CN110715258B - Light guide - Google Patents
Light guide Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN110715258B CN110715258B CN201910567453.5A CN201910567453A CN110715258B CN 110715258 B CN110715258 B CN 110715258B CN 201910567453 A CN201910567453 A CN 201910567453A CN 110715258 B CN110715258 B CN 110715258B
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- China
- Prior art keywords
- light
- light guide
- reflected
- reflection
- reflection surface
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
- F21S41/20—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
- F21S41/24—Light guides
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B60L53/00—Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
- B60L53/10—Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles characterised by the energy transfer between the charging station and the vehicle
- B60L53/14—Conductive energy transfer
- B60L53/16—Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
- B60Q1/02—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
- B60Q1/24—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments for lighting other areas than only the way ahead
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
- F21S41/30—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by reflectors
- F21S41/32—Optical layout thereof
- F21S41/33—Multi-surface reflectors, e.g. reflectors with facets or reflectors with portions of different curvature
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
- F21S43/20—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
- F21S43/235—Light guides
- F21S43/236—Light guides characterised by the shape of the light guide
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
- F21S43/30—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by reflectors
- F21S43/31—Optical layout thereof
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
- F21W2107/00—Use or application of lighting devices on or in particular types of vehicles
- F21W2107/10—Use or application of lighting devices on or in particular types of vehicles for land vehicles
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
- Y02T90/14—Plug-in electric vehicles
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Planar Illumination Modules (AREA)
- Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
Abstract
Disclosed is a light guide that emits light by light propagating therein, the light guide including: a light introduction part for introducing light emitted from the light source; a first reflection surface and a second reflection surface capable of completely reflecting the light introduced from the light introduction part; a light emitting section for emitting light reflected by the first reflecting surface to the outside for illumination; and an indicating portion for propagating therein the light reflected by the second reflecting surface and visually indicating its own position by emitting light.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to light guides.
Background
Conventionally, a lighting device of a power feeding portion for charging a battery of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle is known (for example, see patent document 1 and patent document 2).
The vehicle lighting device described in patent document 1 includes a first light-emitting portion for notifying a user thereof of the position of the power feeding portion and a second light-emitting portion for illuminating a power feeding port in a housing of the power feeding portion.
The illumination unit described in patent document 2 includes a light guide member including an annular light emitting portion provided in a feeding port to inform a user thereof of a position of the feeding port within a housing of the feeding portion.
[ patent document 1] JP-A-2018-
[ patent document 2] JP-A-2012-178230
Disclosure of Invention
In the vehicle lighting device described in patent document 1, since a light source is used for each of the first light emitting portion and the second light emitting portion, a large number of light sources are required. In addition, the lighting unit described in patent document 2 has a function of notifying a user of the position of the power feeding port in the housing of the power feeding portion, but has no other function, for example, a function of indicating the position of the power feeding portion.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a light guide that realizes an illumination structure capable of indicating a position of a mounting target object and illuminating the inside thereof with a small number of light sources.
One aspect of the present invention provides the following light guides [1] to [9] to achieve the above object.
[1] A light guide, comprising: a light-guiding member having a predetermined length, the light-guiding member being for propagating light along the predetermined length of the light-guiding member, the light being introduced from outside; and a concave wall for reflecting light introduced from the outside to generate at least first reflected light and second reflected light in different directions, the concave wall being provided in the light guide member.
[2] The light guide according to [1] above, wherein the light guide member includes: a light introduction part for introducing light emitted from the light source; a first reflection surface and a second reflection surface formed on the concave wall, the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface for reflecting the light introduced from the light introduction part; a light emitting section for emitting light reflected by the first reflecting surface to the outside for illumination; and an indicating portion for propagating the light reflected by the second reflecting surface in the indicating portion and visually indicating a position of the indicating portion itself by light emission.
[3] According to the light guide of the above [2], the light guide is to be mounted on a mounting target object having a recessed portion, wherein the indicating portion indicates a position of an opening of the recessed portion when the light guide is mounted on the mounting target object, and an inside of the recessed portion can be illuminated by light emitted from the light emitting portion.
