CN111380032B

CN111380032B - Lamp unit

Info

Publication number: CN111380032B
Application number: CN201910322694.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 佐藤隆芳; 平中行伸
Original assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-27
Filing date: 2019-04-22
Publication date: 2023-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-22
Also published as: JP7221680B2; JP2020107493A; CN111380032A; CN209819440U

Abstract

The invention provides a lamp unit, which is provided with a reflective spatial light modulator and can restrain the influence of interference on the spatial light modulator to the minimum. As the reflection control section of the spatial light modulator, a configuration is adopted in which each of the plurality of reflection elements is capable of obtaining a first angular position at which light from the light source reaching the reflection element is reflected toward the projection lens in the optical path, and a second angular position at which the light is reflected toward a direction away from the projection lens in the optical path. In addition, a light shield is disposed between the spatial light modulator and the projection lens to shield the reflected light from each of the plurality of reflection elements at the second angular position, and the light shield is made of an electrically grounded conductive member. In this way, the light shield is made to function as an electromagnetic shield portion that protects the spatial light modulator from interference caused by repeated turning-on and turning-off of the light source, while preventing light that is unfavorable for formation of the light distribution pattern from becoming stray light in advance.

Description

Lamp unit

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lamp unit including a reflective spatial light modulator.

Background

Conventionally, as a vehicle-mounted lamp unit, a lamp unit configured to irradiate light from a light source reflected by a spatial light modulator toward the front of the unit via an optical member such as a projection lens is known.

Patent document 1 describes that, as a spatial light modulator of such a lamp unit, each of a plurality of reflection elements constituting a reflection control section thereof can obtain a first angular position at which light from a light source reaching the reflection element is reflected toward an optical member and a second angular position at which the light is reflected in a direction away from the optical member.

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

In such a lamp unit, the light source is frequently turned on and off in order to change the light distribution pattern formed by the irradiation light of the lamp unit according to the running condition of the vehicle, but electromagnetic interference is generated in accordance with the on and off control, and thus there is a possibility that the control of the spatial light modulator is adversely affected.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a lamp unit including a reflective spatial light modulator, which can minimize the influence of interference on the spatial light modulator.

The present invention achieves the above object by adopting a structure having a predetermined light shielding member.

That is, the lamp unit of the present invention includes: a light source, a spatial light modulator reflecting light from the light source, an optical member irradiating the light reflected by the spatial light modulator toward the front of the cell,

The lamp unit is characterized in that,

the spatial light modulator includes a reflection control section in which a plurality of reflection elements for reflecting light from the light source are arranged,

the respective reflection elements are configured to be able to obtain a first angular position at which light from the light source reaching the reflection element is reflected toward the optical member and a second angular position at which the light is reflected toward a direction away from the optical member,

a light shielding member for shielding the reflected light from each of the plurality of reflection elements at the second angular position is disposed between the optical members of the spatial light modulator,

the light shielding member is formed of an electrically grounded conductive member.

The above-mentioned "spatial light modulator" is not particularly limited as long as it is a spatial light modulator capable of controlling the spatial distribution of light reflected from a light source when the light is reflected, and a specific configuration thereof may be employed, for example, a configuration using a digital micromirror.

The above-mentioned "optical member" is not particularly limited as long as it is an optical member configured to irradiate light from the light source reflected by the spatial light modulator toward the front of the cell, and for example, a projection lens, a reflector, a mirror, or the like can be used.

The "light shielding member" is not particularly limited in specific arrangement and structure as long as it is constituted by an electrically grounded conductive member and is arranged so as to shield respective reflected lights from the plurality of reflection elements when in the second angular position.

The lamp unit according to the present invention is configured such that light from the light source reflected by the spatial light modulator is irradiated toward the front of the unit via the optical member, and therefore, in the spatial light modulator of the lamp unit, various light distribution patterns can be formed with high accuracy by controlling the spatial distribution of the reflected light.

In order to achieve this, the spatial light modulator is configured such that each of the plurality of reflection elements of the reflection control section of the spatial light modulator can obtain a first angular position at which light from the light source reaching the reflection element is reflected toward the optical member and a second angular position at which the light is reflected in a direction away from the optical member, and a light shielding member for shielding each of the reflected light from the plurality of reflection elements when the spatial light modulator is positioned at the second angular position is disposed between the spatial light modulator and the optical member, so that it is possible to prevent light that is unfavorable for the formation of the light distribution pattern from becoming stray light in advance.

In addition, in the present invention, since the light shielding member is made of the electrically grounded conductive member, the light shielding member can be made to function as an electromagnetic shielding portion for protecting the spatial light modulator from the influence of the disturbance caused by the repeated turning on and off of the light source, and thus, the adverse effect on the control of the spatial light modulator can be effectively suppressed.

As described above, according to the present invention, in a lamp unit including a reflective spatial light modulator, the influence of interference on the spatial light modulator can be minimized.

In the above configuration, if a configuration in which the plate-like member is subjected to the surface treatment for suppressing the reflection of light is adopted as the light shielding member, the reflection light from each of the plurality of reflection elements at the second angular position can be effectively suppressed from being reflected again by the light shielding member and becoming stray light, and thus the light shielding function of the light shielding member can be improved.

In this case, if a structure made of an aluminum plate subjected to a black aluminum oxide film treatment is used as a specific structure of the light shielding member, the re-reflection of the light shielding member can be further effectively suppressed, and thereby the light shielding function of the light shielding member can be further improved.

