CN110715263A

CN110715263A - Vehicle lamp

Info

Publication number: CN110715263A
Application number: CN201910337752.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 佐藤隆芳
Original assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-12
Filing date: 2019-04-25
Publication date: 2020-01-21
Also published as: JP2020009715A; JP7075299B2; CN209926260U

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle lamp with a reflective spatial light modulator, which can effectively prevent the spatial light modulator from being damaged due to vibration load. A pressing member for elastically pressing the spatial light modulator toward the rear of the lamp in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator is arranged on the front side of the lamp with respect to the spatial light modulator, and a heat dissipating member for elastically pressing the spatial light modulator toward the front of the lamp in a state of being in contact with the central portion of the spatial light modulator is arranged on the rear side of the lamp. In addition, a substrate holder for supporting the control substrate in a state of being in contact with the control substrate is disposed at a position on the lamp rear side of the spatial light modulator, and the pressing member is fixed to the substrate holder from the lamp front side and the heat sink is fixed to the substrate holder from the lamp rear side. This prevents an unreasonable load from being applied to the spatial light modulator and prevents the positional relationship between the control substrate and the substrate holder or the heat sink from being shifted.

Description

Vehicle lamp

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp provided with a reflective spatial light modulator.

Background

Conventionally, as a configuration of a vehicle lamp, for example, as described in "patent document 1", there is known a vehicle lamp including a reflective spatial light modulator that reflects light from a light source toward a front side of the lamp.

In addition, as a configuration of an illumination device including a reflective spatial light modulator, a configuration is known in which a control substrate electrically connected to the spatial light modulator is disposed in contact with a peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator at a position on a rear side of the spatial light modulator.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2016 & 91976

In the vehicle lamp described in the above-mentioned "patent document 1", by controlling the spatial distribution of the reflected light by the spatial light modulator, various light distribution patterns can be formed with high accuracy.

However, if a configuration is adopted in which, as a configuration of an illumination device including a reflective spatial light modulator, a holder that comes into contact with a peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator from a front side is arranged at a position on a front side of the spatial light modulator, and a heat sink that elastically presses the spatial light modulator forward is arranged at a position on a rear side of the spatial light modulator in a state of coming into contact with a central portion of the spatial light modulator, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable load from acting on the spatial light modulator, and in addition, it is possible to maintain electrical connection between the spatial light modulator and the control board.

However, when such a configuration is applied to a vehicle lamp without change, the following problems may occur.

That is, since a vibration load or an impact load acts on the vehicle lamp due to traveling of the vehicle or the like, the positional relationship between the spatial light modulator and the heat sink is likely to be shifted, and the positional relationship between the control board and the bracket or the heat sink is also likely to be shifted.

Further, if the positional relationship between the spatial light modulator and the heat sink is shifted, an unreasonable load acts on the spatial light modulator space, and thus the spatial light modulator may be damaged. In addition, if the positional relationship between the control substrate and the holder or the heat sink is displaced, an unreasonable load acts on the connecting portion between the spatial light modulator and the control substrate, and thus the connecting portion may be broken.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle lamp including a reflective spatial light modulator, in which damage to a connection portion between the spatial light modulator and a control board due to a vibration load or the like can be effectively suppressed.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention achieves the above-described object by designing a support structure of a spatial light modulator.

That is, the vehicle lamp of the present invention is a vehicle lamp including a reflective spatial light modulator that reflects light from a light source toward a front of the lamp,

in the lighting device for a vehicle, a lamp body,

a control board electrically connected to the spatial light modulator in a state of being in contact with a peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator is disposed on a lamp rear side of the spatial light modulator,

a pressing member for elastically pressing the spatial light modulator toward the rear of the lamp in a state of being in contact with a peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator is disposed on the front side of the lamp with respect to the spatial light modulator,

a heat sink that elastically presses the spatial light modulator toward the front of the lamp in a state of being in contact with a central portion of the spatial light modulator is disposed on the rear side of the lamp with respect to the spatial light modulator,

a substrate holder for supporting the control substrate in a state of being in contact with the control substrate is arranged at a position closer to the rear side of the lamp than the control substrate,

the pressing member is fixed to the substrate holder from the front side of the lamp, and the heat sink is fixed to the substrate holder from the rear side of the lamp.

The "spatial light modulator" may be any device as long as it can control the spatial distribution of light reaching the projection lens, and its specific configuration is not particularly limited, and for example, a device using a digital micromirror device, a device using a reflective liquid crystal, or the like can be used.

The "control substrate" is electrically connected to the spatial light modulator in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator, and in this case, may be electrically connected to the spatial light modulator in a state of being in direct contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator, or may be electrically connected to the spatial light modulator in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator via another member.

The "pressing member" elastically presses the spatial light modulator toward the rear of the lamp in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator, and a specific configuration for realizing these is not particularly limited.

The "heat sink" elastically presses the spatial light modulator toward the front side of the lamp in a state where the heat sink is in contact with the central portion of the spatial light modulator, and a specific configuration for realizing this is not particularly limited.

The "substrate holder" supports the control substrate in a state of being in contact with the control substrate, and a specific support structure thereof is not particularly limited.

Effects of the invention

The vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes the reflective spatial light modulator that reflects light from the light source toward the front of the lamp, and therefore, by controlling the spatial distribution of the reflected light in the spatial light modulator, various light distribution patterns can be formed with high accuracy.