[4] The light guide according to the above [2] or [3], comprising an annular portion including a first reflection surface, a second reflection surface, a light emitting portion, and an indicating portion, wherein the second reflection surface includes two reflection surfaces facing different directions, wherein light introduced from the light introduction portion and reflected from one of the two reflection surfaces is transmitted in one circumferential direction in the annular portion, while light introduced from the light introduction portion and reflected from the other of the two reflection surfaces is transmitted in the annular portion in the other circumferential direction.
[5] The light guide according to the above [2] or [3], comprising a linear part including a first reflection surface, a second reflection surface, a light emitting part, and an indicating part, wherein the second reflection surface includes two reflection surfaces facing different directions, wherein light introduced from the light introduction part and reflected from one of the two reflection surfaces passes toward one end in the linear part while light introduced from the light introduction part and reflected from the other of the two reflection surfaces passes toward the other end in the linear part.
[6] The light guide according to the above [4], wherein two reflecting surfaces are provided with a first reflecting surface between the two reflecting surfaces, wherein one side of each of the two reflecting surfaces overlaps with one side of the first reflecting surface.
[7] The light guide according to the above [5], wherein two reflecting surfaces are provided with a first reflecting surface between the two reflecting surfaces, wherein one side of each of the two reflecting surfaces overlaps with one side of the first reflecting surface.
[8] The light guide according to the above [2] or [3], the light guide to be used for a feeding portion having a feeding port installed in a housing, wherein the indicating portion serves as an indicator to indicate a position of an opening of the housing, and wherein the light emitting portion serves as a light source to illuminate the feeding port from above.
[9] The light guide according to the above [2] or [3], the light guide to be used for a receiving container having a recessed receiving portion, wherein the indicating portion serves as an indicator to indicate a position of an opening of the receiving portion, and wherein the light emitting portion serves as a light source to illuminate an inside of the receiving portion from above.
Invention point
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a light guide that realizes an illumination structure capable of indicating the position of an installation target object and illuminating the inside thereof with a small number of light sources.
Drawings
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a light guide according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 1B is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 1A;
fig. 2 is a plan view of a light guide 1 according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 3A is a side view of a light guide according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the light guide taken along section line A-A shown in FIG. 2;
fig. 4 is a perspective view of a power feeding portion of an electric vehicle or the like mounted with the light guide according to the first embodiment;
fig. 5A and 5B are a plan view and a sectional view, respectively, of a feeding portion 5 of an electric vehicle or the like mounted with a light guide according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a light guide according to a second embodiment;
fig. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a console box to which a light guide according to a second embodiment is mounted;
fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the light guide which is covered by the control box and cannot be seen, indicated by a broken line to show a positional relationship between the control box and the light guide according to the second embodiment; and
fig. 9 is a perspective view of a modification of the light guide according to the second embodiment.
Detailed Description
[ first embodiment ]
(arrangement of light guides)
Fig. 1A is a perspective view of a light guide 1 according to a first embodiment, and fig. 1B is a partially enlarged view of fig. 1A. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the light guide 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3A is a side view of the light guide 1 according to the first embodiment, and fig. 3B is a vertical sectional view of the light guide 1 cut along the cutting line a-a shown in fig. 2.
In the following description, the front surface side (upper side in fig. 3) of the light guide 1 in fig. 1 is referred to as an upper side of the light guide 1, and the rear surface side (lower side in fig. 3) of the light guide 1 in fig. 1 is referred to as a lower side of the light guide 1.
The light guide 1 is designed to emit light by light propagation therein, and includes: a light introducing part 10 that introduces light emitted from a light emitting element 30 serving as a light source; a first reflection surface 11 and a second reflection surface 12(12a and 12b) for reflecting the light introduced from the light introduction part 10; a light emitting section 13 for emitting light reflected by the first reflection surface 11 to the outside for illumination; and an indicating portion 14 for propagating therein the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 12 and visually indicating its own position by emitting light.
The light guide 1 has an annular portion including a first reflection surface 11, a second reflection surface 12, a light emitting portion 13, and an indicating portion 14. In the example shown in fig. 1 to 3, the light guide 1 has an annular shape as a whole. Further, the light guide 1 includes a transparent material (for example, acrylic or polycarbonate) for the light guide member 18 (hereinafter, the light guide member 18 is omitted), and is generally colorless. The light emission color of the light guide 1 is not particularly limited as long as the light emission color does not violate regulations, and is generally white.
