JPH07245003A - Prism and head light apparatus for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a prism which is used for a head light and can improve the lighting efficiency and a head light apparatus for vehicles. CONSTITUTION:A prism 15 is composed so as to have projected rear side and the right and left tilting faces which compose a light impinging face 15a to lead light into the prism and a light reflecting face 15c to reflect the light, respectively. The light impinging face 15a is a curved face formed like a concaved face, so that the light rays which pass the prism 15 from the rear side go out at continuous widening angles as the rays go out more inwardly. On the other hand, the reflecting face 15b is a curved face formed like a more moderately concaved face than the light impinging face 15a and is formed by aluminum evaporation on the surface of the prism 15. The light reflected in the rear part of the reflecting face 15b has wide reflection angle and the light reflected in the front part has a small reflection angle, so that the alteration of the quantity of the reflected light and the light passes the prism is little and continuous light radiation can be done without dropping out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus used for a vehicle headlight, and more particularly to a prism and a vehicle headlight apparatus having excellent light efficiency in the headlight.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a vehicle travels on a curve, makes a right / left turn, or changes its course, simply illuminating the front of the vehicle with a headlight may not ensure a sufficient field of view in the intended traveling direction. Therefore, the present inventors have already acquired the headlight lens P that receives the light from the light source P1 as shown in FIG.
A technique was proposed in which a prism P3 was installed in front of No. 2 to spread light to a wide angle (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-139203).

The prism P3 used in this technique is one in which one side of the prism P3 is a concave curved surface (incident surface) P4, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 11 (b). Therefore, the light that enters the prism P3 from the light source P1 through the headlight lens P2 is first bent at the entrance surface P4 and then at the exit surface P5, so that the angle of bending increases toward the side. It can be expanded to a wide angle.

[0004]

However, when the prism P3 having the above-described shape is used, the field of view in the planned traveling direction can be secured to a considerable extent, but this is not always sufficient. That is, when the prism P3 is used, in the portion where the angle between the direction of the incident light and the incident surface P4 of the prism P3 is small (the portion where the incident angle near the lower ridge in FIG. 11B is large). However, most of the incident light is reflected by the incident surface P4, and as a result, there is a problem that the amount of light entering the prism P4 is reduced. This also applies to the light emitted from the exit surface P5 of the prism P3. Since the incident angle (with respect to the exit surface P5) is large near the left end of the prism P3 in FIG. There is a problem that the amount of light is reduced.

That is, when the above-mentioned conventional prism P3 is used, there is a problem that the efficiency of light (used) is lowered particularly in a portion where the prism P3 is thick. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a prism and a vehicle headlight device that can improve the efficiency of light used in the headlight.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 made to achieve the above object is used for changing the irradiation direction of a headlight, and is directed to the side of the light passing from behind. A prism for continuously increasing the angle of light, characterized in that, of the incident side end faces behind the prism, a reflecting surface for reflecting light is formed on the incident side end face in the direction in which the light is bent. Is the gist.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the reflecting surface of the prism is formed in a concave shape so that the reflected light intersects after the light is reflected by the reflecting surface. To do. A third aspect of the present invention is a prism for changing the position of the prism arranged in front of the light source of the headlight to change the direction of the light emitted through the prism to the side or the side downward. The vehicle headlight device according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized by comprising an adjusting means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle headlamp device including a passing beam headlamp having the prism, and a traveling beam headlamp. Is provided with a movable shield that cuts the upper light of the traveling beam, and the traveling beam is used together when the passing beam is adjusted using the prism, and the movable shield is driven to cut the upper light of the traveling beam. A vehicle headlight device according to claim 3 is summarized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle headlamp is provided in front of the light source of the headlamp so that the position of the headlamp can be changed, and includes an optical means capable of changing the light irradiation direction to the side or the side downward. In the device, the gist of a vehicle headlight device is characterized in that the optical means is a half mirror that reflects a part of the light emitted from behind and transmits a part of the light.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle headlamp device including a passing beam headlamp having the half mirror, and a traveling beam headlamp, wherein the traveling beam headlamp includes: A movable shield that cuts the upper light of the traveling beam is provided, and the traveling beam is used together when the passing beam is adjusted using the half mirror, and the upper light of the traveling beam is cut by driving the movable shield. A vehicle headlight device according to claim 5 is characterized in that.