In the above configuration, if the second conductive member electrically grounded is disposed around the substrate on which the spatial light modulator is mounted so as to surround the substrate, the electromagnetic shielding function for suppressing the influence of the interference on the spatial light modulator can be further improved.

In this case, as the structure of the second conductive member, a structure in which a part of the second conductive member is integrally formed with the conductive member may be employed.

Drawings

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

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

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an IV-oriented view of fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a V-direction view of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a VI-oriented view of fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view in direction VII of fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the lamp unit in a state in which a part of the constituent elements of the lamp unit are disassembled.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the lamp unit with the constituent elements removed.

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the lamp unit with the constituent elements removed.

Fig. 11 is a detailed view of section XI of fig. 3.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a detailed view of the main part of fig. 11.

Fig. 14 is a side cross-sectional view showing a vehicle lamp including the lamp unit.

Fig. 15 is a view similar to fig. 3 showing a lamp unit according to a modification of the above embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

10. 110 lamp unit

20. Spatial light modulation unit

22. Support substrate

22a, 32a, 40Aa, 40Ba openings

24. Radiator

24a, 34Aa protrusions

24b radiating fin

24c axis

26. Socket

26a terminal pin

30. Spatial light modulator

30A reflection control section

30As reflecting element

30B frame body

30Ba terminal pin

30Bb annular step part

30C light-transmitting plate

30D seal part

32. Plate-like member

32b through-hole

34. Gasket ring

34A thin wall part

34B thick wall portion

36. Light-transmitting cover

36A front upper region

36B front lower region

36C peripheral flange portion

36Ca, 40Bb boss portion

36Cb annular rib

40. Support frame

40A vertical face

40Ab protrusion

40Ac annular groove

40Ad axle locating hole

40B horizontal face

42. Ladder bolt

44. Compression coil spring

46. Clamping component

50. Light source side subassembly

52. Light source

52a light emitting surface

54. Reflector

54a reflecting surface

56. Substrate board

58. Connector with a plurality of connectors

60. Base member

60A inclined face

60B, 260C horizontal face

62. 84, 184, 262 heat conducting plate

62a, 84a, 262a support recess

70. Lens side subassembly

72. Projection lens (optical component)

72A first lens

72B second lens

72C third lens

74. Lens holder

74A cage body

74B, 90a flange portion

76A first fitting

76B second fitting

80. Radiator

80a radiating fin

82. Heat radiation fan

82A fan body

82B support part

86. Heat pipe

90. 190 light shield (light shielding member) (conductive member)

92. Upper cover (second conductive component)

92a, 94a left and right side portions

92b, 92c, 94b locking piece

94. Lower cover (second conductive component)

94c inclined face

100. Lamp for vehicle

102. Lamp body

104. Light-transmitting cover

190A light shielding part

190B upper cover (second conductive member)

190C connecting part

Ax optical axis

F rear side focus

R1, R2 optical path

S1, S2 gap

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a lamp unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and 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. 2, and fig. 4 is a view taken in the IV direction of fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a V-direction view of fig. 4, fig. 6 is a VI-direction view of fig. 4, and fig. 7 is a VII-direction view of fig. 4.

In these figures, the direction indicated by X is "front of the cell", the direction indicated by Y is "left" orthogonal to "front of the cell" (right "in the case of a front view of the cell), and the direction indicated by Z is" upper ". The same applies to the drawings other than these drawings.

The lamp unit 10 of the present embodiment is used in a state assembled into the vehicle lamp 100 shown in the side cross-sectional view of fig. 14.

Specifically, the vehicle lamp 100 is a headlight provided at a front end portion of a vehicle, and the lamp unit 10 is used in a state of being housed in a lamp chamber formed by the lamp body 102 and the translucent cover 104, and is used in a state of adjusting an optical axis such that a front-rear direction of the lamp unit 10 (i.e., a unit front-rear direction) coincides with the vehicle front-rear direction.

The lamp unit 10 includes a spatial light modulation unit 20, a light source side subassembly 50, and a lens side subassembly 70. The lamp unit 10 is supported by the lamp body 102 via an unillustrated mounting structure on the bracket 40 that is formed by a part of the spatial light modulator unit 20 of the lamp unit 10.

As shown in fig. 3, the spatial light modulator unit 20 includes a spatial light modulator 30, a support substrate 22 disposed on the rear side of the spatial light modulator 30, a heat sink 24 disposed on the rear side of the support substrate 22, and a bracket 40 disposed on the front side of the spatial light modulator 30.

The bracket 40 is a metal (for example, aluminum die-cast) member, and includes a vertical surface portion 40A extending along a vertical surface orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the unit, and a horizontal surface portion 40B extending along a substantially horizontal plane from a lower end edge of the vertical surface portion 40A toward the front of the unit.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lamp unit 10 in a state in which the light shielding cover 90, the upper cover 92, and the lower cover 94 (these covers will be described later) which are components of the lamp unit 10 are separated, fig. 9 is a perspective view in a state in which the above components are removed, and fig. 10 is a plan view in a state in which the above components are removed.

As shown in fig. 3 and 10, the light source side subassembly 50 includes a pair of left and right light sources 52, a reflector 54 for reflecting the light emitted from the two light sources 52 toward the spatial light modulation unit 20, and a base member 60 for supporting the light sources.