The first reflection surface 11 is provided at an angle capable of totally reflecting (totally reflecting most of) the light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and incident on the first reflection surface 11. The broken-line arrows in fig. 3B schematically show how light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and reflected from the first reflection surface 11 is reflected from the reflection surface 15 and emitted from the light emitting part 13 serving as a light extraction surface. The reflection surface 15 is provided at an angle capable of totally reflecting (totally reflecting most of) light reflected from the first reflection surface 11 and incident on the reflection surface 15.
Note that the number of the reflection surfaces for guiding the light reflected from the first reflection surface 11 to the light emitting portion 13 may be two or more, or may be zero. In other words, the light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and reflected from the first reflection surface 11 is directly or indirectly emitted from the light emitting part 13.
The light emitting portion 13 serving as a light extraction surface may be surface-textured to improve diffusion of light to be emitted. The angle of the light emitting portion 13 is adjusted according to the desired angle of the light emitted from the light emitting portion 13 within a range in which the light incident on the light emitting portion 13 can be effectively emitted.
The light emitted from the light emitting section 13 is transmitted in a direction inclined with respect to a plane parallel to the annular section of the light guide 1 (pass). Therefore, the lower region of the light guide 1 can be illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting portion 13.
The light emitting portion 13 and the reflecting surface 15 are surfaces each constituting one protrusion provided in the annular portion of the light guide 1.
The second reflection surface 12(12a and 12b) is provided at an angle capable of totally reflecting (totally reflecting most of) the light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and incident on the second reflection surface 12. Further, in order to efficiently reflect light in the in-plane direction of the annular portion of the light guide 1, the second reflection surfaces 12(12a and 12b) are preferably substantially perpendicular to a plane parallel to the annular portion of the light guide 1.
The second reflecting surface 12 includes a second reflecting surface 12a and a second reflecting surface 12b, and the second reflecting surface 12a and the second reflecting surface 12b are two reflecting surfaces facing different directions. Light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and reflected from one of the second reflection surface 12a and the second reflection surface 12b is transmitted in one circumferential direction in the annular part of the light guide 1, while light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and reflected from the other of the second reflection surface 12a and the second reflection surface 12b is transmitted in the other circumferential direction in the annular part of the light guide 1.
The broken-line arrows in fig. 2 schematically show how light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and reflected from the second reflection surface 12a passes in the annular part of the light guide 1 in the counterclockwise direction, while light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and reflected from the second reflection surface 12b passes in the annular part of the light guide 1 in the clockwise direction.
Preferably, the second reflection surface 12a and the second reflection surface 12b are concavely curved or are composed of planes whose angles are changed in multiple stages to completely reflect most of the light introduced from the light introduction part 10 and incident on the second reflection surface 12.
The first reflecting surface 11, the second reflecting surface 12a and the second reflecting surface 12b are surfaces which respectively constitute one groove or cavity provided in the annular portion of the light guide 1. Further, the second reflection surface 12a and the second reflection surface 12b are placed with the first reflection surface 11 therebetween, and one side of each of the second reflection surface 12a and the second reflection surface 12b overlaps one side of the first reflection surface 11. Employing such a structure allows a reflective structure including the first reflective surface 11, the second reflective surface 12a, and the second reflective surface 12b to be assembled in a small area.
In the example shown in fig. 1 to 3, the light introduction part 10 is provided on the outer side surface of the light guide 1 having the annular shape, and the light emitting element 30 is mounted in such a manner that the light extraction surface of the light emitting element 30 is opposed to the light introduction part 10. In this case, since the first and second reflection surfaces 11 and 12(12a and 12b) can directly reflect the light introduced from the light introduction part 10, the loss of the light can be reduced before the light is incident on the first and second reflection surfaces 11 and 12.