The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that a prism or a half mirror for directing a part of the traveling beam to a side is arranged in the traveling beam headlamp. The vehicle headlight device of the above is the gist.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as the prism used for changing the irradiation direction of the headlight, a prism that continuously increases the angle of the light that is directed sideways among the light that passes from the back is adopted. At the same time, a reflecting surface that reflects light is provided on the incident side end surface of the prism in the light bending direction. That is, on one side of the ridge of the rear surface of the prism, an incident surface is formed such that the incident angle becomes larger toward the rear side (the angle between the incident light and the incident surface becomes smaller), and the other side of the ridge is reflected. The surface is provided. Therefore, on the incident surface, the light is bent in a predetermined direction through the prism while being hardly reflected, while on the reflecting surface, the light is reflected and bent in the predetermined direction. As a result, the light emitted from the light source is efficiently bent and emitted in a predetermined direction on the incident surface and the reflecting surface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the reflecting surface of the prism is concave so that the reflected light intersects after the light is reflected by the reflecting surface. Therefore, the light reflected at the back (rear side) of the reflecting surface has a large reflection angle, so that the traveling direction of the light is not bent so much, while the light reflected at the front of the reflecting surface has a small reflection angle, so the light traveling The direction can be greatly bent. As a result, the bent state (dispersed state) of light becomes continuous, and it is possible to prevent unevenness of the irradiation light amount due to so-called light leakage.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by changing the position of the prism arranged in front of the light source of the headlight by the prism adjusting means, the light of the headlight can be efficiently used and the light can be emitted from the side or side. The irradiation direction can be appropriately set to a predetermined direction such as laterally downward.

In the invention of claim 4, the vehicle headlamp device having the prism as in claim 3 is used as the headlight for a low beam, and the headlight for a traveling beam is a traveling beam. A movable shield that cuts off the upper light is disposed. Therefore, at the time of traveling, while adjusting the passing beam using the prism to illuminate the side and the front, the movable beam is driven to cut the upper light of the traveling beam so that the passing beam illuminates the side. It is possible to compensate for the reduced light amount (illuminating the front).

According to the invention of claim 5, since the half mirror is adopted as the optical means for changing the direction of the light of the headlight, the direction of a part of the light emitted from the back is changed by reflection. , It is possible to pass some of the light forward. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate not only the front but also the side or the lower side.

In the invention of claim 6, the half mirror as in claim 5 is arranged in the passing beam headlight, and the traveling beam headlight is provided with a movable shield for cutting upward light of the traveling beam. Parts are arranged. Therefore, at the time of traveling, the passing beam illuminates the side by adjusting the passing beam using the half mirror to illuminate the side and the front and driving the movable shield to cut the upper light of the traveling beam. It is possible to compensate for the reduced light amount (illuminating the front).

In the seventh aspect of the invention, the traveling beam headlight is provided with the prism or the half mirror for directing a part of the traveling beam to the side. Therefore, the passing beam is reduced by illuminating the side beam. It is possible to supplement the amount of light in front of the vehicle headlight.

Here, as the prism, the incident side end surface (incident surface) through which light enters the prism may be, for example, one in which a large number of planes are arranged in a concave shape or a concave curved surface. In particular, when the incident surface is a curved surface, the change in the amount of light to the side is continuous, which is desirable.

As the reflecting surface, for example, one plane, one in which a number of planes are arranged in a concave shape, or a concave curved surface can be adopted. Of these, the one in which the reflecting surface is concave is preferable because there is no escape of the light of the headlight to the side, and when the reflecting surface is a concave curved surface, the change in the amount of light is continuous, This is preferable because the light quantity is evenly distributed.

