CN114450518A - Lens components and light source modules - Google Patents

Abstract

A lens component (1) having a front surface (10), an outer side surface (20), a back convex surface (30), and an inner side surface (40). The front surface (10) has a central convex portion (12) and an annular flat portion (14). The back convex surface (30) guides the light emitted from the light source (51) and incident on the back convex surface (30) to the central convex portion (12), and the central convex portion (12) causes the incident light to be emitted forward as parallel light, and the external The side surface (20) totally reflects the light emitted from the light source (51) and incident on the inner side surface (40) to the annular flat portion (14) as parallel light, and the entire area of the front surface (10) emits light.

Description

Lens components and light source modules

technical field

The present invention relates to a lens member and a light source module used in a vehicle lamp and the like.

Background technique

The lens member described in Patent Document 1 is known.

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-505759

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem to be solved by the invention

In the lens member described in Patent Document 1, the entire area of the front surface of the lens member cannot be made to emit light, and it is not suitable for a vehicle lamp.

An object of the present invention is to provide a lens member and a light source module suitable for use in a vehicle lamp.

means to solve the problem

A lens member according to one aspect of the present invention is a lens member for a vehicle lamp for emitting light forward,

The lens component has:

the front surface, which faces forward;

an outer side surface extending from the rear curved towards the front surface;

a rear convex surface, which is provided in a position recessed from the outer side to the front in a region where an axis passing through the light source and parallel to the direction of the emitted light passes, and is convex toward the rear; and

an inner side, which connects the rear end of the outer side with the rear convex surface,

A cavity opened at the rear is formed by the rear convex surface and the inner side surface,

The front surface has a central convex portion and an annular flat portion, the central convex portion is a convex shape provided in a region where the axis passes and directed forward, and the annular flat portion extends from the outside of the central convex portion. The edge is continuous and extends flat in the direction orthogonal to the axis, and is annularly provided on the outer edge of the central convex portion,

The rear convex surface has a shape that guides light emitted from a light source disposed in the cavity and incident on the rear convex surface to the central convex portion,

The central convex portion has a shape in which light incident on the central convex portion is emitted forward as parallel light,

The outer surface is configured to perform total reflection such that light emitted from the light source and incident on the inner surface is guided to the front surface other than the central convex portion as parallel light,

The entire area of the front surface emits light.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lens member and a light source module suitable for a vehicle lamp.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a lens member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the lens member.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a lens member of a reference example.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a light source module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light source module shown in FIG. 4 .

6 is a perspective view of a light source module according to a modification.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, based on embodiment, this invention is demonstrated with reference to drawings. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the respective drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are appropriately omitted. In addition, the embodiment does not limit the invention but exemplifies it, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily the essence of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a lens member 1 and a light source 51 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the lens member 1 . The lens member 1 is used for, for example, a vehicle lamp such as a vehicle headlamp that emits light to the front of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lens member 1 includes a front surface 10 , an outer surface 20 , a rear convex surface 30 , and an inner surface 40 . When viewed from the side, the lens member 1 has a substantially truncated cone shape whose diameter decreases from the front toward the rear. In addition, in the following description, for convenience, the direction in which the lens member 1 emits light is defined as the front. In Figure 1, the left is the front.

The front surface 10 is a surface having a circular shape facing the front of the lens member 1 . The front surface 10 has a central convex portion 12 provided in the central portion, and an annular flat portion 14 provided on the outer side of the central convex portion 12 .

The central convex portion 12 is provided in a region centered on a point on the front surface 10 through which the axis Ax passing through the light source 51 and parallel to the direction of light exiting the light source 51 passes. As shown in FIG. 1, the center convex part 12 is formed so that it may become convex toward the front. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the center convex part 12 is formed so that it may become an ellipse when it sees from the front. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2 .