The lens-side subassembly 70 includes: a projection lens 72 having an optical axis Ax extending in the unit front-rear direction, and a lens holder 74 supporting the projection lens 72.

The lamp unit 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that various light distribution patterns (for example, a light distribution pattern for a low beam, a light distribution pattern for a high beam, or a light distribution pattern that varies according to the running condition of the vehicle, and a light distribution pattern in which characters, symbols, or the like are drawn on the road surface ahead of the vehicle) can be formed with high accuracy by radiating the light from the light sources 52 reflected by the reflectors 54 toward the front of the unit via the spatial light modulator 30 and the projection lens 72.

In order to achieve this, in the assembly process of the lamp unit 10, the positional relationship between the spatial light modulator 30 and the projection lens 72 is finely adjusted in a state where the light sources 52 are turned on to form a light distribution pattern, so that the positional relationship accuracy is improved.

Next, specific configurations of the spatial light modulation unit 20, the light source side subassembly 50, and the lens side subassembly 70 will be described.

First, before explaining the structure of the spatial light modulation unit 20, the structure of the light source side subassembly 50 will be explained.

As shown in fig. 10, the pair of right and left light sources 52 are white light emitting diodes, and are arranged in a laterally symmetrical positional relationship with respect to a vertical plane including the optical axis Ax. Each light source 52 is mounted on the front surface of the substrate 56 with its light emitting surface 52a facing obliquely upward and forward. The substrate 56 is fixed to the base member 60 by screw fastening in a state where the rear surface thereof is in surface contact with the base member 60. As shown in fig. 3 and 6, a connector 58 for supplying power to the pair of right and left light sources 52 is mounted on the lower end portion of the front surface of the substrate 56.

As shown in fig. 3, the base member 60 is a plate-like member made of metal (for example, aluminum die-cast), and includes an inclined surface portion 60A extending obliquely upward and rearward from a lower end position to an upper end position thereof, and a horizontal surface portion 60B extending rearward from the upper end position of the inclined surface portion 60A toward the unit, and is fastened to the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40 by screws to the horizontal surface portion 60B.

As shown in fig. 10, the reflector 54 is disposed so as to cover the pair of right and left light sources 52 from the front side of the unit, and is fixed to the base member 60 by screw fastening at the peripheral edge portion of the reflector 54. The reflector 54 includes a pair of left and right reflecting surfaces 54a formed in a laterally symmetrical positional relationship with respect to a vertical plane including the optical axis Ax. The surface shape of each reflecting surface 54a is set so that the outgoing light from each light source 52 is converged near the rear focal point F (see fig. 3) of the projection lens 72. The lower end portion of the reflector 54 is formed so as to surround the connector 58.

As shown in fig. 3, the bracket 40 is formed such that the horizontal surface 40B extends to the front side of the reflector 54, and an opening 40Ba through which the reflector 54 is inserted is formed in the horizontal surface 40B.

A heat conductive plate 62 made of metal (for example, aluminum die-cast) is disposed on the rear surface side of the inclined surface portion 60A of the base member 60. The heat conductive plate 62 is fixed to the inclined surface portion 60A of the base member 60 by screw tightening in a state of being in surface contact with the rear surface of the inclined surface portion 60A.

As shown in fig. 3, a heat sink 80 is disposed on the front side of the unit and on the lower side of the lens-side subassembly 70 than the light source-side subassembly 50, and the heat sink 80 serves as a heat radiating member for radiating heat generated by the lighting of the respective light sources 52.

The heat sink 80 is a metal member (for example, aluminum die-cast member) and is disposed so as to extend along a horizontal plane, and a plurality of heat radiating fins 80a are formed in a horizontally striped manner (i.e., so as to extend in the left-right direction) on the lower surface of the heat sink 80. The heat sink 80 is fixed to the horizontal surface 40B of the bracket 40 by screw fastening. The screw fastening is performed at a plurality of portions (specifically, three portions) of the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40 with respect to the boss portion 40Bb protruding downward, whereby a certain space is formed between the upper surface of the heat sink 80 and the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40.

A heat radiation fan 82 for promoting heat radiation of the heat radiator 80 is disposed below the heat radiator 80.

The heat radiation fan 82 includes a fan main body 82A and a support portion 82B for rotatably supporting the fan main body 82A about a vertical axis, and is configured to blow wind generated by rotation of the fan main body 82A to the heat radiation fins 80a of the heat radiator 80. The heat radiation fan 82 is fixed to the heat sink 80 by screw fastening to the support portion 82B (see fig. 6).

As shown in fig. 3, a heat conductive plate 84 made of metal (for example, aluminum die-cast) is disposed on the upper surface side of the heat sink 80. The heat conductive plate 84 is disposed so as to extend along a horizontal plane, and is fixed to the heat sink 80 by screw fastening in a state of being in surface contact with the upper surface of the heat sink 80.

The heat conductive plate 84 is connected to the heat conductive plate 62 of the light source side subassembly 50 via a pair of left and right heat pipes 86. That is, each heat pipe 86 is a heat conduction member that connects the

heat conduction plates

62 and 84, and is configured as a heat conduction member having a lower thermal resistance than a case where the heat sink 80 and the

heat conduction plates

62 and 84 are connected with the same material and the same size.

