viewed from the side (see Figure 2, etc.). Each reflective surface 12 is positioned to direct light to areas of the output surface 13 that are separated from each other in the vertical direction. Specifically, light reflected by reflective surface 12A reaches the output area 13A of the output surface 13. Similarly, light reflected by reflective surface 12B reaches the output area 13B of the output surface 13. The ranges of the output areas 13A and 13B are not limited to those shown in Figure 2, etc. Note that multiple reflective surfaces 12 may be arranged in positions that do not overlap in the front-to-back direction.
[0021] The emission surface 13 is positioned facing the front and emits light reflected by the reflective surface 12 towards the front. An optical element 13p is formed on the emission surface 13. The optical element 13p diffuses the light in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions before emission. Examples of such an optical element 13p include a prism. The optical element 13p is formed over the entire emission surface 13.
[0022] In this embodiment, the light source side lens 10 is arranged such that the emission surface 13 gradually tilts outward (left side) relative to the front side, from the inside (right side) of the vehicle to the outside (left side), corresponding to the shapes of the first lens 20 and the second lens 40 described later. Specifically, each emission surface 13 of the multiple light source side lenses 10 is arranged along a virtual curved surface obtained by offsetting the incident surface 21 of the first lens 20 (described later) to the back side (front side). Note that the arrangement of the emission surfaces 13 of the multiple light source side lenses 10 is not limited to the above.
[0023] The first lens 20 is positioned on the front side of the light source side lens 10. The first lens 20 emits light from the light-emitting unit 9 to the front side. The first lens 20 has an incident surface 21 into which light enters and an exit surface 22 into which light exits. At least one of the incident surface 21 and the exit surface 22 of the first lens 20 is curved or bent towards the front or back side in a vertical cross-sectional view. In the example shown in Figure 2, the incident surface 21 and the exit surface 22 are bent towards the back side in the vertical direction in a vertical cross-sectional view.
[0024] The light-shielding pattern 30 is arranged on at least one of the front and back sides of the first lens 20. The light-shielding pattern 30 has a first pattern 31 and a second pattern 32. The first pattern 31 is provided on the incident surface 21, which is the back side of the first lens 20. The second pattern 32 is provided on the exit surface 22, which is the front side of the first lens 20.
[0025] Figure 4 shows an example of the first lens 20 as viewed from the rear side when the light source 5 is not lit. As shown in Figure 4, the first pattern 31 has a light-shielding portion 33 and a light-transmitting portion 34. The light-shielding portion 33 blocks a portion of the light from the light source side lens 10. The light-transmitting portion 34 allows a portion of the light from the light source side lens 10 to pass through. The light-transmitting portions 34 are arranged on both sides of the incident surface 21 with a central part left open in the vertical direction. The first pattern 31 is arranged such that the light-shielding portion 33 and the light-transmitting portion 34 are substantially symmetrical in the vertical direction, but is not limited to this arrangement, and other arrangements are also possible.
[0026] The light-transmitting portion 34 has a shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the light-emitting region AR (see Figure 9) of the second lens 40, which will be described later. In this way, the light-transmitting portion 34 is arranged in the first pattern 31 such that, when viewed from the front, it has a shape that corresponds to the light-emitting region AR of the second lens 40.
[0027] Furthermore, the light-transmitting portion 34 gradually narrows in width from both sides in the vertical direction towards the center. In the first pattern 31, the ratio of the light-transmitting portion 34 per unit area changes in the vertical direction. The first pattern 31 has sparse portions 31a and dense portions 31b.
[0028] The sparse portion 31a is a portion in which the proportion of light-shielding portion 33 per unit area is relatively low and the proportion of light-transmitting portion 34 is relatively high in the vertical direction. The sparse portion 31a is provided, for example, in the portion including the upper end of the upper light-transmitting portion 34 and the portion including the lower end of the lower light-transmitting portion 34. The dense portion 31b is a portion in which the proportion of light-shielding portion 33 per unit area is relatively high and the proportion of light-transmitting portion 34 is relatively low in the vertical direction. The dense portion 31b is provided, for example, in the portion including the lower end of the upper light-transmitting portion 34 and the portion including the upper end of the lower light-transmitting portion 34. Thus, in the first pattern 31, the dense portion 31b is located in the central part in the vertical direction. The sparse portion 31a is located on both sides in the vertical direction relative to the dense portion 31b.