The annular flat portion 14 is provided so as to continue from the outer edge of the central convex portion 12 and extend flat in the direction orthogonal to the direction of the axis Ax. The annular flat portion 14 is annularly provided on the outer edge of the central convex portion 12 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 , in the present embodiment, the front surface 10 is formed with a diffusion portion 15 composed of a plurality of grooves. The diffusing portion 15 diffuses and emits light emitted from the light source 51 in the longitudinal direction of the central convex portion 12 . The diffuser portion 15 is formed at both ends of the front surface 10 with respect to the long-axis direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2 ) of the elliptical central convex portion 12 . The grooves of the diffuser portion 15 extend in the short-axis direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2 ) in the elliptical central convex portion 12 . The diffuser portion 15 is formed by, for example, applying fine irregularities such as knurling to the annular flat portion 14 .

In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 2, although the diffuser part 15 is formed in the edge part outside the center convex part 12 in the long-axis direction of the center convex part 12, it is not limited to this. For example, the diffuser 15 may be formed inward of the both ends of the central convex portion 12 in the longitudinal direction of the central convex portion 12 . In this case, the shape of the annular flat portion is a C-shape, or a part of the annular flat portion is cut into a ring shape, but even in the shape described above, it is continuous from the outer edge of the central convex portion 12 and is straight to the axis Ax. A portion extending flat in the intersecting direction is referred to as an annular flat portion 14 . The ring shape mentioned here also means a shape such as a C-shape and one or more arcs.

Returning to FIG. 1 , the outer side surface 20 is provided so as to curve and extend from the rear of the lens member 1 toward the front. The outer side surface 20 is formed as a rotationally symmetrical curved surface with respect to the axis Ax. The front side of the outer side surface 20 is provided to be connected to the outer peripheral edge of the front surface 10 . The rear side of the outer side surface 20 is provided so as to be connected to the inner side surface 40 to be described later.

The rear convex surface 30 is provided at a position recessed forward from the rear end portion of the outer side surface 20 . The rear convex surface 30 is provided in a region centered on a point through which the axis Ax passes. The rear convex surface 30 is provided behind the central convex portion 12 of the front surface 10 . The rear convex surface 30 is formed so as to be convex toward the rear. When the rear convex surface 30 is viewed from the rear, the rear convex surface 30 is formed in an elliptical shape corresponding to the shape of the central convex portion 12 of the front surface 10 . The length (major diameter) of the major axis of the elliptical rear convex surface 30 is set to be shorter than the major diameter of the elliptical central convex portion 12 . In addition, the length (short diameter) of the short axis of the rear convex surface 30 is set to be shorter than the short diameter of the central convex portion 12 .

Further, the light from the rear convex surface 30 toward the central convex portion 12 spreads and advances in the lens member 1 . Therefore, the central convex portion 12 has a shape such that the light that spreads and advances in this way becomes parallel light parallel to the axis Ax.

The inner side surface 40 is provided to connect the outer side surface 20 with the rear convex surface 30 . The rear side of the inner side surface 40 is provided to be connected to the rear end portion of the outer side surface 20 . The front side of the inner side surface 40 is provided to be connected to the outer peripheral portion of the rear convex surface 30 . In addition, the shape of the inner surface 40 is designed so that the light from the inner surface 40 toward the annular flat portion 14 becomes parallel light parallel to the axis Ax.

The rear convex surface 30 and the inner surface 40 form a cavity 45 that opens toward the rear at the rear of the lens member 1 . When the cavity 45 is viewed from the rear, the cavity 45 is formed in an elliptical shape having the same shape as the shape of the rear convex surface 30 described above. The light source 51 is disposed behind the lens member 1 so as to face the cavity 45 .

Next, the operation of guiding the light emitted from the light source 51 to the respective parts in front of the lens member 1 will be described.

First, the light X1 emitted from the light source 51 in the front direction (axis Ax direction) is incident on the rear convex surface 30 . The light X1 incident on the rear convex surface 30 is refracted so as to be incident on the central convex portion 12 . Specifically, the light incident on the central portion of the rear convex surface 30 is guided to the central portion of the central convex portion 12 . The light incident on the outer peripheral portion of the rear convex surface 30 is guided to the outer peripheral portion of the central convex portion 12 . The light X2 incident on the outer edge of the rear convex surface 30 is guided to the outer edge of the central convex portion 12 (the boundary portion 13 between the central convex portion 12 and the annular flat portion 14 ). The light X1 incident on the central convex portion 12 is emitted forward as parallel light.