Each heat pipe 86 is formed so as to extend in the unit front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the light source side subassembly 50, and the front end portion and the rear end portion of each heat pipe 86 extend in the horizontal direction toward the direction approaching the optical axis Ax. The front end portion of each heat pipe 86 is fixed to the heat conductive plate 84 in a state of being fitted into a support recess 84a formed on the upper rear surface of the heat conductive plate 84, and the rear end portion of each heat pipe 86 is fixed to the heat conductive plate 62 in a state of being fitted into a support recess 62a formed on the upper rear surface of the heat conductive plate 62.

The length dimension of each boss portion 40Bb formed on the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40 is set so that a gap S1 is formed between the lower surface of the horizontal surface portion 40B and the upper surface of the heat conductive plate 84. At this time, the vertical width of the gap S1 is set to a value of 1mm or more (for example, about 2 to 10 mm).

Next, the structure of the spatial light modulation unit 20 will be described.

Fig. 11 is a detailed view of section XI of fig. 3, and fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of fig. 11.

As shown in these two figures, the spatial light modulator 30 is a reflective spatial light modulator, and includes: the reflection control unit 30A is composed of a reflection control unit 30A in which a plurality of reflection elements 30As reflecting light from the reflector 54 are arranged, a housing unit 30B housing the reflection control unit 30A, a light-transmitting plate 30C disposed on the front side of the reflection control unit 30A, and a sealing unit 30D sealing the light-transmitting plate 30C to the housing unit 30B at the peripheral edge of the light-transmitting plate 30C.

Specifically, the spatial light modulator 30 is a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD), and a structure in which hundreds of thousands of micromirrors are arranged in a matrix is employed As the plurality of reflection elements 30As of the reflection control section 30A of the spatial light modulator 30. At this time, the reflection control section 30A has a rectangular outer shape having a lateral length centered on the optical axis Ax when the unit is viewed from the front, and its size is set to, for example, a size of about 6×12mm in length.

The spatial light modulator 30 is configured to be able to selectively switch the reflection directions of light from the pair of right and left light sources 52 that reach the respective reflection elements 30As by controlling the angles of the reflection surfaces of the respective reflection elements 30As that constitute the reflection control section 30A. Specifically, a selection is made between a first mode in which light from the pair of left and right light sources 52 is reflected in a direction toward the optical path R1 of the projection lens 72, and a second mode in which light is reflected in a direction toward the optical path R2 away from the projection lens 72 (i.e., a direction that does not adversely affect the formation of the light distribution pattern).

Fig. 13 is a detailed view of the main part of fig. 11.

As shown in the same figure, each of the reflection elements 30As is rotatable about a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction, and in the first mode, the reflected light from the reflector 54 (see fig. 3) is reflected toward the front of the cell As light slightly upward (light of the optical path R1) when rotated downward by a predetermined angle (for example, about 12 °) with respect to a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax, and in the second mode, the reflected light from the reflector 54 is reflected toward the front of the cell As light substantially upward (light of the optical path R2) when rotated upward by a predetermined angle (for example, about 12 °) with respect to a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax.

The switching between the first mode and the second mode is performed by controlling the energization of an electrode (not shown) disposed in the vicinity of a member (not shown) rotatably supporting each of the reflection elements 30 As. In the neutral state in which the current is not supplied, the reflection elements 30As are arranged such that the reflection surfaces thereof are coplanar with each other along a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax.

The rear focal point F of the projection lens 72 (see fig. 3) is set at a position at which an intersection of a vertical plane formed by the reflection surfaces of the plurality of reflection elements 30As in the neutral state and the optical axis Ax.

In fig. 13, the reflecting element 30As located on the optical axis Ax and the reflecting element 30As located on the upper side thereof are shown in the angular position of the first mode, and the reflecting element 30As located on the lower side than the optical axis Ax is shown in the state of the angular position of the second mode.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the light-transmitting plate 30C of the spatial light modulator 30 is formed of a flat glass plate having a rectangular outer shape long in the lateral direction, and the plate thickness thereof is set to a value of about 1 to 1.5 mm.

An annular step portion 30Bb is formed on the inner peripheral edge portion of the front surface of the frame portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30. The sealing portion 30D of the spatial light modulator 30 is formed by filling an encapsulating material containing an organic material between the outer peripheral surface of the light-transmitting plate 30C and the annular step portion 30Bb of the housing portion 30B, thereby completely sealing the gap therebetween.

The front surface of the spatial light modulator 30 is displaced to the cell rear side at the position of the sealing portion 30D, whereby the front surface of the frame portion 30B is moved backward to the cell rear side with respect to the front surface of the light plate 30C.

The spatial light modulator 30 is supported on the support substrate 22 via the socket 26 on the rear surface of the housing 30B.

The socket 26 is configured as a rectangular frame member that is long in the lateral direction along the peripheral edge portion of the rear surface of the frame body 30B. On the other hand, the support substrate 22 is disposed on the unit rear side of the socket 26 so as to extend along a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax. The support substrate 22 is formed with an opening 22a having a shape substantially identical to the shape of the inner peripheral surface of the socket 26, and a conductive pattern (not shown) is formed on the front surface of the support substrate 22. The socket 26 is fixed to the support substrate 22 in a state of being electrically connected to the conductive pattern formed on the support substrate 22.

A plurality of terminal pins 30Ba protruding toward the rear of the cell are formed at the peripheral edge of the rear surface of the frame portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30. On the other hand, in the socket 26, a plurality of terminal pins 26a protruding from the rear surface of the socket 26 toward the rear of the unit are formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of terminal pins 30Ba.