In this case, since the pressing member that elastically presses the spatial light modulator toward the rear of the lamp in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator is arranged at a position on the front side of the lamp with respect to the spatial light modulator, and the heat dissipating member that elastically presses the spatial light modulator toward the front of the lamp in a state of being in contact with the central portion of the spatial light modulator is arranged at a position on the rear side of the lamp with respect to the spatial light modulator, even when a vibration load or an impact load acts on the vehicle lamp, an unreasonable load can be prevented from acting on the spatial light modulator. In addition, this can effectively suppress breakage of the spatial light modulator.

Further, the control substrate electrically connected to the spatial light modulator in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator is arranged at a position on the lamp rear side of the spatial light modulator, but the substrate holder supporting the control substrate in a state of being in contact with the control substrate is arranged at a position on the lamp rear side of the control substrate, and the pressing piece is fixed from the lamp front side and the heat sink is fixed from the lamp rear side with respect to the substrate holder. In addition, this can effectively suppress damage to the connection portion between the spatial light modulator and the control board.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the vehicle lamp including the reflective spatial light modulator, it is possible to effectively suppress damage to the spatial light modulator due to a vibration load or the like and damage to a connection portion between the spatial light modulator and the control board.

In the above configuration, if the elastic pressing force of the presser against the spatial light modulator is set to a value greater than the elastic pressing force of the heat sink against the spatial light modulator, the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator can be kept pressed against the control substrate at all times, and thus the electrical connection between the spatial light modulator and the control substrate can be maintained more reliably.

In this case, the "elastic pressing force of the pressing material against the spatial light modulator" refers to an elastic pressing force obtained by summing up elastic pressing forces at various places when the pressing material elastically presses the spatial light modulator at a plurality of places. Similarly, the "elastic pressing force of the heat sink against the spatial light modulator" refers to an elastic pressing force obtained by summing up elastic pressing forces at various places when the heat sink elastically presses the spatial light modulator at a plurality of places.

In the above configuration, if the plurality of first stepped bolts for fixing the pressing material to the substrate holder are arranged around the spatial light modulator, and each of the first stepped bolts is configured such that the tip end surface of the large diameter portion abuts against the control substrate in a state where the large diameter portion thereof is inserted through the bolt insertion hole of the pressing material, and is configured such that the small diameter portion thereof is screwed to the substrate holder in a state where the small diameter portion thereof is inserted through the bolt insertion hole formed in the control substrate, and the first spring for elastically pressing the pressing material toward the rear of the lamp is attached to the large diameter portion thereof, it is possible to easily and stably press the spatial light modulator by the pressing material with a predetermined elastic pressing force.

Further, with such a configuration, the pressing member is fixed to the substrate holder and the substrate holder supports the control substrate, so that the configuration of the vehicle lamp can be simplified. Instead of this configuration, the control substrate may be fixed to the substrate holder independently of the fixing of the pressing member to the substrate holder, so that the substrate holder can support the control substrate.

In the above configuration, if the plurality of second stepped bolts for fixing the heat sink to the substrate holder are arranged around the spatial light modulator and each of the second stepped bolts is configured such that the second stepped bolt abuts against the substrate holder at the front end surface of the large diameter portion in a state where the large diameter portion thereof is inserted into the bolt insertion hole formed in the heat sink, and is screwed to the substrate holder at the small diameter portion thereof, and the second spring for elastically pressing the heat sink toward the front of the lamp is attached to the large diameter portion thereof, it is possible to easily and stably press the spatial light modulator by the heat sink with a predetermined elastic pressing force.

In the above configuration, if the heat sink is configured such that the protruding pieces protruding toward the front of the lamp are formed on the left and right end portions of the heat sink, and the guide groove portions extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp are formed on the left and right end portions of the substrate holder so as to engage with the upper and lower end surfaces of the protruding pieces, the heat sink can be prevented from rotating in the up-down direction with respect to the substrate holder. Further, this makes it possible to easily press the central portion of the spatial light modulator with a uniform pressure distribution by the heat sink.

In this case, if the structure is further configured such that the elongated holes extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp are formed in the respective projecting pieces and the screw holes are formed in the respective groove portions, and then the heat sink is fixed to the substrate holder in a state of being positioned in the front-rear direction of the lamp with respect to the substrate holder by fastening the screws to the respective screw holes via the respective elongated holes, the positional relationship of the respective members can be fixed while maintaining a state of pressing the spatial light modulator with a predetermined elastic pressing force from both sides in the front-rear direction of the lamp. Further, even when a vibration load or an impact load acts on the vehicle lamp, a load equal to or greater than the elastic pressing force of the pressing piece or the elastic pressing force of the heat sink can be prevented from acting on the spatial light modulator and the connection portion between the spatial light modulator and the control board.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in the direction II of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a front view showing the spatial light modulator subassembly of the vehicle lamp taken out.

Fig. 7 is a detailed view of section VII of fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a detailed view of section VIII of fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a detailed view of part IX of fig. 4.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the spatial light modulator subassembly with the support bracket, with the spatial light modulator subassembly broken down into its constituent elements.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the lens side subassembly of the vehicle lamp in an exploded manner together with a support bracket.

Fig. 12 shows a modification of the above embodiment, and is the same as fig. 5.