[0029] Furthermore, a portion where the ratio of the light-shielding portion 35 per unit area is greater than a predetermined threshold can be designated as a dense portion 31b. Also, a portion where the ratio of the light-transmitting portion 34 per unit area is less than a predetermined threshold can be designated as a sparse portion 31a. In this case, the threshold for setting the dense portion 31b and the threshold for setting the sparse portion 31a may be the same or different.
[0030] Figure 5 shows an example of the first lens 20 as viewed from the front when the light source 5 is not lit. As shown in Figure 5, the second pattern 32 has a light-shielding portion 35 and a light-transmitting portion 36. The light-shielding portion 35 blocks light that has passed through the first pattern 31. In this embodiment, the light-shielding portion 35 is formed in a linear shape extending in the left-right direction and is provided in a configuration where multiple portions are lined up in the vertical direction. In Figure 5, the light-shielding portion 35 is shown as a black line segment. Light that has passed through the first pattern 31 passes through the light-transmitting portion 36. In the first lens 20, the emission surface 22 emits the light that has passed through the light-transmitting portion 36 towards the front. The light-transmitting portion 36 is provided in a strip shape extending in the left-right direction, which is a second direction different from the first direction. The light-transmitting portion 36 is formed so that its vertical dimensions are uniform throughout the left-right direction. The light-transmitting portion 36 is formed such that its vertical dimension gradually increases from the center of the first lens 20 towards the upper and lower sides. In this way, the ratio of the light-transmitting portion 36 per unit area changes in the vertical direction in the second pattern 32.
[0031] In this embodiment, the second pattern 32 has a sparse area 32a and a dense area 32b. The sparse area 32a is a portion in which the proportion of light-shielding portion 35 per unit area is relatively low and the proportion of light-transmitting portion 36 is relatively high in the vertical direction. Specifically, in the sparse area 32a, the vertical dimension (line width) of the light-shielding portion 35 is relatively narrow, and the spacing between adjacent light-shielding portions 35 in the vertical direction is relatively wide. The sparse area 32a is provided, for example, in a portion including both ends in the vertical direction. The dense area 32b is a portion in which the proportion of light-shielding portion 35 per unit area is relatively high and the proportion of light-transmitting portion 36 is relatively low in the vertical direction. Specifically, in the dense area 32b, the vertical line width of the light-shielding portion 35 is relatively wide, and the spacing between adjacent light-shielding portions 35 in the vertical direction is narrow. The dense area 32b is provided, for example, in a portion including the central part in the vertical direction. In the second pattern 32, the dense portion 32b is located in the center in the vertical direction. The sparse portion 32a is located on both sides of the dense portion 32b in the vertical direction.
[0032] Furthermore, a portion where the ratio of light-transmitting portion 36 per unit area is greater than a predetermined threshold can be designated as a sparse portion 32a. Conversely, a portion where the ratio of light-transmitting portion 36 per unit area is less than a predetermined threshold can be designated as a dense portion 32b. In this case, the threshold for setting the sparse portion 32a and the threshold for setting the dense portion 32b may be the same or different.
[0033] Figure 6 shows an example of the first lens 20 as viewed from the front with the light source 5 lit. As shown in Figure 6, the first pattern 31 and the second pattern 32 are arranged such that, when viewed from the front, the dense portion 31b and the dense portion 32b overlap, and the sparse portion 31a and the sparse portion 32a overlap.
[0034] Figure 7 shows an example of the first lens 20 as viewed from the rear side (front side) with the light source 5 lit. Figure 7 shows an example of the state in which the illumination pattern P by the light source side lens 10 is applied.
[0035] As shown in Figure 7, the light source-side lens 10 illuminates the first pattern 31 with an illumination pattern P having bright areas P2 and dark areas P1 formed by light. The bright areas P2 are formed on both sides of the first pattern 31, leaving the central part empty in the vertical direction. That is, the bright areas P2 have an upper bright area P2a located above the central part in the vertical direction of the first pattern 31, and a lower bright area P2b located below the central part in the vertical direction of the first pattern 31. The upper bright area P2a is formed by light emitted from the emission area 13A. The lower bright area P2b is formed by light emitted from the emission area 13B. The dark area P1 is formed in the central part of the first pattern 31 in the vertical direction, extending in the left-right direction. The dark area P1 is brighter than the part of the first pattern 31 where the illumination pattern P is not formed (such as the periphery), but is brighter than the bright area P2. The upper bright area P2a is formed so that its brightness gradually decreases from the top to the bottom. The lower bright area P2b is formed so that its brightness gradually decreases from the bottom to the top. The illumination pattern P has a gradient in which the brightness gradually increases from the center in the vertical direction upwards and downwards. The bright area P2 and dark area P1 of the illumination pattern P may be formed by, for example, the optical element 13p on the emission surface 13, or the reflective surfaces 12A, 12B, etc.