As shown in fig. 1A and 2, it is preferable that the annular portion of the light guide 1 has a width that decreases as the distance from the light introduction portion 10 increases. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in luminance in a region where the amount of light is decreased, which is separated from the light introduction portion 10, and enhance the uniformity of luminance of the entire annular portion of the light guide 1. The same effect can be obtained also in the case where the thickness of the annular portion of the light guide 1 decreases with increasing distance from the light introduction portion 10.
The light emitting element 30 is typically an LED element, and is mounted on a substrate 31, the substrate 31 having a wiring for supplying power to the light emitting element 30. The substrate 31 is fixed together with the light guide 1 to an installation target object (for example, a power feeding portion of an electric vehicle or the like to be described later) on which the light guide 1 is installed.
The number of light emitting elements 30 is preferably small, for example, 1 or 2, for the purpose of manufacturing cost and energy saving of the lighting structure.
The indicating portion 14 refers to all or part of the annular portion of the light guide 1, and refers to a portion where the light guide 1 is exposed in a case where the light guide 1 is mounted on the mounting target object, that is, a portion where a user of the mounting target object can recognize the light emission.
Preferably, the inner side surface 16 of the annular portion of the light guide 1 has such an inclination: the width of the annular part of the light guide 1 widens from bottom to top as shown in fig. 3B. This makes it possible to increase the ratio of light extracted upward to light extracted from indicator 14, thereby facilitating visual recognition of indicator 14. Further, by forming a surface texture (fine roughness) or a lens cut on the bottom surface or side surface of the annular portion of the light guide 1, the ratio of the light extracted upward to the light extracted from the indicating portion 14 can also be increased. In addition, to further increase the proportion of light extracted in the upward direction, a reflective sheet may be attached to the bottom or side surface of the annular portion of the light guide 1 and used with surface texturing or lens cuts.
Note that, although the annular portion of the light guide 1 shown in fig. 1A and 2 is circular, it is not necessarily limited to a circular shape, but a preferable shape thereof may be appropriately selected according to the shape of an installation target object to which the light guide 1 is installed, or the like.
(examples of use of light guides)
Hereinafter, as a use example of the light guide 1, a case where the light guide 1 is used for a power feeding portion for charging a battery of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle is shown.
Fig. 4, 5A, and 5B are a perspective view, a plan view, and a sectional view, respectively, of the feeding portion 5 of an electric vehicle or the like mounted with the light guide 1. Fig. 5B is a vertical sectional view of the feeding part 5 and the light guide 1 cut along a cutting line B-B shown in fig. 5A. Note that fig. 4, 5A, and 5B are schematic diagrams for illustrating a positional relationship between the feeding part 5 and the light guide 1, and are not for illustrating a specific shape or the like of the light guide 1.
The feeding portion 5 is provided on a body (an outer surface of a vehicle body) 55 of a vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle), and includes a housing 50 configured as a concave portion, and a cover portion 52 configured as a cover portion for the concave portion, wherein a feeding port 53 is mounted inside the housing 50. By connecting the power-feeding connector 54 to the feeding port 53, power feeding can be performed from the outside to charge the battery of the vehicle.
The light guide 1 is mounted inside the housing 50 in such a way that: the annular portion of the light guide 1 is along the edge of the opening 51 of the housing 50, as shown in fig. 4, 5A and 5B. In this embodiment, the entire annular portion of the light guide 1 is exposed, and serves as the indicating portion 14. Note that this embodiment may be performed in such a manner: a part of the annular portion of the light guide 1 is covered with a housing for preventing damage to the light guide 1 or waterproofing, a member of the feeding portion 5, and the like, and the exposed portion serves as the indicating portion 14.
Since the indicating portion 14 is provided along the edge of the opening 51 of the housing 50, the indicating portion 14 functions as an indicator to indicate the position of the opening 51 of the housing 50 by emitting light. This facilitates visual recognition of the position of the housing 50 by the user of the feeding portion 5 even in an environment where the brightness is insufficient, for example, at night. L1 in fig. 5B schematically represents light emitted from the indicating portion 14 to the upper side (user side) of the light guide 1.
Note that although the indicating portion 14 is not necessarily required to be along the edge of the opening 51, the indicating portion 14 is preferably provided along the edge of the opening 51 to more accurately indicate the position of the opening 51.