Description of the reference numerals

10 vehicle lamp

20 light source side subassembly

22 light source

24 reflecting piece

24a reflective surface

26 base part

30. 130 spatial light modulator subassembly

32 spatial light modulator

32a reflection light control area

32b peripheral edge portion

32b1 location hole

32c, 34a terminal pin

34 lamp holder

36. 136 control substrate

36a, 136a opening

36b bolt insertion hole

36c boss portion insertion hole

40. 140 holder for substrate

40a, 140F screw holes

40b, 140b boss part

40c, 136d screw insertion holes

40d guide groove part

40d1 horizontal flange part

40e screw hole

42. 44, 146 screw

50 heat sink

50a bolt insertion hole

50b heat radiation fan

50c projection

50d protruding sheet

50e long hole

52 second step bolt

52a, 62a, 162a small diameter portion

52b, 62b, 162b large diameter part

52c, 62c head

54 second spring

60. 160 pressing piece

60A, 160A body part

60Aa opening

60Ab and 60Ac pin through hole

60B, 160B flange part

Bolt through holes of 60Ba and 160Ba

62. 162 first step bolt

64 first spring

70 lens side subassembly

72 projection lens

72A first lens

72B second lens

74 lens holder

74A frame body

74Aa projection

74B flange part

74Ba screw insertion hole

74Bb locating pin

76 screw

80. 180 support bracket

80A, 180A vertical face portion

Openings of 80Aa, 80Ac, 80Ba, 180Ac

80Ab boss part

80Ad locating pin

80B horizontal plane part

80Bb boss part

80Bc long hole

80C reinforced flange part

136e notch part

Ax optical axis

F back side focus

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 は is a view taken in the direction II of fig. 1. In addition, fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of fig. 1, fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of fig. 1, and fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows a partially broken state of the constituent elements.

In these figures, the direction indicated by X is the "front" of the lamp (also "front" of the vehicle), the direction indicated by Y is the "left" perpendicular to the "front" (also "left" of the vehicle, and "right" when the lamp is viewed from the front), and the direction indicated by Z is the "upper". The same applies to other figures.

As shown in these drawings, the vehicle lamp 10 of the present embodiment is a headlamp provided at a front end portion of a vehicle, and is configured as a projection-type lamp unit that is incorporated in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a translucent cover, not shown.

The vehicle lamp 10 includes: a light source side sub-assembly 20, a spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30, a lens side sub-assembly 70, and a support bracket 80 supporting them. The vehicle lamp 10 is supported by the lamp body in the support bracket 80 via an unillustrated mounting structure.

As shown in fig. 3, the light source side sub-assembly 20 includes: a light source 22, a reflector 24 that reflects light emitted from the light source 22 toward a spatial light modulator subassembly 30, and a base member 26 that supports them.

The spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30 includes: the spatial light modulator 32, a control substrate 36 disposed behind the spatial light modulator 32, a substrate holder 40 disposed behind the control substrate 36, a heat sink 50 disposed behind the substrate holder 40, and a pressing member 60 disposed in front of the spatial light modulator 32.

The lens-side subassembly 70 includes: the projection lens 72 has an optical axis Ax extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a lens holder 74 that supports the projection lens 72.

Further, the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is configured such that various light distribution patterns (for example, a light distribution pattern for low beam, a light distribution pattern for high beam, a light distribution pattern that changes according to the vehicle running condition, or a light distribution pattern in which characters, symbols, and the like are drawn on a road surface in front of the vehicle) can be formed with high accuracy by irradiating the light from the light source 22 reflected by the reflector 24 toward the front of the lamp through the spatial light modulator 32 and the projection lens 72.

In order to achieve this, in the assembly process of the vehicle lamp 10, the positional relationship between the spatial light modulator 32 and the projection lens 72 is finely adjusted in a state where the light source 22 is turned on to form a light distribution pattern, so that the accuracy of the positional relationship is improved.

Next, specific configurations of the light source side sub-assembly 20, the spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30, the lens side sub-assembly 70, and the support bracket 80 will be described.

First, the structure of the light source side sub-assembly 20 will be described.

The light source 22 is a white light emitting diode, and is fixed and supported by the base member 26 with its light emitting surface directed obliquely upward and forward. The base member 26 is fixed to and supported by a support bracket 80.

The reflector 24 is disposed so as to cover the light source 22 from the front side of the lamp, and is fixed to and supported by the base member 26 at the peripheral edge of the reflector 24. The reflector 26 reflects the light emitted from the light source 22 obliquely upward and rearward. At this time, the reflecting surface 24a of the reflector 24 is formed so as to converge the light emitted from the light source 22 near the rear focal plane including the rear focal point F of the projection lens 72.

Next, the structure of the spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30 will be explained.

Fig. 6 is a front view with the spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30 removed and shown. Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the VII portion of fig. 2, fig. 8 is a detailed view of the VIII portion of fig. 3, fig. 9 is a detailed view of the IX portion of fig. 4, and fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the spatial light modulator module 30 together with the support bracket 80, with the components being disassembled.

As shown in these figures, the spatial light modulator 32 is a reflective spatial light modulator and is constituted by a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) in which a plurality of micromirrors are arranged in a matrix.

The spatial light modulator 32 is configured to be able to selectively switch the direction of reflection of the light from the light source 22 that reaches the spatial light modulator 32 by controlling the angle of the reflection surface of each of the plurality of minute mirrors. Specifically, a mode in which light from the light source 22 is reflected toward the projection lens 72 and a mode in which light is reflected in the other direction (i.e., the direction that does not adversely affect the formation of the light distribution pattern) are selected.