[0036] In this embodiment, when viewed from the rear, the upper bright area P2a is irradiated onto the portion where the upper sparse area 31a of the first pattern 31 is provided. The lower bright area P2b is irradiated onto the portion where the lower sparse area 31a of the first pattern 31 is provided. The dark area P1 is irradiated onto the portion where the dense area 31b of the first pattern 31 is provided. Thus, the irradiation pattern P is formed such that the bright area P2 is irradiated onto the portion where the sparse area 31a of the first pattern 31 is located, and the dark area P1 is irradiated onto the portion where the dense area 31b of the first pattern 31 is provided.
[0037] As shown in Figure 2, the second lens 40 emits light through the first lens 20 and the light-shielding pattern 30 towards the front of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the second lens 40 is an outer lens that forms a lamp chamber together with the housing 50. In this embodiment, the second lens 40 is, for example, red, the same color as the light emitted from the light source 5. The second lens 40 transmits red light and absorbs light other than red light. The second lens 40 is not limited to red, and may be other colors or colorless. Note that the second lens 40 is not limited to an outer lens. The second lens 40 is formed to curve towards the rear side (front side) from the inside (right side) of the vehicle to the outside (left side) of the vehicle.
[0038] The operation of the vehicle lighting device 100 configured as described above will now be explained. Figure 8 shows an example of the operation of the vehicle lighting device 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 enters the light source side lens 10 from the opposing incident surface 11a and the lateral incident surface 11b.
[0039] The following explanation will use a portion of the light incident on the light source side lens 10 as examples of light rays L1 and L2. Light rays L1 and L2 travel upward inside the light source side lens 10 and reach the reflective surfaces 12A and 12B, respectively. Upon reaching the reflective surfaces 12A and 12B, the light rays L1 and L2 are reflected backward by the reflective surfaces 12A and 12B and emitted from the emission regions 13A and 13B of the emission surface 13. These light rays L1 and L2 are emitted in a state that is diffused in the vertical and horizontal directions by the optical element 13p, forming an illumination pattern P (see Figure 7) including a bright area P2 and a dark area P1 on the incident surface 21 of the first lens 20.
[0040] The light rays L1 and L2 that form the irradiation pattern P are partially shielded by the light-shielding portion 33 of the first pattern 31, and the remaining portion passes through the light-transmitting portion 34 and enters the incident surface 21 of the first lens 20. The light rays L1 and L2 are emitted from the exit surface 22, partially shielded by the light-shielding portion 35 of the second pattern 32, and the remaining portion passes through the light-transmitting portion 36 and is emitted toward the second lens 40. In this embodiment, the exit surface 22 of the first lens 20 is configured such that the central part in the vertical direction is bent backward in a vertical cross-sectional view. Therefore, the exit position of the light rays L1 and L2 in the central part in the vertical direction is on the back side of the exit surface 22 than the exit positions on both sides in the vertical direction. The light rays L1 and L2 enter the incident surface 41 of the second lens 40. The light rays L1 and L2 that enter the second lens 40 pass through the inside of the second lens 40 and are emitted from the exit surface 42 towards the front of the vehicle.
[0041] Figure 9 shows an example of the vehicle light fixture 100 as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. As shown in Figure 9, when the vehicle light fixture 100 is viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the light-emitting region AR is visible due to the light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 42. The light-emitting region AR is visible in a vertically symmetrical manner, with the upper light-emitting region AR1 and the lower light-emitting region AR2 being visible. The light-emitting region AR has a shape in which the light-transmitting portion 34 of the first pattern 31 and the light-transmitting portion 36 of the second pattern 32 overlap, allowing it to be seen as relatively bright on both sides in the vertical direction and relatively dark in the center in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the emission position of the light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 22 is further back than the emission positions on both sides in the vertical direction. As a result, it can be seen as if both sides in the vertical direction are lit relatively closer (front side), and the center in the vertical direction is lit relatively further back (rear side).