Among the lights emitted from the light source 51 , the light X3 emitted to the side (in other words, forming an angle greater than or equal to a predetermined angle from the front direction) is incident on the inner side surface 40 . The light X3 incident on the inner side surface 40 is refracted in a direction away from the axis Ax, and is incident on the outer side surface 20 . The light X3 incident on the outer side surface 20 is totally reflected as parallel light by the outer side surface 20 , and is guided to the front surface 10 (the annular flat portion 14 and the diffuser portion 15 ) other than the central convex portion 12 . The light X3 incident on the annular flat portion 14 is emitted forward of the lens member 100 as it is as parallel light. The light incident on the diffuser 15 is diffused in the left-right direction and emitted forward.

In this way, in the lens member 1 of the present embodiment, light is emitted from the entire front surface 10 of the lens member 1 including the central convex portion 12 , the annular flat portion 14 , and the central convex portion 12 and the ring The boundary portion 13 between the flat portions 14 is formed. That is, since the entire area of the front surface 10 emits light, the lens member 1 is suitable as a lens member for a vehicle lamp.

In addition, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the lens member 100 described in Patent Document 1 according to the reference example. Unlike the present embodiment described above, in the lens member described in Patent Document 1, the entire area of the front surface of the lens member 100 cannot be made to emit light. As shown in FIG. 3 , the light Y1 emitted from the light source 101 to the front and incident on the surface 104 facing the light source 101 is refracted by the surface 104 to enter the concave lens portion 105 from the flat portion 103 in the front surface of the lens member 100 , And it is emitted as parallel light parallel to the axis Ax. Light Y2 emitted from the light source 101 to the side and totally reflected on the outer surface 102 is incident on the flat portion 103 of the front surface, and is emitted as parallel light parallel to the axis Ax. In this way, the lens portion 105 and the flat portion 103 emit light. However, light does not enter the inclined portion 106 between the lens portion 105 and the flat portion 103, and the inclined portion 106 does not emit light. Therefore, when the lens member 100 is viewed from the front, it appears that an annular dark portion is generated on the boundary between the lens portion 105 corresponding to the inclined portion 106 and the flat portion 103 .

Along with the demand for downsizing of lamps for vehicles, downsizing of the lens member is also required. In order to meet the above-mentioned requirements, it is preferable to secure a large amount of emitted light in a limited emission region. In the lens member of Patent Document 1, dark portions are locally generated, and it is not possible to cope with the miniaturization of the lens member.

In contrast, according to the lens member 1 of the present embodiment, the central convex portion 12 and the annular flat portion 14 are provided on the front surface 10 of the lens member 1 so as to be continuous with each other. The lens member 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that light incident on the outer edge portion of the rear convex surface 30 from the light source 51 is guided to the boundary portion 13 between the central convex portion 12 and the annular flat portion 14 . Therefore, the boundary portion 13 between the central convex portion 12 and the annular flat portion 14 can also emit light, and the entire area of the front surface 10 can be emitted light without generating a dark portion. Therefore, the lens member 1 of the present embodiment is suitable for a vehicle lamp requiring miniaturization. In particular, the lens member 1 of the present embodiment is suitable for vehicle lighting such as headlamps, cornering lamps, and fog lamps.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , in the lens member 1 of the present embodiment, the shape of the central convex portion 12 is formed in an elliptical shape when viewed from the front, so that light can be widely irradiated in the long-axis direction. Therefore, the lens member 1 is suitable for a vehicle lamp in which it is desired to form a wide light distribution pattern in the left-right direction ahead of the vehicle.