The spatial light modulator 32 is disposed along a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax at the position of the rear focal point F of the projection lens 72, and the reflected light control region 32a has a laterally long rectangular outer shape centered on the optical axis Ax.

The spatial light modulator 32 is supported on a control substrate 36 via a socket 34 on a rear surface of a peripheral edge portion 32b surrounding the reflected light control region 32 a.

The socket 34 is a rectangular frame member that is long in the lateral direction of the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32, and is fixed to the control substrate 36 in a state of being electrically connected to a conductive pattern (not shown) formed on the control substrate 36. An opening 36a having substantially the same shape as the inner peripheral shape of the socket 34 is formed in the control board 36.

As shown in fig. 5 and 8, a plurality of terminal pins 32c are formed on the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 so as to protrude from the rear surface thereof toward the rear of the lamp. On the other hand, in the socket 34, a plurality of terminal pins 34a protruding from the rear surface thereof toward the rear of the lamp are formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of terminal pins 32 c.

The base end portions of the terminal pins 34a of the socket 34 (i.e., the tip end portions embedded in the socket 34) are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the tip end portions of the terminal pins 32c of the spatial light modulator 32 are fitted into the base end portions, whereby the spatial light modulator 32 and the socket 34 are electrically connected.

A conductive pattern of the control board 36 is soldered to a tip portion of each terminal pin 34a of the socket 34. Therefore, the lamp socket 34 is disposed in a state where its rear surface is slightly raised from the front surface of the control substrate 36.

The spatial light modulator 32 is supported by the presser 60 and the heat sink 50 from both sides in the front-rear direction of the lamp.

The pressing member 60 is a metal (e.g., die-cast aluminum) member, and includes a main body portion 60A extending in a flat plate shape along a vertical plane perpendicular to the optical axis Ax, and a pair of flange portions 60B positioned on both left and right sides of the main body portion 60A.

A laterally long rectangular opening 60Aa is formed in the main body portion 60A around the optical axis Ax. The opening 60Aa has a rectangular opening shape which is smaller than the outer peripheral edge shape of the spatial light modulator 32 but is larger than the reflection light control region 32a thereof and is long in the lateral direction.

The pair of left and right flange portions 60B are formed so as to extend from the side end edges of the main body portion 60A toward the lamp rear side in the vicinity of both the left and right sides of the spatial light modulator 32, and then to extend in a flat plate shape while being bent at right angles in a direction away from the optical axis Ax. Each flange portion 60B is formed with a bolt insertion hole 60Ba that penetrates the flange portion 60B in the front-rear direction of the lamp.

The pressing member 60 is fixed to the substrate holder 40 by a pair of left and right first step bolts 62 at a pair of left and right flange portions 60B of the pressing member 60 in a state where the main body portion 60A is in contact with the peripheral edge portion 32B of the spatial light modulator 32 from the lamp front side. This fixing is performed in a state where the spatial light modulator 32 is elastically pressed toward the rear of the lamp by the presser 60.

The specific structure for performing this pressing is as follows.

That is, each first step bolt 62 has a tip end surface abutting against the control board 36 in a state where the large diameter portion 62b thereof is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 60Ba of the presser 60, and is screwed to the screw hole 40a formed in the board holder 40 in a state where the small diameter portion 62a thereof is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 36b formed in the control board 36 at the small diameter portion 62 a.

At this time, a first spring 64 for elastically pressing the pressing piece 60 toward the rear of the lamp is attached to the large diameter portion 62b of each first step bolt 62. Each first spring 64 is constituted by a compression coil spring disposed between the head portion 62c of each first step bolt 62 and each flange portion 60B of the retainer 60.

In the pressing member 60, in a state where the main body portion 60A is in contact with the peripheral edge portion 32B of the spatial light modulator 32, the amount of rearward displacement of each flange portion 60B from the main body portion 60A is set so that each flange portion 60B is disposed in a state where it is displaced from the control substrate 36 to the lamp front side.

The heat sink 50 is a metal (e.g., die-cast aluminum) member, and is disposed so as to extend along a vertical plane perpendicular to the optical axis Ax, and a plurality of heat dissipation fans 50b are formed in a vertical stripe pattern on a rear surface thereof.

A prismatic protrusion 50c protruding toward the front of the lamp is formed at the center of the front surface of the heat sink 50. The projection 50c has a laterally long rectangular cross-sectional shape centered on the optical axis Ax, and its size is set to a value smaller than the inner peripheral shape of the socket 34.

The heat sink 50 is fixed to the substrate holder 40 by two pairs of left and right second stepped bolts 52 in a state where the distal end surfaces of the protrusions 50c abut against the central portion of the spatial light modulator 32 (i.e., the portion where the reflection light control region 32a is located) from the lamp rear side. This fixing is performed in a state where the spatial light modulator 32 is elastically pressed toward the front of the lamp by the protrusion 50 c.

The specific structure for performing this pressing is as follows.

That is, the two pairs of left and right second stepped bolts 52 are disposed so as to be located at two upper and lower positions on the left and right sides of the spatial light modulator 32.

Each second step bolt 52 has a tip end surface abutting against the substrate holder 40 in a state where the large diameter portion 52b thereof is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 50a formed in the heat sink 50, and a small diameter portion 52a thereof is screwed into the screw hole of the boss portion 40b formed in the substrate holder 40.