On the other hand, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 13 to the lower side of the light guide 1 can illuminate the feeding port 53 in the housing 50. That is, the light emitting section 13 functions as a light source to illuminate the feeding port 53 from above. This facilitates visual recognition of the position of the feed port 53 within the housing 50 by the user of the feed portion 5 even in an environment where the brightness is insufficient, for example, at night. L2 in fig. 5B schematically represents light emitted from the light emitting portion 13 to the lower side (the feeding port 53 side) of the light guide 1.
[ second embodiment ]
(arrangement of light guides)
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a light guide 2 according to a second embodiment. In the following description, the front surface side of the light guide 2 in fig. 6 is referred to as an upper side of the light guide 2, and the rear surface side of the light guide 2 in fig. 6 is referred to as a lower side of the light guide 2.
The light guide 2 is designed to emit light by light propagation therein, and includes: a light introduction part 20 that introduces light emitted from the light source; a first reflection surface 21 and second reflection surfaces 22a and 22b for reflecting the light introduced from the light introduction part 20; a light emitting section 23 for emitting light reflected by the first reflection surface 21 to the outside for illumination; and an indicating portion 24 for propagating therein the light reflected by the second reflection surfaces 22a and 22b and visually indicating its own position by emitting light.
The light guide 2 has a linear portion having end portions 25a and 25b as both ends thereof, and includes a first reflection surface 21, second reflection surfaces 22a and 22b, a light emitting portion 23, and an indicating portion 24. In the example shown in fig. 6, the light guide 2 has a U-shaped line shape as a whole. Further, as with the light guide 1 according to the first embodiment, the light guide 2 is made of a transparent material (e.g., acrylic or polycarbonate) and is generally colorless.
The light guide 2 is identical to the light guide 1 according to the first embodiment in most features, except that the light guide 2 has line-shaped portions. Specifically, the light introduction part 20, the first reflection surface 21, the second reflection surfaces 22a and 22b, and the light emitting part 23 of the light guide 2 have the same shape and function as those of the light introduction part 10, the first reflection surface 11, the second reflection surfaces 12(12a and 12b), and the light emitting part 13.
The first reflection surface 21 is provided at an angle capable of totally reflecting (totally reflecting most of) the light introduced from the light introduction part 20 and incident on the first reflection surface 21. The light introduced from the light introduction part 20 and reflected from the first reflection surface 21 is directly or indirectly emitted from the light emitting part 23 serving as a light extraction surface.
The light emitted from the light emitting section 23 is transmitted in a direction inclined with respect to a plane parallel to the linear section of the light guide 2. Therefore, the lower region of the light guide 2 can be illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting portion 23.
The light emitting portion 23 and the reflecting surface (not shown) corresponding to the reflecting surface 15 of the light guide 1 are surfaces each constituting one protrusion provided in the linear portion of the light guide 2.
The second reflection surfaces 22a and 22b are disposed at angles capable of totally reflecting (totally reflecting most of) the light introduced from the light introduction part 20 and incident on the second reflection surfaces 22a and 22 b.
The second reflecting surface includes a second reflecting surface 22a and a second reflecting surface 22b, and the second reflecting surface 22a and the second reflecting surface 22b are two reflecting surfaces facing different directions. The light introduced from the light introduction part 20 and reflected from the second reflection surface 22a is transmitted toward the end 25a configured as one end in the linear part of the light guide 2, while the light introduced from the light introduction part 20 and reflected from the second reflection surface 22b is transmitted toward the end 25b configured as the other end in the linear part of the light guide 2.
Preferably, the second reflection surface 22a and the second reflection surface 22b are concavely curved or consist of planes whose angles are changed in multiple stages to completely reflect most of the light introduced from the light introduction part 20 and incident on the second reflection surfaces 22a and 22 b.
The first reflecting surface 21, the second reflecting surface 22a, and the second reflecting surface 22b are surfaces each constituting one groove provided in the linear portion of the light guide 2. Further, the second reflection surface 22a and the second reflection surface 22b are placed with the first reflection surface 21 therebetween, and one side of each of the second reflection surface 22a and the second reflection surface 22b overlaps one side of the first reflection surface 21. Employing such a structure allows the reflective structure including the first reflective surface 21, the second reflective surface 22a, and the second reflective surface 22b to be fitted in a small area.