In addition, in the lens member 1 of the present embodiment, the diffuser 15 composed of a plurality of grooves is formed at the end of the annular flat portion 14 in the longitudinal direction of the central convex portion 12 formed in an elliptical shape. . Therefore, the irradiation range of the light in the long-axis direction in the central convex portion 12 forming the front surface 10 can be further expanded.

Next, the light source module 50 using the lens member 1 of the above-described embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the light source module 50 . FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light source module 50 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the light source module 50 includes the lens member 1 , a light source 51 , a substrate 52 , a lens holder 53 , and a heat sink 55 .

The light source 51 is constituted by a semiconductor light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and an LD (Laser Diode). The light source 51 is mounted on the substrate 52 . The substrate 52 is attached to the lens holder 53 . The light source 51 mounted on the substrate 52 is arranged so as to face the cavity 45 of the lens member 1 .

The lens holder 53 is attached to the heat sink 55 . A substrate support table 57 and a mounting table 56 are attached to the lens holder 53 . The lens holder 53 is a substantially plate-shaped member. A substrate support table 57 and a mounting table 56 are mounted on one surface of the lens holder 53 . A heat sink 55 is attached to the other surface of the lens holder 53 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the lens member 1 includes a pair of linear portions 16 and a circular arc portion 17 connecting the pair of linear portions 16 . When the lens member 1 is viewed from the front, the pair of straight portions 16 are provided so as to face each other across the axis Ax at the outer edge of the annular flat portion 14 . The straight portion 16 is formed as an outer edge of the annular flat portion 14 in the short axis direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 5 ) of the elliptical central convex portion 12 . The circular arc portion 17 is formed as an outer edge of the annular flat portion 14 in the long-axis direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 5 ) of the elliptical central convex portion 12 . When the lens member 1 is viewed from the front, the lens member 1 is formed in a rounded rectangle.

The lens component 1 shown in FIG. 5 has the attachment portion 18 . The attachment portion 18 is a portion for attaching the lens component 1 to the lens holder 53 . When the lens member 1 is viewed from the front, the attachment portion 18 extends from the linear portion 16 in a direction away from the axis Ax. The attachment portion 18 is an L-shaped portion. The attachment portion 18 extends from the straight portion 16 toward the lens holder 53 , and extends in a direction away from the axis Ax at the end of the extension. The lens holder 53 is attached to the attachment portion 18 . In the illustrated example, the lens component 1 is attached to the lens holder 53 by screwing the screw 54 inserted into the screw hole 19 (see FIG. 4 ) of the attachment portion 18 into the attachment base 56 of the lens holder 53 .

In addition, the design of the appearance of the vehicle lamp is required, and when viewed from the front, the elongated lens member extending in the left-right direction can give a clear impression to the observer, and is preferable. On the other hand, the lens member 1 used for a vehicle lamp is required to have a characteristic of irradiating light widely in the longitudinal direction of the central convex portion 12 .

When the light source module 50 of the present embodiment is viewed from the front, since the linear portions 16 are provided in the upper and lower portions, it is easy to design a vehicle lamp with good appearance. Moreover, the linear part 16 designed to cut a part of the annular flat part 14 is provided in the edge part of the short-axis direction of the elliptical center convex part 12. Therefore, it is easy to form the annular flat portion 14 large in the long axis direction, and it is easy to irradiate light widely in the long axis direction.

In addition, when the attachment portion 18 is attached to the lens member 1 , the light incident on the attachment portion 18 cannot be efficiently emitted forward. However, in the lens member 1 of the present embodiment, the attachment portions 18 are provided at the upper and lower portions when the lens member 1 is viewed from the front. As described above, the lens member 1 is required to have a wide irradiation range in the left-right direction, but the wide irradiation range in the vertical direction is not required. Therefore, even if the light incident on the mounting portions 18 provided in the upper and lower parts cannot be irradiated forward, it is difficult to greatly affect the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp, and the light source module 50 of the present embodiment is suitable for the vehicle. lamps.

Next, a modification of the light source module will be described.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a light source module 60 according to a modification. As shown in FIG. 6 , the light source module 60 includes the optical sensor 61 in addition to the configuration of the light source module 50 described above.