The base end portion of each terminal pin 26a of the socket 26 (i.e., the portion embedded in the tip end portion of the socket 26) is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the tip end portion of each terminal pin 30Ba of the spatial light modulator 30 is fitted into the base end portion, so that the spatial light modulator 30 is electrically connected to the socket 26.

Each terminal pin 26a of the socket 26 is soldered at its tip end portion (i.e., rear end portion) to a conductive pattern (not shown) of the support substrate 22. Accordingly, the socket 26 is arranged in a state in which its rear surface slightly floats from the front surface of the support substrate 22.

The spatial light modulator unit 20 has a structure in which the spatial light modulator 30 is supported by the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 and the heat sink 24 from both sides in the unit front-rear direction.

A rectangular opening 40Aa long in the lateral direction is formed in the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40. The opening 40Aa is formed so as to surround the optical axis Ax with a position shifted from the optical axis Ax to a position immediately below. At this time, the inner peripheral surface shape of the opening 40Aa is set to a value larger than the outer peripheral surface shape of the light-transmitting plate 30C of the spatial light modulator 30 but smaller than the outer peripheral surface shape of the sealing portion 30D at the upper end surface and the left and right side end surfaces of the opening 40Aa, and the lower end surface of the opening 40Aa is set to a value larger than the outer peripheral surface shape of the sealing portion 30D. The front end edge of the inner peripheral surface of the opening 40Aa is chamfered over the entire periphery thereof.

As shown in fig. 12, cylindrical protrusions 40Ab protruding rearward of the unit are formed on the rear surface of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 at three locations around the opening portion 40 Aa. The top end surfaces (i.e., rear end surfaces) of the protruding portions 40Ab of the three portions of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 are in contact with the frame portion 30B from the unit front side. At this time, the three protrusions 40Ab are formed so as to contact the upper and lower positions of the left end portion of the frame 30B while contacting the upper and lower central positions of the right end portion of the frame 30B.

A plate member 32 and a gasket 34 are disposed between the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 and the spatial light modulator 30.

The plate member 32 is made of an aluminum plate having a shape larger than the outer peripheral surface of the frame portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30, and has a black aluminum oxide film on its surface.

The plate member 32 has a rectangular opening 32a formed in a lateral direction with the optical axis Ax as the center so as to surround the reflection control section 34 of the spatial light modulator 30. At this time, the opening 32a has an opening shape smaller than the outer peripheral surface shape of the light-transmitting plate 30C, and thereby the plate-like member 32 covers the sealing portion 30D of the spatial light modulator 30 from the cell front side.

The plate member 32 has a thickness thinner than the light-transmitting plate 30C of the spatial light modulator 30 (for example, a thickness of about 0.3 to 0.6 mm), and is disposed in surface contact with the rear surface of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40. The plate-like member 32 is disposed at a position apart from the light-transmitting plate 30C of the spatial light modulator 30 toward the front side of the cell, and at this time, the gap between the two is set to a value smaller than the plate thickness of the light-transmitting plate 30C (for example, a value of about 0.5 mm).

In the plate member 32, insertion holes 32b through which the three protrusions 40Ab are inserted are formed at positions corresponding to the three protrusions 40Ab formed on the rear surface of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40. Two insertion holes 32b of the three insertion holes 32b have a circular shape slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protrusion 40Ab, and thereby, the plate-like member 32 is positioned in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis Ax by being engaged with the vertical surface portion 40A of the holder 40.

On the other hand, the gasket 34 is made of silicone rubber, and is interposed between the plate member 32 and the housing portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30.

The front surface of the gasket 34 is formed in a flat surface, and is in surface contact with the plate-like member 32.

The gasket 34 has an outer peripheral shape slightly smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the plate-like member 32, and has an inner peripheral shape slightly smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the sealing portion 30D of the spatial light modulator 30.

In the gasket 34, a portion located on the front side of the unit with respect to the frame portion 30B is formed as a thin portion 34A, and a portion surrounding the frame portion 30B is formed as a thick portion 34B. At this time, the thickness of the thin portion 34A is set to a value slightly smaller than the difference between the length of the protrusion 40Ab of the bracket 40 and the plate thickness of the plate-like member 32. A dome-shaped protrusion 34Aa protruding rearward of the unit is formed on the rear surface of the thin portion 34A at four positions (specifically, a left-right direction center position on the upper and lower sides, a left-upper and lower direction center position, and a right-lower end position) in the circumferential direction thereof. The protruding height of each protruding portion 34Aa is set to a value larger than the interval between the thin portion 34A and the frame portion 30B.

When the respective protrusions 40Ab of the bracket 40 are in contact with the frame 30B, the apex portions of the respective protrusions 34Aa of the gasket 34 are in contact with the frame 30B and elastically deformed, so that the frame 30B is not excessively pressed. In addition, at the thin portion 34A of the gasket 34, insertion holes 34Ab through which the protruding portions 40Ab of the bracket 40 are inserted are formed at positions corresponding to the three insertion holes 32b of the gasket 34.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, a light-transmitting cover 36 disposed so as to cover the opening 40A from the front side of the unit is supported by a vertical surface 40A of the bracket 40.