In the example shown in fig. 6, the light introduction part 20 is provided on the outer side surface of the light guide 2 having a U-shaped line shape. Then, using the light emitting element 30 as a light source as in the first embodiment, the light emitting element 30 may be mounted in such a manner that the light extraction surface of the light emitting element 30 is opposed to the light introduction portion 20. In this case, since the first and second reflection surfaces 21 and 22a and 22b may directly reflect the light introduced from the light introduction part 20, the loss of the light may be reduced before the light is incident on the first and second reflection surfaces 21 and 22a and 22 b.
The indication portion 24 refers to all or part of the linear portion of the light guide 2, and refers to a portion where the light guide 2 is exposed in a case where the light guide 2 is mounted on the mounting target object, that is, a portion where a user of the mounting target object can recognize the light emission.
Preferably, the inner side surfaces 26 of the line-shaped portions of the light guide 2 have such an inclination: the width of the line-shaped portions of the light guide 2 increases from the bottom to the top. This makes it possible to increase the ratio of the light extracted upward to the light extracted from the indicator portion 24, thereby facilitating the visual recognition of the indicator portion 24. Further, by forming a surface texture or a lens cut on the bottom surface or side surface of the linear portion of the light guide 2, the ratio of light extracted in the upward direction to light extracted from the indicating portion 24 can also be increased. In addition, in order to further increase the proportion of light extracted in the upward direction, a reflective sheet may be attached to the bottom surface or side surface of the linear portion of the light guide 2 and used together with a surface texture or a lens cut.
Note that, although the linear portion of the light guide 2 shown in fig. 6 is U-shaped, it is not limited to the U-shape, but a preferable shape thereof may be appropriately selected according to the shape of the mounting target object to which the light guide 2 is mounted, or the like.
(examples of use of light guides)
Hereinafter, as a use example of the light guide 2, a case where the light guide 2 is used for a control box for interior use of an automobile or the like is shown.
Fig. 7A and 7B are perspective views of the control box 6 to which the light guide 2 is mounted. The control box 6 has a receiving portion 60 configured as a recessed portion and a lid portion 62 of the receiving portion 60. Fig. 7A shows the control box 6 with the lid portion 62 open, and fig. 7B shows the control box 6 with the lid portion 62 closed.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the light guide 2 which is covered by the control box 6 and cannot be seen, indicated by a broken line to show the positional relationship between the control box 6 and the light guide 2. In fig. 8, the lid portion 62 is not shown.
As shown in fig. 7A and 8, the light guide 2 is mounted on the outer side (rear side) of the receiving portion 60 in such a manner that the linear portion of the light guide 2 follows the edge of the opening 61 of the receiving portion 60. In this embodiment, the linear portion of the light guide 2 is partially exposed from the window 64 provided at the edge of the opening 61 of the control box 6, and serves as the indicating portion 24.
Since the indicating portion 24 is provided along the edge of the opening 61 of the receiving portion 60, the indicating portion 24 functions as an indicator to indicate the position of the opening 61 of the receiving portion 60 by the light emission of the indicating portion 24. This facilitates the user of the control box 6 to visually recognize the position of the receiving portion 60 even in an environment where the brightness is insufficient, for example, at night. In the example shown in fig. 7A, 7B, and 8, the edge of the opening 61 of the receiving portion 60 is in a rectangular shape with corners bent, and the two indicating portions 24 are arranged along two long sides of the rectangle, respectively.
Note that although the indicating portion 24 is not necessarily required to be along the edge of the opening 61, the indicating portion 24 is preferably provided along the edge of the opening 61 to more accurately indicate the position of the opening 61.
Further, as shown in fig. 7B, even when the cover portion 62 is closed, the indicator portion 24 is partially exposed, so that the light emission of the indicator portion 24 can be visually recognized. That is, even in an environment where the luminance is insufficient, for example, at night, the position of the console box 6 is easily visually recognized with the lid portion 62 closed.