The prism or half mirror can be moved not only laterally but also laterally and downwardly by moving with a twist. Specifically, in the case of a prism, for example, by moving and rotating the prism toward the center of the optical axis, the direction of light diffusion can be changed, and in the case of a half mirror,
The direction of light can be changed by moving the half mirror toward the center of the optical axis and tilting it downward. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the glare on the side of the headlight.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a four-wheeled vehicle will be described below with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) As shown in the plan view of FIG. 1, a vehicular headlamp apparatus of a first embodiment includes a passing headlight 1 for irradiating a passing beam (Low beam) and a traveling beam (High beam). It is a four-lamp type headlight device that is provided with a pair of traveling beam headlamps 3 for illuminating each of the left and right. In addition, in FIG.
Only the left pair is shown.

Among these, the passing headlight 1 includes a light source 5, an elliptical concave reflector 7 that reflects the light of the light source 5, a lens 9 arranged in front of the light source 5, and a second focal point vicinity of the light source 5. A projector headlight 13 including a light shielding plate 11 disposed in the
And a prism 15 arranged in front of the lens 9. On the other hand, the traveling beam headlamp 3 is also similar to the light source 17, the reflector 19, the lens 21, and the light blocking plate 23.
Is provided with a projector headlight 25.
In the following description, the light sources 5 and 17 and the reflectors 7 and 19 will be collectively referred to as light source units 8 and 18, respectively.

The light shielding plate 11 of the passing headlight 1 is
As shown in the side view of FIG. 2 (a), it is arranged below the center of the main optical axis and cuts upward rays from the light source section 8 to perform passing beam distribution. The passing headlight 1 of the embodiment is of a fixed type.

The light-shielding plate 23 of the headlight 3 for the traveling beam is arranged below the center of the main optical axis as shown in the side view of FIG. It is a light-shielding plate (movable light-shielding plate) 23 that can be moved to. That is, when irradiating a normal traveling beam, the movable light-shielding plate 23 is moved downward so that the light from the light source unit 18 is not cut and distant irradiation is possible. On the other hand, as will be described later, when used in conjunction with the low beam, the movable light-shielding plate 23 moves upward to cut upward light rays from the light source unit 18 to obtain low beam distribution. .

As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3, the prism 15 is convex on the back side (light receiving side), and the left and right hypotenuses thereof reflect the incident surface 15a that allows the light to enter the prism. It is composed of a reflecting surface 15b. Of these, the incident surface 15a is a curved surface formed in a concave shape, and of the light passing from the back of the prism 15, the angle of the light directed to the side is continuously increased. It is possible to perform continuous irradiation without unevenness due to the light directed to the. On the other hand, the reflecting surface 15b is a curved surface that is formed in a concave shape having a slightly gentler curve than the incident surface 15a, and is formed of a reflecting layer 15c that is formed on the surface of the prism 15 by vapor deposition of aluminum or the like and reflects light. There is. Although the traveling direction of the light reflected by the reflecting surface 15b is bent to the side, the rear portion (rear side) of the reflecting surface 15b
Since the light reflected by 4 has a large reflection angle, and conversely, the light reflected by the front part of the reflection surface 15b has a small reflection angle, the light crosses on the way. That is, the traveling direction of the light reflected by the rear portion of the reflecting surface 15b is changed to be small, and the traveling direction of the light reflected by the front portion of the reflecting surface 15b is greatly changed, so that the light reflected by the entire reflecting surface 15b is changed. There is little change in the amount of light between the light emitted from the light emitting surface 15d and the light emitted from the light emitting surface 15d, and so-called continuous light irradiation without omission can be performed.

As shown in the front view of FIG. 4, the prism 15 is formed integrally with a semicircular support portion 33. The support portion 33 is slidably engaged with arc-shaped guide grooves 41 and 43 provided in the angle 39 via two pins 35 and 37. Further, a fan-shaped gear 45 is engraved on the outer circumference of the support portion 33, and engages with a rotating gear 47 attached to substantially the center of the angle 39. That is, the prism 15 is supported by being engaged with the angle 39 at three places through the support portion 33, and is configured to rotate along the guide grooves 41 and 43 by rotating the rotating gear 47. There is. On the other hand, a rack 49 is provided below the angle 39. A pinion 53 attached to a bracket 51 fixed to the vehicle body is engaged with the rack 49. That is, the angle 39 is configured to be continuously slidable in the left-right direction with respect to the vehicle body by the rack-and-pinion mechanism. Therefore, the prism 1
5 can slide in the left-right direction as the angle 39 moves.