[0042] As described above, the vehicle lamp 100 according to the present embodiment includes a light emitting unit 9, a first lens 20 that emits light from the light emitting unit 9 to the front side, and a light shielding unit 33, 35 and a light passing unit 34, 36 that are disposed on at least one of the front side and the back side of the first lens 20 and that form a light shielding pattern 30 that shields a part of the light from the light emitting unit 9 and allows a part of the light to pass through, and a second lens 40 that emits the light passing through the first lens 20 and the light shielding pattern 30 to the front side of the vehicle. The first lens 20 has an incident surface 21 on which light is incident and an exit surface 22 from which light is emitted, and at least one of the incident surface 21 and the exit surface 22 has a shape that is curved or bent toward the front side or the back side in a longitudinal cross-sectional view.
[0043] According to this configuration, it is possible to make the incident positions in the front-rear direction of the light rays L1 and L2 incident on the incident surface 21 and the exit positions in the front-rear direction of the light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the exit surface 22 different in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to make the part that lights up relatively on the front side (front side) in the vertical direction and the part that lights up relatively on the back side (back side) visible. Thereby, it is possible to realize a three-dimensional light emitting region AR having a sense of depth.
[0044] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 9 includes a light source 5 that emits light and a light source side lens 10 that guides the light from the light source 5 and emits it toward the first lens 20. The light source side lens 10 irradiates the dark part P1 of the irradiation pattern P toward the part of the first lens 20 where the exit surface 22 is relatively located on the back side, and irradiates the bright part P2 of the irradiation pattern P toward the part of the first lens 20 where the exit surface 22 is relatively located on the front side.
[0045] According to this configuration, it is possible to make the part that lights up relatively on the front side (front side) in the vertical direction relatively bright and the part that lights up relatively on the back side (back side) relatively dark. Thereby, it is possible to realize a three-dimensional light emitting region AR having a sense of depth.
[0046] In the vehicle lamp 100 according to the present embodiment, the light-shielding pattern 30 has dense portions 31b, 32b where the ratio of the light-shielding portions 33, 35 per unit area is relatively high and sparse portions 31a, 32a where the ratio is relatively low. The dense portions 31b, 32b are arranged at positions corresponding to portions of the first lens 20 where the emission surface 22 is relatively located on the back side, and the sparse portions 31a, 32a are arranged at positions corresponding to portions of the first lens 20 where the emission surface 22 is relatively located on the front side.
[0047] According to this configuration, it is possible to visually recognize the portion that lights up relatively in the front side (front side) in the vertical direction as relatively bright and the portion that lights up relatively in the back side (back side) as relatively dark. As a result, it is possible to realize a three-dimensional light-emitting region AR with a sense of depth.
[0048] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and appropriate changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, as the first lens 20, a lens having a shape in which the central portion in the vertical direction is bent to the back side has been described as an example, but it is not limited to this shape.
[0049] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the first lens. The first lens 20A shown in FIG. 10(A) has a curved surface shape in which the incident surface 21A is curved so as to be convex to the back side from both sides in the vertical direction toward the central portion. Further, the emission surface 22A of the first lens 20A is planar. In the first lens 20A shown in FIG. 10(A), the thickness ta in the front-rear direction gradually increases from both sides in the vertical direction toward the central portion, and the thickness ta is the thickest at the central portion in the vertical direction.
[0050] The first lens 20B shown in FIG. 10(B) has a planar incident surface 21B. Further, the first lens 20B has a shape in which the emission surface 22B is recessed in a stepped manner to the back side from both sides in the vertical direction toward the central portion. In the first lens 20B shown in FIG. 10(B), the thickness tb in the front-rear direction gradually decreases in a stepped manner from both sides in the vertical direction toward the central portion, and the thickness tb is the thinnest at the central portion in the vertical direction. Further, when viewed from the front side, the central portion in the vertical direction of the first lens 20B is located most on the back side (back side), and both end portions in the vertical direction are located most on the front side (front side).
[0051] The first lens 20C shown in Figure 10(C) has a curved surface, with the incident surface 21C curving upwards from both sides in the vertical direction towards the center. The exit surface 22C of the first lens 20C also has a curved surface, with the exit surface 22C curving upwards from both sides in the vertical direction towards the center. In the first lens 20C shown in Figure 10(C), the thickness tc in the front-to-back direction gradually increases from both sides in the vertical direction towards the center, with the thickness tc being greatest at the center in the vertical direction. When viewed from the front, the center of the first lens 20C in the vertical direction is located closest to the viewer (front side), and both ends in the vertical direction are located furthest away (back side).