On the other hand, the light emitted from the light emitting section 23 to the lower side of the light guide 2 can illuminate the inside of the receiving section 60 through the window 63 provided on the side surface of the receiving section 60 of the control box 6. That is, the light emitting portion 23 functions as a light source to illuminate the inside of the receiving portion 60 from above. This facilitates visual recognition of the inside of the receiving portion 60 by the user of the control box 6 even in an environment where the brightness is insufficient, for example, at night.
Note that the light guide 2 may be applied to a receiving container having a recessed receiving portion similar to the control box 6 in the same manner as the control box 6.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a light guide 2a serving as a modification to the light guide 2. The light guide 2a has a linear part of an I shape which is not curved. In the example shown in fig. 9, the light guide 2a has an I-shaped line shape as a whole. The other features are the same as those of the light guide 2.
For example, the light guide 2a may be used in a glove box in an automobile. In this case, the indicating portion 24 of the light guide 2a indicates the position of the opening of the receiving portion of the glove box, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion 23 can illuminate the inside of the receiving portion of the glove box. For example, the light guide 2a is mounted along the upper edge of the opening of the receiving portion of the glove box.
(advantageous effects of embodiment)
According to the light guide 1 and the light guide 2 of the first and second embodiments described above, by using a small number of light emitting elements 30 as light sources, it is possible to indicate the position of an installation target object (for example, the feeding portion 5 or the control box 6 of an electric vehicle or the like) and illuminate the inside thereof.
Further, according to the above first and second embodiments, it is also possible to provide a lighting device having the light guide 1 or the light guide 2 and the light emitting element 30.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, any combination of the constituent elements of the above-described embodiments may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. The grooves or cavities may be filled with a solid reflective material.
For example, the light guide 2 having a linear portion may be used in the feeding portion 5. In this case, the linear portion of the light guide 2 has a C shape (a ring shape with a portion broken) along the edge of the opening 51 of the housing 50. Further, the light guide 1 having the ring portion may be used in the control box 6. In this case, the annular portion of the light guide 1 is installed along the entire circumference of the edge of the opening 61 of the receiving portion 60.
Furthermore, the above-described embodiments do not limit the invention according to claims. It should be noted that all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not indispensable for a method for solving the problems of the present invention.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments for purposes of completeness and clarity of disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
[ description of reference numerals ]
1, 2, 2a light guide
5 feeding part
6 control box
10, 20 light introduction part
11, 21 first reflecting surface
12(12a, 12b), 22(22a and 22b) second reflecting surface
13, 23 luminescent part
14, 24 indication part
30 light emitting element
50 casing
51 opening
53 feed port
60 receiving part
61 opening
63, 64 windows
Claims (8)
1. A light guide, comprising:
a light-guiding member having a predetermined length for propagating light along the predetermined length of the light-guiding member, the light being introduced from the outside; and
a concave wall for reflecting light introduced from the outside to generate at least first reflected light and second reflected light in different directions, the concave wall being provided in the light guide member,
wherein the light guide member includes:
a light introduction part for introducing light emitted from the light source;
a first reflection surface and a second reflection surface formed on the concave wall for reflecting the light introduced from the light introduction part, wherein the second reflection surface includes two reflection surfaces facing different directions;
a light emitting portion for emitting light reflected by the first reflection surface to the outside for illumination, wherein the light emitting portion is configured such that the light emitted therefrom is transmitted in a direction inclined with respect to a plane of the light guide; and
an indicating portion for propagating therein the light reflected by the second reflecting surface and visually indicating a position of the indicating portion itself by emitting light.
2. The light guide according to claim 1, which is to be mounted on a mounting target object having a concave portion,
wherein the indicating portion indicates a position of an opening of the recessed portion when the light guide is mounted on the mounting target object, and is capable of illuminating an inside of the recessed portion by light emitted from the light emitting portion.
3. The light guide according to claim 1 or 2, comprising an annular portion including the first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface, the light emitting portion, and the indicating portion,
wherein light introduced from the light introduction part and reflected from one of the two reflection surfaces passes in one circumferential direction in the annular part, while light introduced from the light introduction part and reflected from the other of the two reflection surfaces passes in the other circumferential direction in the annular part.