At this time, a second spring 54 for elastically pressing the protrusion 50c of the heat sink 50 toward the front of the lamp is attached to the large diameter portion 52b of each second stepped bolt 52. Each second spring 54 is formed of a compression coil spring disposed between the head 52c of each second step bolt 52 and the heat sink 50.

Two pairs of boss insertion holes 36c on the left and right for preventing interference with the boss portion 40b are formed in the control board 36 so as to have a diameter larger than that of the boss portion 40 b.

In this way, in the spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30 of the present embodiment, the spatial light modulator 32 is elastically pressed from both sides in the front-rear direction of the lamp together with the lamp socket 34 by the pressing unit 60 and the heat sink 5, and thus the electrical connection between the spatial light modulator 32 and the lamp socket 34 is reliably maintained in a state where an unreasonable load is not applied to the spatial light modulator 32.

In the present embodiment, the elastic pressing force of the pressing piece 60 against the spatial light modulator 32 is set to a value larger than the elastic pressing force of the heat sink 50 against the spatial light modulator 32, thereby maintaining the state in which the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 is always pressed against the control substrate 36 via the socket 34.

Specifically, the compression coil springs constituting the first springs 64 have a larger wire diameter (for example, 2 times or more the wire diameter) than the compression coil springs constituting the second springs 54, and thus the elastic pressing force totaling the elastic pressing forces of the two first springs 64 is set to a value larger than the elastic pressing force totaling the elastic pressing forces of the four second springs 54.

Protruding pieces 50d protruding toward the front of the lamp are formed on both left and right ends of the heat sink 50. On the other hand, guide groove portions 40d extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp are formed at both left and right end portions of the substrate holder 40 so as to engage with both upper and lower end surfaces of each of the pair of left and right projecting pieces 50 d.

By engaging the protruding pieces 50d with the guide groove portions 40d on both the left and right sides of the substrate holder 40 in this manner, the heat sink 50 does not rotate in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate holder 40.

Each projection piece 50d is formed with an elongated hole 50e extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp, and each guide groove portion 40d is formed with a screw hole 40e opening to the side.

By fastening the screws 42 to the screw holes 40e through the elongated holes 50e, the heat sink 50 is fixed to the substrate bracket 40 in a state of being positioned in the front-rear direction of the lamp with respect to the substrate bracket 40.

The portion of the substrate holder 40 where the guide groove portion 40d is formed is thicker than other portions in order to ensure strength around the screw hole 40 e. Further, the pair of upper and lower horizontal flange portions 40d1, in which the guide groove portions 40d are formed in the substrate holder 40, are formed to extend so as to be wound in the direction closer to the optical axis Ax on both the front and rear sides of the substrate holder 40, thereby sufficiently securing rigidity as the guide groove portions 40 d.

Next, the structure of the support bracket 80 will be described.

The support bracket 80 is a member made of metal (for example, made of die-cast aluminum), and includes a vertical surface portion 80A extending along a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax, and a horizontal surface portion 80B extending from a lower end edge of the vertical surface portion 80A toward the front of the lamp along a horizontal plane. Reinforcing flanges 80C for reinforcing the connection portion between the vertical surface portion 80A and the horizontal surface portion 80B are formed on both the left and right sides of the support bracket 80.

A horizontally long rectangular opening 80Aa is formed in the vertical surface portion 80A around the optical axis Ax. The opening 80Aa has a rectangular opening shape smaller than the outer peripheral edge shape of the spatial light modulator 32 but larger than the reflection control region 32a in the lateral direction, and the front edge of the inner peripheral surface thereof is chamfered over the entire circumference.

Two pairs of right and left boss portions 80Ab extending rearward of the lamp are formed on the right and left sides of the control board 36 on the rear surface of the vertical surface portion 80A. These left and right pairs of boss portions 80Ab are disposed so as to be positioned substantially at the same height as the left and right pairs of second stepped bolts 52.

On the other hand, in the substrate holder 40, screw insertion holes 40c are formed at positions corresponding to the two pairs of right and left boss portions 80 Ab.

The spatial light modulator sub-assembly 30 is fixed to the support bracket 80 by fastening the screws 44 to the screw holes of the boss portions 80Ab of the vertical portion 80A from the lamp rear side via the screw insertion holes 40c of the substrate bracket 40.

At this time, the length of each boss portion 80Ab is set so that the vertical surface portion 80A of the support bracket 80 is positioned further toward the front side of the lamp than the main body portion 60A of the pusher 60.

Further, a pair of left and right openings 80Ac for preventing interference with the pair of left and right first step bolts 62 are formed in the vertical surface portion 80A of the support bracket 80 so as to have a diameter larger than the head portion 62c of the first step bolt 62.

The horizontal plane portion 80B is formed to extend to the front side of the lamp than the reflector 24, and a horizontally long rectangular opening 80Ba for inserting the reflector 24 is formed in the horizontal plane portion 80B.

As shown in fig. 6, columnar positioning holes 32b1 are formed in the front surface of the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 at two positions located diagonally with respect to the optical axis Ax. In the main body portion 60A of the pusher 60, pin insertion holes 60Ab and 60Ac are formed at positions corresponding to the positioning holes 32b1 of the spatial light modulator 32 so as to penetrate the main body portion 60A in the lamp front-rear direction. Further, in the vertical surface portion 80A of the support bracket 80, a columnar positioning pin 80Ad extending rearward of the lamp is formed at a position corresponding to the positioning hole 32b1 of the spatial light modulator 32.