[0052] The first lens 20D shown in Figure 10(D) has a curved surface, with the incident surface 21D curving concavely towards the front from both sides in the vertical direction to the center. The exit surface 22D of the first lens 20D has a curved surface, with the exit surface 22D curving convex towards the front from both sides in the vertical direction to the center. The curvature of the incident surface 21D is greater than the curvature of the exit surface 22D. In this case, in the first lens 20D shown in Figure 10(D), the thickness td in the front-to-back direction gradually decreases from both sides in the vertical direction to the center, with the thinnest thickness td at the center in the vertical direction. Also, when viewed from the front, the center in the vertical direction of the first lens 20D is located closest to the viewer (front side), and both ends in the vertical direction are located furthest away (back side).
[0053] Figure 11 shows a configuration in which a light-shielding pattern 30A is placed on the incident surface 21A of the first lens 20A shown in Figure 10(A), and a diffusion pattern 60A is formed on the exit surface 22A. In the example shown in Figure 11, the light-shielding pattern 30A is provided on the curved incident surface 21A of the first lens 20. In this way, since the portion of the incident surface 21A on which the light-shielding pattern 30A (pattern 31A) is provided is curved, a light-shielding pattern 30A can be arranged that utilizes the curved shape of the incident surface 21A. Alternatively, the first lens 20A may be formed such that the curvature of the incident surface 21A gradually increases from both ends in the vertical direction to the center in the vertical cross-sectional shape. In this case, a light-shielding pattern 30A can be arranged that utilizes the curved shape of the incident surface 21A, where the curvature gradually increases from both ends in the vertical direction to the center in the cross-sectional shape.
[0054] The light-shielding pattern 30A has a pattern 31A similar to the first pattern 31 of the light-shielding pattern 30 described above. Pattern 31A has a light-shielding portion 33A and a light-transmitting portion 34A. The light-shielding portion 33A blocks a portion of the light from the light-emitting portion 9. The light-transmitting portion 34A allows a portion of the light to pass through.
[0055] The diffusion pattern 60A has a diffusion section 61A and a light-passing section 62A. The diffusion section 61A diffuses a portion of the light incident from the incident surface 21A. The light-passing section 62A allows a portion of the light incident from the incident surface 21A to pass through to the front side. The light that has passed through the light-passing section 62A is emitted from the exit surface 22A to the front side and is emitted to the front side via the second lens 40.
[0056] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the light-shielding pattern 30A, the diffusion pattern 60A, the irradiation pattern P, and the light-emitting area AR when using the first lens 20A. Figure 12(A) is a diagram showing an example of the first lens 20 as viewed from the front. As shown in Figure 12(A), the pattern 31A has sparse areas 31a and dense areas 31b, similar to the above embodiment. The sparse areas 31a are provided, for example, in the portion including both ends in the vertical direction. The dense areas 31b are provided, for example, in the portion including the central part in the vertical direction. The dense areas 31b are located in the central part in the vertical direction. In addition, the sparse areas 31a are located on both sides in the vertical direction relative to the dense areas 31b.
[0057] In this way, the light-shielding pattern 30A is positioned at least on the incident surface 21A of the portion of the first lens 20A that is relatively thick in the front-to-back direction (the central portion in the vertical direction). This makes it possible to shield light that is incident on the portion of the first lens 20A that is relatively thick in the front-to-back direction.
[0058] Furthermore, in the light-shielding pattern 30A, dense areas 31b are arranged in the parts of the first lens 20A that are relatively thick in the front-to-back direction, and sparse areas 31a are arranged in the parts that are relatively thin. As a result, the parts of the first lens 20A that are relatively thick in the front-to-back direction can be made relatively dark areas, and the parts of the first lens 20A that are relatively thin in the front-to-back direction can be made relatively bright areas.
[0059] Figure 12(B) shows an example of the first lens 20A as viewed from the front. As shown in Figure 12(B), the diffusion portion 61A and the light-transmitting portion 62A are provided in a strip shape extending in a second direction, which is the left-right direction, different from the first direction. The diffusion portion 61A and the light-transmitting portion 62A are formed so that their vertical dimensions are uniform throughout the left-right direction. The diffusion portion 61A is formed so that its vertical dimensions gradually increase from the center of the first lens 20A towards the upper and lower sides. Furthermore, the diffusion portion 61A is arranged so that the spacing between adjacent diffusion portions 61A in the vertical direction decreases from the center of the first lens 20A towards both ends. The light-transmitting portion 62A is formed so that its vertical dimensions gradually decrease from the center of the first lens 20A towards the upper and lower sides. Furthermore, the light-transmitting sections 62A are arranged such that the spacing between adjacent light-transmitting sections 62A increases as you move from the center of the first lens 20A in the vertical direction towards both ends.