The light-transmitting cover 36 is made of a transparent resin (for example, an acrylic resin). The translucent cover 36 includes: a front surface upper region 36A extending in a planar shape along a vertical plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax, a front surface lower region 36B extending in a planar shape obliquely downward and rearward from a lower end edge of the front surface upper region 36A, and an outer peripheral flange portion 36C formed so as to surround both regions.

The boundary position between the front surface upper region 36A and the front surface lower region 36B is located below the optical axis Ax. The translucent cover 36 is configured to transmit the reflected light from the reflector 54 in a front surface lower region 36B thereof and transmit the reflected light from the reflective element 30As in the first mode in a front surface upper region 36A thereof. The translucent cover 36 is configured to transmit the reflected light from the reflective element 30As in the second mode in an upper region of the outer peripheral flange 36C.

The translucent cover 36 is fixed to the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 by screw fastening at a pair of left and right boss portions 36Ca formed on both left and right sides of the outer peripheral flange portion 36C.

An annular groove portion 40Ac extending so as to surround the opening portion 40Aa is formed in the front surface of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40. On the other hand, an annular rib 36Cb protruding from the rear end surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 36C toward the rear of the unit is formed on the light-transmitting cover 36. The translucent cover 36 is fixed to the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 in a state in which the annular rib 36Cb is engaged with the annular groove portion 40Ac of the vertical surface portion 40A.

The interval between the front surface upper region 36A and the front surface lower region 36B of the light-transmitting cover 36 and the unit front-rear direction of the light-transmitting plate 30C of the spatial light modulator 30 is set to a value (for example, a value of 5 times or more) larger than the interval between the light-transmitting plate 30C and the unit front-rear direction of the reflection control section 30A.

The space between the light-transmitting cover 36 and the spatial light modulator 30 is sealed by the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40, the plate-like member 32, and the gasket 34 interposed therebetween, so that foreign matter such as dust does not adhere to the surface of the light-transmitting plate 30C of the spatial light modulator 30.

The heat sink 24 is a metal member (for example, aluminum die-cast member) and is disposed so as to extend along a vertical surface orthogonal to the optical axis Ax, and a plurality of heat radiating fins 24b are formed in a vertically striped pattern on the rear surface of the heat sink 24.

A prismatic projection 24a projecting toward the front of the unit is formed in the center of the front surface of the heat sink 24. The projection 24a has a rectangular cross-sectional shape having a lateral length about the optical axis Ax, and the size of the projection 24a is set to a value smaller than the inner peripheral surface shape of the socket 26. The protruding portion 24a is in contact with the frame portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30 from the unit rear side at the front end surface of the protruding portion 24a in a state where the opening portion 22a of the support substrate 22 is inserted.

The heat sink 24 is fixed to the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 by two pairs of left and right stepped bolts 42 in a state where the front end surface of the protruding portion 24a is in contact with the frame portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30 (see fig. 9 and 10). The fixation is performed in a state in which the spatial light modulator 30 abutting against the protrusion 24a of the heat sink 24 is elastically pressed toward the front of the unit by the compression coil spring 44 attached to the large diameter portion of each step bolt 42.

As shown in fig. 9, a pair of left and right shafts 24c protruding toward the front of the unit are formed on the front surface of the heat sink 24. Each shaft 24c is arranged so as to be positioned at the center of the pair of upper and lower stepped bolts 42, and is formed in a columnar shape.

On the other hand, a pair of left and right shaft positioning holes 40Ad for positioning the heat sink 24 with respect to the holder 40 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis Ax in a state where the tip end portions of the pair of left and right shafts 24c are inserted are formed in the vertical surface portion 40A of the holder 40.

The shaft positioning holes 40Ad of the vertical surface portion 40A are slidably engaged with the shafts 24c over a predetermined length, so that the tip end surfaces of the protrusions 24a of the heat sink 24 are prevented from being inclined with respect to the vertical surface orthogonal to the optical axis Ax.

A pair of left and right shaft insertion holes (not shown) for inserting the pair of left and right shafts 24c are formed in the support substrate 22.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, a holding member 46 for holding the support substrate 22 from both sides in the front-rear direction of the unit is attached to both upper and lower portions of both left and right end surfaces of the support substrate 22. Each of the clip members 46 is formed by welding two metal plates formed in an L-shape in a plan view with a gap therebetween in the unit front-rear direction. Each of the clip members 46 is fixed to the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 by screw fastening at a portion where the two metal plates overlap.

At this time, each of the clip members 46 is formed with a long hole (not shown) extending in the unit front-rear direction, and the position of the support substrate 22 in the unit front-rear direction relative to the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 can be finely adjusted by screw-fastening the long hole.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the plurality of terminal pins 30Ba formed on the rear surface of the housing portion 30B of the spatial light modulator 30 are thereby appropriately fitted into the plurality of fitting holes formed in the socket 26 (that is, the substantially cylindrical base end portions of the terminal pins 26 a) (that is, the state in which the spatial light modulator 30 and the socket 26 are electrically connected reliably).

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, second, and

third lenses

72A, 72B, 72C made of resin, which are arranged on the optical axis Ax at a desired interval in the unit front-rear direction.

The first lens 72A located on the most forward side of the cell is configured as a plano-convex lens bulging forward of the cell, the second lens 72B located in the center is configured as a biconcave lens, and the third lens 72C located on the most rearward side of the cell is configured as a biconvex lens. At this time, the three first to third lenses 72A to 72C have an upper end portion thereof cut off slightly along the horizontal plane, and a lower end portion thereof cut off largely along the horizontal plane.