Further, by inserting the positioning pins 80Ad of the support bracket 80 into the positioning holes 32b1 of the spatial light modulator 32 through the pin insertion holes 60Ab, 60Ac of the presser 60, the spatial light modulator subassembly 30 is positioned in the vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax when assembled to the support bracket 80, and after the assembly, the spatial light modulator 32 is prevented from being unintentionally displaced in the vertical plane.

In the two pin insertion holes 60Ab and 60Ac formed in the main body portion 60A of the retainer 60, one pin insertion hole 60Ab is formed as a circular hole, and the other pin insertion hole 60Ac is formed as a long hole extending in the diagonal direction.

Next, the structure of the lens-side subassembly 70 will be described.

As shown in fig. 3, the projection lens 72 is composed of first and

second lenses

72A and 72B disposed at a desired interval in the lamp front-rear direction on the optical axis Ax.

The first lens 72A located on the front side of the lamp is formed as a biconvex lens, and the second lens 72B located on the rear side of the lamp is formed as a meniscus lens projecting toward the rear of the lamp. In this case, the first and

second lenses

72A and 72B are configured such that the upper ends thereof are slightly cut off along the horizontal plane and the lower ends thereof are more cut off along the horizontal plane.

The first and

second lenses

72A and 72B are supported by a common lens holder 74 at their outer peripheral edges.

The lens holder 74 is a metal (e.g., die-cast aluminum) member, and includes a holder main body 74A formed to surround the projection lens 72 in a cylindrical shape, and a pair of flange portions 74B formed to extend to the left and right sides along a horizontal plane at a lower end portion of an outer peripheral surface of the holder main body 74A.

A protrusion 74Aa for positioning the first and

second lenses

72A and 72B is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holder body 74A. On the other hand, each of the pair of left and right flange portions 74B is formed in a flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp over the entire length of the lens holder 74 with a constant left-right width.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the lens side subassembly 70 exploded together with the support bracket 80.

As shown in the same drawing, the lens holder 74 is fixed to the horizontal plane portion 40B of the support bracket 80 by mechanical fastening at the pair of left and right flange portions 74B. The fixation by the mechanical fastening is performed by screw fastening.

In order to achieve the above, a pair of front and rear screw insertion holes 74Ba that vertically penetrate the flange portion 64B are formed in each flange portion 74B of the lens holder 74. Further, a pair of boss portions 80Bb in front and rear of the horizontal surface portion 80B of the support bracket 80, which have screw holes, are formed so as to protrude downward. Further, the screws 76 are screwed to the screw holes of the boss portions 80Bb from above the flange portions 74B through the screw insertion holes 74 Ba.

At this time, the screw insertion holes 64Ba are formed as long holes extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp with a width larger than the screw diameter of the screws 66, and thereby the screw fastening can be performed in a state where the position of the lens holder 64 in the front-rear direction of the lamp is adjusted with respect to the holder 40.

A positioning pin 64Bb protruding vertically downward from the center position in the front-rear direction of the pair of front and rear screw insertion holes 64Ba is formed on the lower surface of each flange portion 64B of the lens holder 64. Each positioning pin 64Bb is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the tip end portion thereof is formed in a convex curved surface shape. The amount of downward projection from the flange portion 264B of each positioning pin 64Bb is set to a value slightly larger than the plate thickness of the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40.

On the other hand, in the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40, long holes 40Bc penetrating the horizontal surface portion 40B in the vertical direction are formed at positions corresponding to the respective positioning pins 64 Bb. Each of the elongated holes 40Bc is formed as an elongated hole extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp with a width slightly larger than the diameter of the positioning pin 64 Bb.

When the lens holder 64 is screwed to the holder 40, the positioning pin 64Bb is inserted into the elongated hole 40Bc in advance, whereby the positional relationship between the lens holder 64 and the holder 40 in the front-rear direction of the lamp can be finely adjusted while restricting the displacement of the lens holder 64 in the left-right direction with respect to the holder 40. This prevents the lens holder 64 from being inadvertently rotated with respect to the holder 40 by a torque generated when the screws are fastened, thereby improving the positional relationship accuracy between the spatial light modulator 32 and the projection lens 62.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

Since the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to irradiate light from the light source 22 toward the front of the lamp via the spatial light modulator 32 and the projection lens 62, various light distribution patterns can be formed with high accuracy by controlling the spatial distribution of light reaching the projection lens 62 in the spatial light modulator 32.

At this time, the spatial light modulator 32 is electrically connected to the support substrate 36 that supports the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 from the lamp rear side, the holder 40 that abuts the peripheral edge portion of the spatial light modulator 32 from the lamp front side is arranged on the lamp front side of the spatial light modulator 32, and the heat sink 50 that elastically presses the spatial light modulator 32 toward the lamp front side in a state of abutting the central portion of the spatial light modulator 32 (that is, the portion where the reflected light control region 32a is located) is arranged on the lamp rear side of the spatial light modulator 32, so that an unreasonable load can be prevented from acting on the spatial light modulator 32. In addition, this ensures electrical connection between the spatial light modulator 32 and the support substrate 36, and prevents the spatial light modulator 32 from being damaged.