The above-mentioned prism 15, movable light-shielding plate 23, etc., as shown in FIG. 5, are well known CPU, ROM, RAM,
Drive control is performed by a control system mainly composed of a control computer 61 having a backup RAM and the like to realize various light distribution patterns. That is, the control computer 6
1 receives the vehicle speed signal SPD and the steering angle signal θ from the vehicle speed sensor 63 and the steering angle sensor 65, and executes the light distribution pattern selection processing in accordance with the arithmetic processing program in the ROM.
The drive control signal for realizing the light distribution pattern is output to the prism rotation motors 67r and 67l and the prism movement motors 69r and 69l. Further, based on a signal from the beam selection switch 70 for selecting the passing beam or the traveling beam, the movable light shielding plate 23 of the traveling beam headlamp is selected.
To move the movable shading plate moving motors 71r, 71
drive l. The subscript "r" means that for the right front headlight, and the subscript "l" means that for the left headlight.

Then, the vehicle speed SPD and the steering angle θ are read, a light distribution pattern map (not shown) is searched according to these, and when a light distribution pattern is specified, a motor drive signal corresponding to the specified light distribution pattern is output, As described above, the prism 15 and the movable light shielding plate 23 are operated to change the light irradiation state.

When traveling straight ahead using the passing beam As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the traveling beam headlamp 3 is not used and only the passing beam headlamp 1 is turned on for traveling. At this time, the prism 15 is moved out of the optical path.
That is, it is placed away from the main optical axis LL.

When traveling straight ahead using the passing beam and the traveling beam, the traveling beam headlamp 3 is turned on together with the passing beam headlamp 1 for traveling. At this time, since the movable light-shielding plate 23 of the traveling beam headlamp 3 is moved upward and cuts the upward light, two passing beams (on one side) are used, and the light emitted forward is The amount of light increases.
The prism 15 is arranged so as to be out of the optical path, as in the case of FIG. 6A.

When making a left turn, traveling on a curve, or changing course, it is necessary to further illuminate the side when making a left turn, traveling on a curve, changing course, etc. At that time, as shown in FIG. The prism 15 is moved so as to enter the optical path of the low beam headlight 1 according to the angle θ. That is, it is moved so as to approach the main optical axis LL, and not only the incident surface 15a but also the reflecting surface 15b is arranged so as to be positioned in the optical path. As a result, the light from the light source unit 8 is radiated forward, and a part thereof is bent laterally (in the changed direction) and radiated. That is, of the light radiated to the prism 15, the light input from the incident surface 15a is laterally bent and radiated, while the light reflected by the reflecting surface 15b is laterally bent and radiated. Will be.
At this time, the traveling beam headlamp 3 may be turned off or may be turned on. However, when it is turned on, the light amount of the light radiated forward increases, and the field of view becomes clear. Therefore, it is preferable.

In addition to the light distribution by the above control, the following light distribution can be carried out. When turning left FIG. 7A shows the lateral movement position of the prism 15 when turning left. As shown in the drawing, the prism 15 is moved toward the main optical axis LL near the center of the lens 9 and is rotated clockwise in the drawing, so that the irradiation light on the side of the main optical axis LL is near the main optical axis LL. It is possible to obtain an enlarged irradiation area AR1 for a left turn that is widened mainly around the vehicle body while illuminating the front diagonally forward as well as illuminating the diagonally forward direction as the light beam increases in the downward direction and the sideward direction. At this time, since the prism 15 is rotated and the whole light is downward light, the oncoming vehicle or the like is not dazzled even though the prism 15 is illuminating the diagonally forward direction. Particularly, in this embodiment, the prism 15
Is arranged so that its reflecting surface 15b enters the optical path of the light from the light source section 8 when the is moved. Therefore, when turning left, there is no unevenness or omission of light, and it is possible to efficiently irradiate the light downward in the lateral direction. At this time, the traveling beam headlamp 3 may be turned on by moving the movable light shielding plate 23 upward, or may be turned off.