The three first to third lenses 72A to 72C are supported at their outer peripheral edges by a common lens holder 74.

As shown in fig. 2, the lens holder 74 is a metal (for example, aluminum die-cast) member, and includes a holder body 74A formed so as to cylindrically surround the projection lens 72, and a pair of left and right flange portions 74B formed so as to extend from the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 74A to the left and right sides.

A first fitting 76A is attached to the holder main body 74A from the unit front side, and a second fitting 76B is attached from the unit rear side. The first to third lenses 72A to 72C are supported in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the holder body 74A by the two first and

second fittings

76A and 76B and a support structure not shown.

The pair of left and right flange portions 74B are formed so as to protrude slightly downward from the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 74A toward the left and right sides, and the distal end portions of the flange portions 74B are formed so as to extend along the horizontal plane.

As shown in fig. 1, the lens holder 74 is fixed to the horizontal surface 40B of the bracket 40 by screw fastening at two front and rear portions of the distal end portion of each flange 74B.

At this time, long holes (not shown) extending in the unit front-rear direction are formed in each flange portion 74B, and the positions of the lens holder 74 in the unit front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40 are finely adjusted by screw fastening in the long holes. In addition, the position of the rear focal point F of the projection lens 72 can be set in consideration of the deviation of the optical path due to refraction caused when the reflected light from each reflecting element 30As passes through the light-transmitting plate 30C and the light-transmitting cover 36.

In the lens holder 74, a pair of left and right flange portions 74B slightly protrude downward toward the left and right sides, so that a gap S2 is formed between the holder main body 74A of the lens holder 74 and the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40. At this time, the vertical width of the gap S2 is set to a value of 1mm or more (for example, about 1 to 5 mm).

As shown in fig. 1, 3 and 8, a light shield 90 for shielding the reflected light from each of the plurality of reflection elements 30As at the second angular position is disposed between the spatial light modulation unit 20 and the lens side subassembly 70.

The light shield 90 is formed of a plate-like member subjected to a surface treatment for suppressing reflection of light, and is formed so as to cover a space between the lens holder 74 and the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 from above. The shade 90 is fixed to the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40 by screw tightening at a pair of front and rear flange portions 90a formed on the left and right sides thereof.

The shade 90 is configured as a conductive member electrically grounded to a conductive member (not shown) on the vehicle body side via the bracket 40.

Specifically, the light shield 90 is composed of an aluminum plate (specifically, an aluminum die-cast product formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape) subjected to a black aluminum oxide film treatment. When the light shielding cover 90 is screwed to the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40, the portion subjected to the black alumina coating treatment is shaved off, thereby achieving conduction with the bracket 40.

Further, when the shade 90 is fixed to the horizontal surface portion 40B of the holder 40, the portions that are in surface contact with the horizontal surface portion 40B (i.e., the lower surfaces of the left and right pairs of flange portions 90 a) may be peeled off by a black alumina film treatment, so that conduction with the holder 40 can be performed more reliably.

The shape of the shade 90 is set such that, in a state where the shade 90 is fixed to the horizontal surface portion 40B of the bracket 40, the front end portion of the shade 90 covers the rear end portion of the lens holder 74, and the rear end edge of the shade 90 is located in the vicinity of the cell front of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 1, 3 and 8, an upper cover 92 and a lower cover 94 are disposed around the substrate 22.

The two upper and

lower covers

92 and 94 are formed by bending a metal plate (for example, an aluminum plate). The upper cover 92 is disposed so as to surround the upper region of the substrate 22, and the lower cover 94 is disposed so as to surround the lower region of the substrate 22.

At this time, the upper cover 92 is disposed to cover the space between the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 and the radiator 24 from above and from both the left and right sides, and the lower cover 94 is formed to cover the substrate 22 from the front, rear, left and right sides at a position lower than the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 and the radiator 24.

The two upper covers 92 and the lower cover 94 are disposed so as to abut against the bracket 40 and the radiator 24 from the upper and lower sides, and the left and

right side portions

92a and 94a are fastened and integrated by screws in a state of partially overlapping each other.

The upper cover 92 is formed with: the pair of left and right locking pieces 92b locked to the vertical surface portion 40A at the left and right ends of the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40, and the plurality of locking pieces 92c locked to the radiator 24 at a plurality of positions in the left and right direction.

On the other hand, a pair of left and right locking pieces 94b that are locked to the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 at both left and right end portions of the vertical surface portion 40A are formed in the lower cover 94. The lower cover 94 has an inclined surface 94c extending obliquely downward and forward from an upper end edge of a front surface portion thereof, and the inclined surface 94c is fixed to the base member 60 by screw fastening.

In this way, the upper cover 92 and the lower cover 94 are also configured as second conductive members electrically grounded, similarly to the light shielding cover 90.

In this way, the light-shielding cover 90, the upper cover 92, and the lower cover 94 function as electromagnetic shielding portions for protecting the spatial light modulator 30 from the interference caused by the repeated turning-on and turning-off of the light source 52 and effectively suppressing the adverse effect on the control of the spatial light modulator 30.

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

Since the lamp unit 10 of the present embodiment is configured as a vehicle-mounted lamp unit in which light from the light source 52 reflected by the spatial light modulator 30 is irradiated toward the front of the unit via the projection lens 72 (optical member), various light distribution patterns can be formed accurately by controlling the spatial distribution of the reflected light in the spatial light modulator 30.