Further, since the control substrate 36 electrically connected to the spatial light modulator 32 in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 via the socket 34 is arranged at a position on the lamp rear side of the spatial light modulator 32, and the substrate holder for supporting the control substrate 36 in a state of being in contact with the position is arranged at a position on the lamp rear side of the control substrate 36, and the pressing piece 60 is fixed from the lamp front side and the heat sink 50 is fixed from the lamp rear side with respect to the substrate holder 40, even when a vibration load or an impact load acts on the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to prevent the positional relationship between the control substrate 36 and the substrate holder 40 or the heat sink 50 from being shifted, and thereby it is possible to prevent an unreasonable load from acting on a connection portion between the spatial light modulator 32 and the control substrate 36 (that is, a connection portion between the spatial light modulator 32 and the socket 34 and a connection portion between the socket 34 and the control substrate 36), in addition, this can effectively suppress breakage of the connection portion between the spatial light modulator 32 and the control board 36.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the vehicle lamp 10 including the reflective spatial light modulator 32, it is possible to effectively suppress damage to the spatial light modulator 32 due to a vibration load or the like and damage to a connection portion between the spatial light modulator 32 and the control board 36.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the elastic pressing force of the presser 60 against the spatial light modulator 32 is set to a value larger than the elastic pressing force of the heat sink 50 against the spatial light modulator 32, the state in which the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 is always pressed against the control substrate 36 can be maintained, and thus the electrical connection between the spatial light modulator 32 and the control substrate 36 can be maintained more reliably.

In this case, in the present embodiment, the pair of left and right first step bolts 62 for fixing the pressing member 60 to the substrate holder 40 are arranged around the spatial light modulator 32, and each first step bolt 62 is in contact with the control substrate 36 at its front end surface in a state where the large diameter portion 62b thereof is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 60Ba of the pressing member 60, and is in screw-engagement with the small diameter portion 62a thereof with the bolt insertion hole 36b formed in the control substrate 36, and the first spring 64 for elastically pressing the pressing member 60 toward the lamp rear side is attached to the large diameter portion 62b thereof, so that the pressing of the spatial light modulator 32 by the pressing member 60 can be easily and stably performed at a predetermined elastic pressing force.

Further, with such a configuration, the pressing member 60 can be fixed to the substrate holder 40 and the control board 36 can be supported by the substrate holder 40, thereby simplifying the structure of the vehicle lamp 10.

In the present embodiment, two pairs of right and left second step bolts for fixing the heat sink 50 to the substrate holder 40 are arranged around the spatial light modulator 32, and each of the second step bolts 52 is in contact with the substrate holder 40 at its tip end surface in a state where its large diameter portion 52b is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 50a formed in the heat sink 50, and is screwed to the substrate holder 40 at its small diameter portion 52a, and a second spring 54 for elastically pressing the heat sink 50 toward the front of the lamp is attached to its large diameter portion 52b, so that the pressing of the spatial light modulator 32 by the heat sink 50 can be easily performed stably with a predetermined elastic pressing force.

In the present embodiment, the heat sink 50 has the protrusion pieces 50d protruding toward the front of the lamp formed on both left and right ends thereof, and the substrate holder 40 has the guide groove portions 40d formed on both left and right ends thereof and extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp so as to engage with both upper and lower end surfaces of the protrusion pieces 50d, so that the heat sink 50 can be prevented from rotating in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate holder 40. Further, this makes it easy to press the central portion of the spatial light modulator 32 with a uniform pressure distribution by the heat sink 50.

Further, since the elongated holes 50e extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp are formed in the respective projecting pieces 50d and the screw holes 40e are formed in the respective groove portions 40d, the heat sink 50 is fixed to the substrate holder 40 in a state of being positioned in the front-rear direction of the lamp with respect to the substrate holder 40 by fastening the screws 42 to the respective screw holes 40e via the respective elongated holes 50e, the positional relationship of the respective members can be fixed while maintaining a state of pressing the spatial light modulator 32 with a predetermined elastic pressing force from both sides in the front-rear direction of the lamp. Further, even when a vibration load or an impact load acts on the vehicle lamp 10, the elastic pressing force of the presser 60 or the elastic pressing force of the heat sink 50 or more can be prevented from acting on the spatial light modulator 32 and the connection portion between the spatial light modulator 32 and the control board 36.

When the screws 42 are fastened to the screw holes 40e through the elongated holes 50e, fastening torque is generated, but since the protruding pieces 50d of the heat sink 50 engage with the guide groove portions 40d of the substrate holder 40, the heat sink 50 does not rotate relative to the substrate holder 40 due to the fastening torque.

In the above embodiment, the case where the control substrate 36 is electrically connected to the spatial light modulator 32 in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32 via the socket 34 has been described, but the control substrate 36 may be electrically connected to the spatial light modulator 32 in a state of being in direct contact with the peripheral edge portion 32b of the spatial light modulator 32.

In the above embodiment, in order to reflect the light emitted from the light source 22 reflected by the reflector 26 to the spatial light modulator 32, a configuration in which the light emitted from the light source 22 by bias control using a lens or the like is reflected by the spatial light modulator 32 or a configuration in which the light emitted from the light source 22 is directly reflected by the spatial light modulator 32 may be employed.

Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described.

Fig. 12 shows a main part of a vehicle lamp according to the present modification, and is a view similar to fig. 5.

As shown in the same drawing, the basic structure of this modification is the same as that of the above embodiment, but the structure of the spatial light modulator sub-assembly 130 is partially different from that of the above embodiment.