[0060] Furthermore, the diffusion pattern 60A has sparse areas 60a and dense areas 60b. The sparse areas 60a are areas in which the proportion of diffusion areas 61A per unit area is relatively high and the proportion of light-transmitting areas 62A is relatively low in the vertical direction. The sparse areas 60a are provided, for example, in areas including both ends in the vertical direction. The dense areas 60b are areas in which the proportion of diffusion areas 61A per unit area is relatively high and the proportion of light-transmitting areas 62A is relatively high in the vertical direction. The dense areas 60b are provided, for example, in areas including the central part in the vertical direction. The dense areas 60b are located in the central part in the vertical direction. Also, the sparse areas 60a are located on both sides in the vertical direction relative to the dense areas 60b.
[0061] Figure 12(C) shows an example of the first lens 20A as viewed from the back. Figure 12(C) shows an example of the state in which the illumination pattern P by the light source side lens 10 is irradiated. As shown in Figure 12, the light source side lens 10 irradiates the pattern 31A with an illumination pattern P having bright areas P2 and dark areas P1 due to light. The bright areas P2 are formed in the parts that extend in the left-right direction at both ends in the vertical direction of the pattern 31A. The dark areas P1 are formed in the parts that extend in the left-right direction at the center in the vertical direction of the first pattern 31. The dark areas P1 are brighter than the parts of the first pattern 31 where the illumination pattern P is not formed (periphery, etc.), but are brighter than the bright areas P2.
[0062] Figure 12(D) shows an example of the vehicle light fixture 100A as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. As shown in Figure 12(D), when the vehicle light fixture 100A is viewed from the rear of the vehicle with light emitted from the light-emitting part 9, the light-emitting area AR (AR3, AR4) is visible. The light-emitting area AR has a shape in which the light-passing part 34A of pattern 31A and the light-passing part 62A of diffusion pattern 60A overlap, and can be seen as relatively bright on both sides in the vertical direction and relatively dark in the center in the vertical direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the emission position of the light rays emitted from the emission surface 22A in the front-to-back direction is the same as the emission position in the center in the vertical direction. As a result, it can be seen as if both sides in the vertical direction are lit relatively towards the front (front side) and the center in the vertical direction is lit relatively towards the back (rear side).
[0063] Figure 13 shows a configuration in which a light-shielding pattern 30D is placed on the incident surface 21D of the first lens 20D shown in Figure 10(D), and a diffusion pattern 60D is formed on the exit surface 22D. In the example shown in Figure 13, the light-shielding pattern 30D is provided on the curved incident surface 21D of the first lens 20. In this way, since the portion of the incident surface 21D on which the light-shielding pattern 30D (pattern 31D) is provided is curved, a light-shielding pattern 30D that utilizes the curved shape of the incident surface 21D can be arranged. Alternatively, the incident surface 21D of the first lens 20D may be formed such that the curvature of the vertical cross-section gradually increases from both ends in the vertical direction to the center. In this case, a light-shielding pattern 30D that utilizes the curved shape of the incident surface 21D, where the curvature gradually increases from both ends in the vertical direction to the center, can be arranged.
[0064] The light-shielding pattern 30D has a pattern 31D similar to the first pattern 31 of the light-shielding pattern 30 described above. Pattern 31D has a light-shielding portion 33D and a light-transmitting portion 34D. The light-shielding portion 33D blocks a portion of the light from the light-emitting portion 9. The light-transmitting portion 34D allows a portion of the light to pass through.
[0065] The diffusion pattern 60D has a diffusion section 61D and a light-passing section 62D. The diffusion section 61D diffuses a portion of the light incident from the incident surface 21D. The light-passing section 62D allows a portion of the light incident from the incident surface 21D to pass through to the front side. The light that has passed through the light-passing section 62D is emitted from the exit surface 22D to the front side and is emitted to the front side via the second lens 40.