At the time of curve traveling and course change FIG. 7B shows an arrangement example of the prism 15 at the time of curve traveling and course change. As shown in the figure, by moving the prism 15 to a position where it is applied to the end of the lens 9, an enlarged irradiation area AR2 for changing the course in which the irradiation light on the side of the main optical axis LL is expanded centering on the distance is obtained. be able to. At this time, the traveling beam headlamp 3 may be turned on by moving the movable light shielding plate 23 upward, or may be turned off.

As described above, in the vehicle headlight device of the first embodiment, the prism 15 having the incident surface 15a and the reflecting surface 15b and the ridge angle of which is continuously changed is used. Can be moved continuously to
It is possible to continuously increase the angle of the light on the outer side of the main optical axis LL, which is directed toward the side as the distance from the main optical axis LL increases. Therefore, since it is possible to illuminate a wide area laterally in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle when making a right or left turn, it is possible to clearly recognize lateral obstacles, pedestrians, and the like. In addition, since the twisted light beam can be obtained by rotating the prism 15, it is possible to irradiate the lower side as well, thus reducing the glare of the irradiated partner.

Particularly in this embodiment, since the prism 15 is provided with not only the incident surface 15a but also the reflecting surface 15b,
The incident surface 15a reflects almost no light and the prism 1
5 and is bent in a predetermined direction, and the reflecting surface 15b
Since the light is reflected in the case, there is a remarkable effect that the light is efficiently bent and irradiated in a predetermined direction. Moreover,
By adopting this reflecting surface 15b, the prism 1
Since the thickness of the prism 5 itself can be reduced, the prism 15 can be easily arranged even in a narrow space inside the headlight.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the passing beam headlamp 1 is used, the traveling beam headlamp 3 is used and the movable light shielding plate 23 of the traveling beam headlamp 3 is used.
Is raised to cut off the upward light, so that it is possible to compensate for the amount of light in the front which is decreased by the passing beam illuminating the side.

On the other hand, on the other hand, such a remarkable effect is obtained, and since the main optical axis is not changed, the field of view immediately before is not so bad. (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described.

As shown in the plan view of FIG. 8 and the side view of FIG. 9, the vehicle headlamp device of the present embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, and the passing headlamp 81 and the traveling beam headlamp 83 are provided. It is a four-light type headlight device including a. The passing headlight 81 is
The projector headlight 93 includes a light source 85, a reflector 87, a lens 89, and a fixed light shielding plate 91, and a prism 95 arranged in front of the lens 89 of the projector headlight 93. On the other hand, the traveling beam headlamp 83 includes, in addition to the light source 97, the reflector 99, the lens 101, the movable light shielding plate 103, the movable light shielding plate 103.
A substantially plate-shaped prism 105 is provided in front of.

This prism 105 has a slightly thicker side wall of the passing headlight 81, is arranged in front of and above the movable light shielding plate 103, and bends the light from the light source 97 sideways. Yes, it is driven integrally with the movable light-shielding plate 103 and moves vertically. When the passing beam headlamp 81 is used, the traveling beam headlamp 83 is used and the prism 105 is moved upward in conjunction with the movable light shielding plate 103 of the traveling beam headlamp 83. Let me
It cuts upward light and increases the amount of light to the side.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, the movement of the prism 105 causes the passing beam to illuminate the side portion of the passing beam so that the passing beam headlight 81 is reduced. There is an advantage that the amount of light in the front can be further supplemented. Further, since the prism 103 is arranged at the position shown in FIG. 9B, there is also an effect that mainly the light traveling upward is bent laterally to further reduce the glare in the front.

Instead of the prism 103, a half mirror (not shown) that similarly bends light laterally may be arranged at the position of the prism 103 and used. (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described.