4. The light guide according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a linear portion including the first reflection surface, the second reflection surface, the light emitting portion, and the indicating portion,
wherein the light introduced from the light introduction part and reflected from one of the two reflection surfaces passes toward one end in the linear part, while the light introduced from the light introduction part and reflected from the other of the two reflection surfaces passes toward the other end in the linear part.
5. The light guide according to claim 3, wherein the two reflective surfaces are arranged such that the first reflective surface is between the two reflective surfaces,
wherein one side of each of the two reflective surfaces overlaps one side of the first reflective surface.
6. The light guide according to claim 4, wherein the two reflective surfaces are arranged such that the first reflective surface is between the two reflective surfaces,
wherein one side of each of the two reflective surfaces overlaps one side of the first reflective surface.
7. The light guide according to claim 1 or 2, to be used for a feeding part having a feeding port mounted in a housing,
wherein the indicating portion serves as an indicator to indicate a position of the opening of the housing,
wherein the light emitting section functions as a light source to illuminate the feeding port from above.
8. The light guide according to claim 1 or 2, to be used for a receiving receptacle having a recessed receiving portion,
wherein the indicating portion serves as an indicator to indicate a position of the opening of the receiving portion,
wherein the light emitting section functions as a light source to illuminate the inside of the receiving section from above.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2018-133121 | 2018-07-13 | ||
| JP2018133121A JP7056424B2 (en) | 2018-07-13 | 2018-07-13 | Light guide |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN110715258A CN110715258A (en) | 2020-01-21 |
| CN110715258B true CN110715258B (en) | 2022-03-29 |
Family
ID=69169959
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201910567453.5A Active CN110715258B (en) | 2018-07-13 | 2019-06-27 | Light guide |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JP7056424B2 (en) |
| CN (1) | CN110715258B (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112161207A (en) * | 2020-09-22 | 2021-01-01 | Tcl通力电子（惠州）有限公司 | Light guide and cosmetic mirror |
Family Cites Families (11)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2902494B1 (en) * | 2006-06-15 | 2008-08-29 | Valeo Vision Sa | OPTICALLY GUIDED LIGHTING OR SIGNALING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE |
| NL1036759C2 (en) * | 2009-03-24 | 2010-09-27 | Spanninga Metaal | REAR WHEEL AND BACKLIGHT FOR A REAR WHEEL. |
| CN201462627U (en) * | 2009-05-07 | 2010-05-12 | 陈铿胜 | Ring-shaped lamp of automobile |
| WO2011094728A1 (en) * | 2010-02-01 | 2011-08-04 | Federal-Mogul Ignition Company | Illuminated vehicle cup holder assembly |
| DE102012211048A1 (en) * | 2012-06-27 | 2014-04-17 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft | Charging device for charging a charge storage device |
| TW201522862A (en) * | 2013-12-13 | 2015-06-16 | Tyc Brother Ind Co Ltd | Segmental light-emitting light guide device and lamp |
| AT515802B1 (en) * | 2014-06-11 | 2015-12-15 | Zizala Lichtsysteme Gmbh | Lighting device for a vehicle and vehicle headlights |
| AT515790B1 (en) * | 2014-06-11 | 2015-12-15 | Zizala Lichtsysteme Gmbh | Lighting device for a motor vehicle and vehicle headlights with lighting device |
| JP6333640B2 (en) | 2014-06-24 | 2018-05-30 | 株式会社ニフコ | Lighting device |
| CN107289391B (en) * | 2016-03-30 | 2020-10-23 | 长城汽车股份有限公司 | Light guide strip and vehicle lamp |
| US10830941B2 (en) * | 2016-08-29 | 2020-11-10 | Signify Holding B.V. | Luminaire with light guide |
-
2018
- 2018-07-13 JP JP2018133121A patent/JP7056424B2/en active Active
-
2019
- 2019-06-27 CN CN201910567453.5A patent/CN110715258B/en active Active
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JP2020013643A (en) | 2020-01-23 |
| JP7056424B2 (en) | 2022-04-19 |
| CN110715258A (en) | 2020-01-21 |
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