[0066] Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the light-shielding pattern 30D, the diffusion pattern 60D, the irradiation pattern P, and the light-emitting area AR when using the first lens 20D. Figure 14(A) is a diagram showing an example of the first lens 20 as viewed from the front. As shown in Figure 14(A), the pattern 31D has sparse areas 31a and dense areas 31b, similar to the above embodiment. The sparse areas 31a are provided, for example, in the portion including the central part in the vertical direction. The dense areas 31b are provided, for example, in the portion including both ends in the vertical direction.
[0067] Thus, the light-shielding pattern 30D is positioned at least on the incident surface 21D of the portion of the first lens 20D that is relatively thick in the front-to-back direction (both sides in the vertical direction). This makes it possible to shield light that is incident on the portion of the first lens 20D that is relatively thick in the front-to-back direction.
[0068] Furthermore, in the light-shielding pattern 30D, dense areas 31b are arranged in the parts of the first lens 20D that are relatively thick in the front-back direction (both ends in the vertical direction), and sparse areas 31a are arranged in the parts that are relatively thin (the central part in the vertical direction). As a result, the parts of the first lens 20D that are relatively thick in the front-back direction, such as the ends in the vertical direction, can be made relatively dark, and the parts of the first lens 20D that are relatively thin in the front-back direction, such as the central part in the vertical direction, can be made relatively bright.
[0069] Figure 14(B) shows an example of the first lens 20D as viewed from the front. As shown in Figure 14(B), the diffusion portion 61D and the light-transmitting portion 62D are provided in a strip shape extending in the left-right direction, which is a second direction different from the first direction. The diffusion portion 61D and the light-transmitting portion 62D are formed so that their vertical dimensions are uniform throughout the left-right direction. The diffusion portion 61D is formed so that its vertical dimensions gradually decrease from the center of the first lens 20D in the vertical direction to both ends. In addition, the diffusion portion 61D is arranged so that the spacing between adjacent diffusion portions 61D in the vertical direction increases from the center of the first lens 20D in the vertical direction to both ends. The light-transmitting portion 62D is formed so that its vertical dimensions gradually increase from the center of the first lens 20D in the vertical direction to the upper and lower sides. Furthermore, the light-transmitting sections 62D are arranged such that the spacing between adjacent light-transmitting sections 62D decreases as you move from the center of the first lens 20D in the vertical direction towards the upper and lower sides.
[0070] Furthermore, the diffusion pattern 60D has sparse areas 60a and dense areas 60b. The sparse areas 60a are provided, for example, in the portion including both ends in the vertical direction. The dense areas 60b are provided, for example, in the portion including the central part in the vertical direction. The dense areas 60b are located in the central part in the vertical direction. Also, the sparse areas 60a are located on both sides in the vertical direction relative to the dense areas 60b.
[0071] Figure 14(C) shows an example of the first lens 20D as viewed from the rear side. Figure 14(C) shows an example of the state in which the illumination pattern P by the light source side lens 10 is irradiated. As shown in Figure 14(C), the light source side lens 10 irradiates the pattern 31D with an illumination pattern P having dark areas P2 and bright areas P1 due to light. The bright area P2 is formed in the central part in the vertical direction of the pattern 31D. The dark area P1 is formed in the parts that extend horizontally at both ends in the vertical direction of the first pattern 31. The dark area P1 is brighter than the parts of the first pattern 31 where the illumination pattern P is not formed (periphery, etc.), but is brighter than the bright area P2.
[0072] Figure 14(D) shows an example of the vehicle light fixture 100D as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. As shown in Figure 14(D), when the vehicle light fixture 100D is viewed from the rear of the vehicle with light emitted from the light-emitting part 9, the light-emitting area AR (AR5, AR6) is visible. The light-emitting area AR has a shape in which the light-transmitting part 34D of pattern 31D and the light-transmitting part 62D of diffusion pattern 60D overlap, and can be seen with the sides in the vertical direction being relatively bright and the central part in the vertical direction being relatively dark. In addition, in this embodiment, the light rays L1 and L2 emitted from the emission surface 22 have an emission position in the central part in the vertical direction that is closer to the front than the emission positions on both sides in the vertical direction. As a result, it can be seen that both sides in the vertical direction are lit relatively towards the back (rear side) and the central part in the vertical direction is lit relatively towards the front (front side).
[0073] Furthermore, the shape of the first lens is not limited to the shape described above; other shapes are also acceptable as long as at least one of the incident surface and the exit surface is curved or bent toward the front or back side in a longitudinal cross-sectional view.