As shown in the plan view of FIG. 9, the vehicle headlamp device of this embodiment is provided with the passing headlight 111 and the traveling beam headlight 113, as in the first embodiment. It is a light type headlight device. Of these, the headlight for passing 111
In front of the lens 115, a half mirror 117 that allows a part of light to pass and a part of the light to be reflected is arranged. The half mirror 117 is arranged obliquely with respect to the main optical axis LL and is movable in the directions of arrows A and B.

Therefore, when the half mirror 117 is moved in the direction of arrow A when turning left, turning a curve, changing the course, etc., the amount of light reflected to the side increases, and the side view becomes clear. Further, the half mirror 117 may not only be moved laterally but may be tilted slightly downward. In that case, since the amount of light in the lateral downward direction increases, there is an advantage that glare can be reduced.

At this time, the movable light shield plate 119 of the traveling beam headlight 113 may be turned on, and the prism 103 (or half mirror) used in the second embodiment may be arranged. You may use it. In that case, the same effect can be obtained. Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, it is conceivable to use a plurality of prisms side by side instead of using one prism, but in that case, there is an advantage that the thickness of each prism can be reduced. Further, in the embodiment, the light distribution pattern is only changed by turning left or right and changing the curve or the course, but the light distribution pattern may be determined more finely.

Further, a reflector in which the curvature of the reflecting surface is continuously different depending on the part may be used. Also,
A structure in which the reflector of the headlight itself is deformed by, for example, hydraulic pressure may be used to partially change the curvature of the reflecting surface. In addition, the headlight type is not limited to the project type, but may be a shield beam type or a modified headlight.

In the above embodiment, the four-light type has been described, but the two-light type may be used. In that case, the light shielding plate is movable in the vertical direction to switch between the low beam and the traveling beam. Incidentally, instead of a prism having an entrance surface and a reflection surface,
A prism having a concave incident surface (no reflective surface) is used for a passing beam headlight, and the traveling beam headlight is the movable light shielding plate of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, or In addition to the movable shield plate, a prism or a half mirror may be used to supplement the light amount of the low beam. In that case, the above-described effects due to the movable shield plate, the prism, and the half me can be obtained.

[0049]

As described above in detail, in the invention of claim 1, as the prism used for changing the irradiation direction of the headlight, the light that is directed to the side out of the light passing through the emission surface from the back side is used. While adopting a configuration in which the angle is continuously increased, a reflecting surface that reflects light is formed on the incident side end surface of the prism in the light bending direction. Therefore, the light is hardly reflected on the incident surface and enters the prism to be bent in a predetermined direction, and the light is reflected on the reflecting surface, so that the light emitted from the light source is efficiently bent in the predetermined direction. It will be irradiated and irradiated. Moreover, since the thickness of the prism can be reduced by adopting this reflecting surface, the prism can be suitably arranged even in a narrow space inside the headlight. Further, since the prism can be made thin, there is also an advantage that it is not necessary to perform complicated processing on the prism unlike a Fresnel lens.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the reflecting surface of the prism is concave so that the reflected light intersects after the light is reflected by the reflecting surface. Therefore, the traveling direction of the light reflected by the rear portion of the reflecting surface is not bent so much, while the traveling direction of the light reflected by the front portion of the reflecting surface is greatly bent.
As a result, the state where the light is bent becomes continuous, and there is an effect that unevenness of the irradiation light amount due to the escape of light can be prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by changing the position of the prism arranged in front of the light source of the headlight by the prism adjusting means, the light of the headlight can be efficiently used, and the side light or The irradiation direction can be set to a predetermined direction such as laterally downward.

In the invention of claim 4, the vehicle headlight device having the prism as in claim 3 is used as the headlight for a low beam, and the headlight for a traveling beam is provided above the traveling beam. A movable shield that cuts light is arranged. Therefore, at the time of traveling, by adjusting the passing beam using the prism to illuminate the side and the front, and by driving the movable shield to cut the upper light of the traveling beam, the passing beam illuminates the side. It is possible to compensate for the reduced amount of light in the front.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the half mirror is adopted as the optical means for changing the direction of the light of the headlight, the direction of a part of the light emitted from the back is changed by reflection. , Some of that light can be passed forward. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate not only the front but also the side or the lower side. Further, since the half mirror is thin, there is an advantage that it can be easily arranged even in a narrow space in the headlight.