In order to achieve this, the spatial light modulator 30 is configured such that each of the plurality of reflection elements 30As configured by the reflection control unit 30A of the spatial light modulator 30 can obtain a first angular position at which light from the light source 52 that has reached the reflection element 30As is reflected toward the projection lens 72 and a second angular position at which the light is reflected in a direction away from the projection lens 72, but since the light shielding cover 90 that shields the reflected light from each of the plurality of reflection elements 30As when in the second angular position is arranged between the spatial light modulator 30 and the projection lens 72, it is possible to prevent light that is unfavorable for the formation of the light distribution pattern from becoming stray light in advance.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the light shield 90 is made of the electrically grounded conductive member, the light shield 90 can be made to function as an electromagnetic shield portion that protects the spatial light modulator 30 from the influence of the disturbance caused by the repeated turning on and off of the light source 52, and thus, the adverse effect on the control of the spatial light modulator 30 can be effectively suppressed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the lamp unit 10 including the reflective spatial light modulator 30, the influence of the disturbance on the spatial light modulator 30 can be suppressed to the minimum.

In the present embodiment, since the shade 90 is formed of the plate-shaped member subjected to the surface treatment for suppressing the reflection of light, the reflection light from each of the plurality of reflection elements 30As in the second angular position can be effectively suppressed from being re-reflected by the shade 90 to become stray light, and thus the shading function of the shade 90 can be improved.

At this time, since the shade 90 is formed of the aluminum plate subjected to the black aluminum oxide film treatment, the re-reflection of the shade 90 can be further suppressed, and thereby the shade function of the shade 90 can be further improved.

Further, since the upper cover 92 and the lower cover 94 (second conductive members) which are electrically grounded are disposed around the substrate 32 on which the spatial light modulator 30 is mounted so as to surround the substrate 22, the electromagnetic shielding function for suppressing the influence of interference on the spatial light modulator 30 can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, the example was described in which the cell front-rear direction (i.e., the direction in which the optical axis Ax extends) is orthogonal to the direction in which the reflection control section 30A of the spatial light modulator 30 extends in a planar manner, but a configuration may be adopted in which the reflection control section 30A extends in a direction inclined with respect to the plane orthogonal to the cell front-rear direction.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the light emitted from the light source 52 reflected by the reflector 54 is reflected by the spatial light modulator 30 is adopted, but the configuration in which the light emitted from the light source 52, which is subjected to deflection control by a lens or the like, is reflected by the spatial light modulator 30 and the light emitted from the light source 52 is directly reflected by the spatial light modulator 30 may be adopted.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the lamp unit 10 is a vehicle-mounted lamp unit has been described, but the lamp unit can be used for applications other than vehicle-mounted applications.

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

Fig. 15 is a view similar to fig. 3 showing the lamp unit 110 according to the present modification.

As shown in the same drawing, the basic structure of the present modification is the same as in the case of the above embodiment, but the structure of the shade 190 is partially different from that of the above embodiment.

That is, in the present modification, the shade 190 corresponding to the shade 90 of the above embodiment is formed by extending to the unit rear side, and the shade 190 is configured to also function as the upper cover 92 of the above embodiment.

Specifically, the light shield 190 includes: a light shielding portion 190A having the same structure as the light shielding portion 90 of the above embodiment, an upper cover portion 190B formed to cover a space between the vertical surface portion 40A of the bracket 40 and the radiator 24 from above and from both the left and right sides, and a connecting portion 190C connecting the two.

In the present modification, the lower cover 94 is fixed to the upper cover portion 190B of the shade 190 by screw fastening. As described above, the upper cover 92 of the above embodiment is not present in the lamp unit 110 of the present modification.

By adopting the structure of this modification, the electromagnetic shield portion of the spatial light modulator 30 can be effectively protected from the influence of the disturbance caused by the repeated turning-on and turning-off of the light source 52 with a small number of parts.

In the above embodiment and the modification thereof, the numerical values indicated as the specification are merely examples, and they may be appropriately set to different values.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment and the modification examples thereof, and various modifications other than the above may be employed.

Claims

1. A lamp unit comprising a light source, a spatial light modulator for reflecting light from the light source, and an optical member for irradiating the light reflected by the spatial light modulator toward the front of the unit, characterized in that,

The plurality of reflecting elements are each configured to be capable of obtaining a first angular position at which light from the light source reaching the reflecting element is reflected toward the optical member and a second angular position at which the light is reflected in a direction away from the optical member,

a light shielding member for shielding the reflected light from each of the plurality of reflection elements at the second angular position is disposed between the spatial light modulator and the optical member,

the light shielding member is composed of an electrically grounded conductive member,

a metal bracket having a vertical surface portion extending along a vertical surface orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the cell is disposed on the front side of the cell with respect to the spatial light modulator,

the light shielding member is configured to electrically ground through the holder in a state of being disposed so as to cover a space between the optical member and the vertical surface portion of the holder.

2. A lighting unit as recited in claim 1, wherein,

the light shielding member is formed of a plate-like member subjected to a surface treatment for suppressing reflection of light.

3. A lighting unit as recited in claim 2, wherein,

the light shielding member is made of an aluminum plate treated with a black aluminum oxide film.

4. A lamp unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

a second conductive member electrically grounded is disposed around the substrate on which the spatial light modulator is mounted so as to surround the substrate.