The optical sensor 61 is mounted in the vicinity of the straight portion 16 formed as the outer edge of the annular flat portion 14 in the front surface 10 of the lens member 1 having a rounded rectangle. The optical sensor 61 is a sensor capable of detecting light of a specific wavelength among the light of the light source 51 emitted from the linear portion 16 to the outside of the lens member 1 . The light source 51 has a light-emitting portion (light-emitting chip), and a phosphor provided to cover the light-emitting chip.

According to the light source module 60 of the above modification, when the phosphor covering the light emitting chip of the light source 51 is removed, for example, the light (eg, ultraviolet rays) directly emitted from the light emitting chip can be detected by the optical sensor 61 . Therefore, when undesired light such as ultraviolet rays is detected as the outgoing light of the lens member 1 , the light emission of the light source 51 is turned off, so that such light can be prevented from leaking to the outside from the lens member 1 .

Moreover, in the lens component 1 shown in FIG. 6, the attachment part 18 is provided in the circular arc part 17.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications, improvements, and the like are possible. In addition, as long as the present invention can be achieved, the material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, arrangement place, etc. of each constituent element in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (Patent Application No. 2019-186786) filed on October 10, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Industrial Applicability

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lens member and a light source module suitable for a vehicle lamp.

Claims (7)

1. A lens member for a vehicle lamp for emitting light in a forward direction,

the lens member has:

a front surface facing forward;

an outer side surface curved and extending from a rear side toward the front surface;

a rear convex surface which is provided at a position recessed forward from the outer side surface in a region where an axis passing through the light source and being parallel to the direction of the emitted light passes, and which is convex rearward; and

an inner side surface connecting a rear end portion of the outer side surface and the rear convex surface,

a cavity opened at the rear is formed by the rear convex surface and the inner side surface,

the front surface has a central convex portion which is provided in a region where the axis passes and has a convex shape forward, and an annular flat portion which is provided continuously from an outer edge of the central convex portion, extends flatly in a direction orthogonal to the axis, and is provided annularly at an outer edge of the central convex portion,

the rear convex surface is set to be in the following shape: guiding light emitted from a light source disposed in the cavity and incident on the rear convex surface to the central convex portion,

the central convex part is provided with the following shapes: the light incident on the central convex part is emitted forward as parallel light,

the outer side surface is designed to be in a shape of performing total reflection as follows: guiding light emitted from the light source and incident on the inner side surface to the front surface other than the central convex portion as parallel light,

the entire area of the front surface emits light.

2. The lens component according to claim 1,

the central protrusion has an elliptical shape when the lens member is viewed from the front.

3. The lens component according to claim 1,

a diffusion portion composed of a plurality of grooves is provided on the front surface.

4. The lens component according to claim 1,

the central convex portion is elliptical when the lens member is viewed from the front,

a diffusion portion composed of a plurality of grooves is provided on the front surface,

the diffusing portion is provided at an end of the front surface with respect to a major axis direction of the elliptical central convex portion.

5. A light source module, wherein,

the light source module has:

a lens component that is the lens component as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4; and

a semiconductor light source disposed in the cavity of the lens member.

6. The light source module of claim 5,

the lens component is mounted to a lens holder,

when the lens member is viewed from the front, the outer edge of the annular flat portion is a rounded rectangle having a pair of straight portions facing each other with the axis therebetween and an arc portion connecting the straight portions,

the lens member is provided with a mount portion extending from the straight portion in a direction away from the axis when the lens member is viewed from the front,

the lens holder is attached to the attachment portion.

7. The light source module of claim 5,

when the lens member is viewed from the front, the outer edge of the annular flat portion is a rounded rectangle having a pair of straight portions facing each other with the axis therebetween and an arc portion connecting the straight portions,

an optical sensor is provided in the linear portion, the optical sensor detecting light leaking from the linear portion to the outside,

the light sensor detects light emitted when the fluorescent material of the semiconductor light source falls off.

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