[0074] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example in which the light-emitting unit 9 has a light source 5 and a light source-side lens 10, the configuration is not limited to this. Other configurations are also acceptable as long as they are capable of appropriately irradiating the first lens 20 with light. For example, the light-emitting unit 9 may have a rod-shaped light guide instead of the light source-side lens 10, and the light guide may be used to supply light to the first lens 20 and the light-shielding pattern 30.
[0075] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example in which the first lens 20 and the light-shielding pattern 30 are integrated, the invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the light-shielding pattern 30 may be formed separately from the first lens 20 using a film or the like. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the first lens 20 and the light-shielding pattern 30 so that the distance between them in the front-to-back direction is as small as possible.
[0076] Furthermore, in the configuration of the above embodiment, the light-transmitting sections 34, 34A, and 34D may have a diffusion pattern that diffuses light. In this configuration, the light passing through the light-transmitting sections 34, 34A, and 34D is diffused by the diffusion pattern, making the light-transmitting sections 34, 34A, and 34D themselves appear to be emitting light from a surface. For this reason, if the shape of the light-transmitting sections 34, 34A, and 34D is three-dimensional, the three-dimensional effect can be further emphasized.
[0077] 1...Vehicle, 2...Vehicle body, 3...Running gear, 4...Tire, 5...Light source, 5a...Light-emitting surface, 6...Substrate, 7...Back door, 8...Fixed part, 9...Light-emitting part, 10...Light source side lens, 11...Incident part, 11a...Opposite incident surface (incident surface), 11b...Side incident surface (incident surface), 11c...Side reflective surface, 12, 12A, 12B...Reflective surface, 13, 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 42...Emission surface, 13A, 13B...Emission area, 13p...Optical element, 14...Stepped part, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D...First lens, 21, 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 41...Incident surface, 30, 30A, 30D...Light-shielding pattern 31...First pattern, 31a, 32a, 60a...Sparse area, 31A, 31D...Pattern, 31b, 32b, 60b...Dense area, 32...Second pattern, 33, 33A, 33D, 35...Light-shielding area, 34, 34A, 34D, 36, 62A, 62D...Light-transmitting area, 40...Second lens, 50...Housing, 60A, 60D...Diffusion pattern, 61A, 61D...Diffusion area, 100, 100A, 100D...Vehicle lighting fixture, AR, AR1, AR2, AR3, AR4, AR5, AR6...Light-emitting area, L1, L2...Light ray, P...Irradiation pattern, P1...Dark area, P2...Bright area, P2a...Upper bright area, P2b...Lower bright area
Claims
1. A vehicle light fixture comprising: a light source unit; a first lens that emits light from the light source unit toward the front; a light-shielding pattern disposed on at least one of the front and rear sides of the first lens, having a light-shielding portion that blocks a portion of the light from the light source unit and a light-passing portion that allows a portion of the light to pass through; and a second lens that emits the light through the first lens and the light-shielding pattern toward the front of the vehicle, wherein the first lens has an incident surface into which the light enters and an outgoing surface into which the light exits, and at least one of the incident surface and the outgoing surface has a shape that is curved or bent toward the front or rear side in a vertical cross-sectional view.
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source unit comprises a light source that emits light and a light source side lens that guides the light from the light source and emits it toward the first lens, and the light source side lens illuminates the dark portion of the illumination pattern toward the portion of the first lens whose emission surface is located relatively on the rear side, and illuminates the bright portion of the illumination pattern toward the portion of the first lens whose emission surface is located relatively on the front side.
3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding pattern is arranged at least on the incident surface of the portion of the first lens that is relatively thicker in the front-to-back direction.
4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding pattern has dense areas and sparse areas where the proportion of the light-shielding portion per unit area is relatively high, and the dense areas are arranged in the portion of the first lens that is relatively thick in the front-to-back direction, and the sparse areas are arranged in the portion that is relatively thin.
5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding pattern has dense portions and sparse portions with a relatively high and relatively low ratio of the light-shielding portion per unit area, the dense portions are arranged in the position corresponding to the portion of the first lens where the emission surface is located relatively on the rear side, and the sparse portions are arranged in the position corresponding to the portion where the emission surface is located relatively on the front side.
6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding pattern is provided on the incident surface of the first lens, and the portion of the incident surface on which the light-shielding pattern is provided is curved.
7. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the incident surface and the exit surface of the first lens is formed such that the curvature gradually increases from both ends in the vertical direction to the center in the vertical cross-sectional shape.