In the invention of claim 6, the half mirror as in claim 5 is arranged in the passing beam headlight, and the traveling beam headlight is provided with a movable shield portion for cutting the upper light of the traveling beam. It is arranged. Therefore, at the time of traveling, the passing beam illuminates the side by adjusting the passing beam using the half mirror to illuminate the side and the front and driving the movable shield to cut the upper light of the traveling beam. It is possible to compensate for the reduced amount of light in the front.

According to the invention of claim 7, since the prism or the half mirror for directing a part of the traveling beam to the side is arranged in the traveling beam headlight, the passing beam decreased by illuminating the side beam. The amount of light in front of the headlight can be supplemented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle headlight device according to a first embodiment as seen from a plane.

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle headlight device, and FIG. 2A is a schematic configuration diagram of a passing beam headlight as viewed from a side,
(B) is the schematic block diagram which looked at the headlight for traveling beams from the side.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a prism.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle headlight device as viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system of the vehicle headlight device.

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the prism, FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the prism is moved to the side, and FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the prism is moved to the main optical axis side.

7A and 7B show an operation of the prism, FIG. 7A is an explanatory view showing a state where the prism is moved when turning left, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the prism is moved when making a curve or the like.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle headlight device according to a second embodiment as seen from a plane.

FIG. 9 shows a vehicle headlight device, and FIG. 9A is a schematic configuration diagram of a passing beam headlight when viewed from a side,
(B) is the schematic block diagram which looked at the headlight for traveling beams from the side.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle headlight device according to a third embodiment of the present invention viewed from above.

11A and 11B show a conventional technique, in which FIG. 11A is an explanatory view showing a position of a prism, and FIG. 11B is an explanatory view showing a shape of the prism.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,81,111 ... Headlights for passing beams, 3,8
3,113 ... Headlights for traveling beams, 5,17,85,9
7 ... Light source, 9, 21, 89, 101, 115 ... Lens, 11, 91 ... (fixed type) light-shielding plate, 23, 103,
119 ... Movable light shielding plate, 15, 95, 105 ... Prism,
117 ... Half mirror, 61 ... Control computer,
15a ... Incident surface, 15b ... Reflective surface, 15c ... Reflective layer,
15d ... Emitting surface, LL ... Main optical axis

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A prism, which is used to change the irradiation direction of a headlight and which continuously increases the angle of light that is directed to the side of light passing from the back, and is incident on the back of the prism. A prism characterized in that a reflecting surface for reflecting light is formed on an incident side end surface in a light bending direction of the side end surfaces. 2. The prism according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting surface of the prism is formed in a concave shape so that the reflected light intersects after the light is reflected by the reflecting surface. 3. A prism adjusting means for changing the position of the prism arranged in front of the light source of the headlight so as to change the direction of the light emitted through the prism to sideways or sideways downward. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: 4. A vehicular headlamp device including a passing beam headlamp having the prism and a traveling beam headlamp, wherein upper light of the traveling beam is cut by the traveling beam headlamp. A movable shielding part is provided to use the traveling beam together when adjusting the passing beam using the prism,
The vehicle headlight device according to claim 3, wherein the movable shield unit is driven to cut off the upper light of the traveling beam. 5. A vehicular headlamp apparatus comprising optical means which is provided in front of a light source of a headlamp so as to be positionally changeable and which can change a light irradiation direction to a side or a side downward. A vehicle headlight device, wherein the means is a half mirror that reflects a part of the light emitted from behind and allows a part of the light to pass through. 6. A vehicle headlamp device comprising a passing beam headlamp having the half mirror and a traveling beam headlamp, comprising: a traveling beam headlamp; And a traveling beam is used together when the passing beam is adjusted using the half mirror, and the movable shielding unit is driven to cut the upper light of the traveling beam. The vehicle headlight device according to claim 5. 7. The vehicle headlight according to claim 4 or 6, wherein a prism or a half mirror that directs a part of the traveling beam to a side is arranged in the traveling beam headlamp. Lighting device.