That is, the spatial light modulator sub-assembly 130 of the present modification is different from the case of the above-described embodiment in that the control substrate 136 and the pressing member 160 are fixed to the substrate holder 140 separately.

Specifically, the control board 136 of the present modification has a smaller lateral width than the control board 36 of the above embodiment. In the control board 136, a pair of screw insertion holes 136d are formed on both left and right sides of an opening 136a through which the protrusion 50c of the heat sink 50 is inserted.

In the substrate holder 140 of the present modification, screw holes 140F are formed at positions corresponding to the pair of right and left screw insertion holes 136 d. Then, the control board 136 is fixed to the board bracket 140 by fastening the screws 146 to the screw holes 140F of the board bracket 140 from the lamp front side via the screw insertion holes 136d of the control board 136.

A notch 136e for preventing interference with the boss portion 140b of the substrate holder 140 is formed at the side end portion of the control board 136.

The pressing tool 160 of the present modification has the same structure as the main body 160A with respect to the pressing tool 60 of the above embodiment, but the left and right pair of flange portions 160B have different structures. That is, each flange portion 160B is formed so as to extend laterally and relatively long from the main body portion 160A, while the amount of displacement rearward from the main body portion 160A is smaller than that in the above-described embodiment, and the bolt insertion hole 160Ba is formed at a position further away from the optical axis Ax than the side end surface of the control board 136.

The pressing member 160 is fixed to the substrate holder 140 by a pair of left and right first step bolts 162 at the pair of left and right flange portions 160B in a state where the main body portion 160A is in contact with the peripheral edge portion 32B of the spatial light modulator 32 from the lamp front side.

The first step bolts 162 are similar to those of the above-described embodiment except that the large diameter portions 162b are formed longer than the large diameter portions 62b of the first step bolts 62 of the above-described embodiment by the thickness of the control board 136, and the small diameter portions 162a are formed shorter than the small diameter portions 62a of the first step bolts 62 of the above-described embodiment by the thickness of the control board 136.

Further, the tip end surface of each first step bolt 162 abuts against the substrate holder 140 in a state where the large diameter portion 162b thereof is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 160Ba of the presser 160, and the small diameter portion 162a of each first step bolt 162 is screwed to the screw hole 140a formed in the substrate holder 140.

In the present modification, the first spring 64 is attached to the large-diameter portion 162b of each first step bolt 162, so that the presser 160 elastically presses the spatial light modulator 32 toward the lamp rear.

The support bracket 180 of the present modification has the same configuration as the support bracket 80 of the above-described embodiment, but a pair of left and right openings 180Ac formed in the vertical surface portion 180A are formed at positions away from the optical axis Ax in accordance with the positions of the pair of left and right first step bolts 162.

Even in the case of adopting the configuration of the present modification, in the vehicle lamp including the reflective spatial light modulator 32, it is possible to effectively suppress damage to the spatial light modulator 32 due to a vibration load or the like and damage to the connection portion between the spatial light modulator 32 and the control board 136.

In addition, in the case of adopting the configuration of the present modification, the control board 136 and the pressing member 160 can be sequentially mounted on the board holder 140.

It should be noted that the numerical values indicated as various specifications in the above embodiment and the modifications thereof are merely examples, and it is needless to say that they may be set to different values as appropriate.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments and the modifications thereof, and various modifications other than the above may be added.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp includes a reflective spatial light modulator for reflecting light from a light source toward a front of the lamp,

the lamp for a vehicle is characterized in that,

2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1,

the elastic pressing force of the pressing member against the spatial light modulator is set to a value greater than the elastic pressing force of the heat sink against the spatial light modulator.

3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 or 2,

a plurality of first step bolts for fixing the presser to the substrate holder are arranged around the spatial light modulator,

each of the first stepped bolts is in contact with the control board at a distal end surface of the large-diameter portion of the first stepped bolt in a state where the large-diameter portion of the first stepped bolt is inserted through the bolt insertion hole of the presser, and is screwed to the board bracket at the small-diameter portion of the first stepped bolt in a state where the small-diameter portion of the first stepped bolt is inserted through the bolt insertion hole formed in the control board,

a first spring for elastically pressing the pressing piece toward the rear of the lamp is attached to the large diameter portion of each first stepped bolt.

4. A lamp for a vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3,

a plurality of second stepped bolts for fixing the heat sink to the substrate holder are arranged around the spatial light modulator,

each of the second stepped bolts abuts against the substrate bracket at a tip end surface of the large diameter portion of the second stepped bolt in a state where the large diameter portion of the second stepped bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole formed in the heat sink, and is screwed to the substrate bracket at the small diameter portion of the second stepped bolt,

a second spring for elastically pressing the heat sink toward the front of the lamp is attached to the large diameter portion of each second stepped bolt.

5. A lamp for a vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4,

projecting pieces projecting toward the front of the lamp are formed at the left and right ends of the heat sink,

guide groove portions are formed at both left and right end portions of the substrate holder so as to engage with both upper and lower end surfaces of the protruding piece and extend in the front-rear direction of the lamp.

6. The vehicular lamp according to claim 5,

a long hole extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp is formed in each of the projecting pieces, and a screw hole is formed in each of the guide groove portions,

the heat sink is fixed to the substrate bracket in a state of being positioned in the front-rear direction of the lamp with respect to the substrate bracket by fastening a screw to each screw hole through each elongated hole.