Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/10—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source
  • F21S41/14—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source characterised by the type of light source
  • F21S41/141—Light emitting diodes [LED]
  • F21S41/147—Light emitting diodes [LED] the main emission direction of the LED being angled to the optical axis of the illuminating device
  • F21S41/148—Light emitting diodes [LED] the main emission direction of the LED being angled to the optical axis of the illuminating device the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/10—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source
  • F21S41/14—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source characterised by the type of light source
  • F21S41/141—Light emitting diodes [LED]
  • F21S41/143—Light emitting diodes [LED] the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/10—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source
  • F21S41/14—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source characterised by the type of light source
  • F21S41/141—Light emitting diodes [LED]
  • F21S41/151—Light emitting diodes [LED] arranged in one or more lines
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/20—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
  • F21S41/25—Projection lenses
  • F21S41/255—Lenses with a front view of circular or truncated circular outline
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/20—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
  • F21S41/25—Projection lenses
  • F21S41/26—Elongated lenses
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/30—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by reflectors
  • F21S41/32—Optical layout thereof
  • F21S41/321—Optical layout thereof the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/60—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by a variable light distribution
  • F21S41/65—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by a variable light distribution by acting on light sources
  • F21S41/663—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by a variable light distribution by acting on light sources by switching light sources
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
  • F21S43/20—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
  • F21S43/235—Light guides
  • F21S43/249—Light guides with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide
  • F21S43/2492—Light guides with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide having two or more input branches
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2102/00—Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes
  • F21W2102/10—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light
  • F21W2102/13—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region
  • F21W2102/135—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions
  • F21W2102/14—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having vertical cut-off lines; specially adapted for adaptive high beams, i.e. wherein the beam is broader but avoids glaring other road users
  • F21W2102/145—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having vertical cut-off lines; specially adapted for adaptive high beams, i.e. wherein the beam is broader but avoids glaring other road users wherein the light is emitted between two parallel vertical cutoff lines, e.g. selectively emitted rectangular-shaped high beam
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2102/00—Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes
  • F21W2102/10—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light
  • F21W2102/13—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region
  • F21W2102/135—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions
  • F21W2102/14—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having vertical cut-off lines; specially adapted for adaptive high beams, i.e. wherein the beam is broader but avoids glaring other road users
  • F21W2102/15—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having vertical cut-off lines; specially adapted for adaptive high beams, i.e. wherein the beam is broader but avoids glaring other road users wherein the light is emitted under L-shaped cut-off lines, i.e. vertical and horizontal cutoff lines
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2102/00—Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes
  • F21W2102/10—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light
  • F21W2102/13—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region
  • F21W2102/135—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions
  • F21W2102/155—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having inclined and horizontal cutoff lines
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2102/00—Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes
  • F21W2102/10—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light
  • F21W2102/17—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for regions other than high beam or low beam
  • F21W2102/18—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for regions other than high beam or low beam for overhead signs

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp that is suitably mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.
• a lamp unit In order to simplify the structure of a vehicle lamp, in particular, a headlamp of an automobile, a lamp unit has been proposed in which projection lenses respectively corresponding to a plurality of light source units including a low-beam light source unit and a high-beam light source unit are integrated into one projection lens.
• a low-beam light source unit and a high-beam light source unit are disposed corresponding to one projection lens, and light emitted from each light source unit is projected by the one projection lens to form a required low-beam light distribution and high-beam light distribution.
• three low-beam light source units are disposed corresponding to one projection lens.
• the high-beam light source unit is often configured such that divergent light emitted from the light source is directly incident on the projection lens in order to achieve a wide high-beam light distribution with high illuminance (brightness). Therefore, an incident angle when part of the light emitted from the high-beam light source unit is incident on the projection lens becomes large, and there is a problem that lens aberration, in particular, coma aberration occurs.
• An object of the present disclosure is to provide an integrated lamp unit capable of high-beam light distribution and low-beam light distribution, in particular, a vehicle lamp that reduces lens aberration in the high-beam light distribution.
• one projection lens has a plurality of different lens shapes, usually a convex spherical surface or curved surface, formed on a front surface of the projection lens, when the projection lens is observed from a front side, the plurality of different lens shapes appearing on the front surface become a factor of deteriorating the appearance of an illumination lamp unit and deteriorating the design.
• An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle lamp in which the design of a projection lens is improved in a lamp unit in which a plurality of light source units, in particular, a plurality of light source units having different configurations are configured corresponding to the projection lens.
• a high-beam lens portion of the projection lens is formed into a lens shape suitable for the corresponding light source unit.
• a lens shape of a front surface of the projection lens is different according to the difference in the high-beam light source units, the uniformity of the appearance of the illumination lamp unit is impaired, and a problem of design occurs.
• An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle lamp that includes a lamp unit including a high-beam light source unit, a low-beam light source unit, and a projection lens in which lens portions corresponding to the respective light source units are integrally formed, in which the design of the projection lens is improved regardless of a difference in configuration of the light source units.
• a vehicle lamp of the present disclosure includes: a low-beam light source unit; a high-beam light source unit; and a projection lens that projects light from each of the light source units to form a required light distribution, in which in the projection lens, a low-beam lens portion that projects light from the low-beam light source unit to form a low-beam light distribution and a high-beam lens portion that projects light from the high-beam light source unit to form a high-beam light distribution are integrally formed, and the high-beam light source unit includes a correction optical part that reduces lens aberration.
• a lamp unit when a lamp unit is configured with high-beam and low-beam light source units corresponding to one projection lens, a vehicle lamp that reduces lens aberration in the high-beam light distribution can be obtained.
• the vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure includes: a plurality of low-beam light source units; and a projection lens that projects light from the plurality of low-beam light source units forward to form a required light distribution, in which in the projection lens, a plurality of lens portions that project light from the plurality of low-beam light source units to form different light distributions are integrally formed, a front surface of the projection lens is formed as a uniform curved surface or flat surface, and a rear surface of the projection lens is formed such that at least one of the lens portions has a different curved surface.
• the front surface of the projection lens is a curved surface that is curved in both a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.
• a vertical cross section of the front surface of the projection lens is preferably an arc surface having a required curvature.
• the vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure includes: a low-beam light source unit; a high-beam light source unit; and a projection lens that projects light from each of the light source units to form a required light distribution, in which in the projection lens, a low-beam lens portion that projects light from the low-beam light source unit to form a low-beam light distribution and a high-beam lens portion that projects light from the high-beam light source unit to form a high-beam light distribution are integrally formed, a front surface of the projection lens is formed as a uniform curved surface or flat surface, and a rear surface of the projection lens is formed such that at least one of the lens portions has a different curved surface.
• a front surface of the projection lens is formed as a uniform curved surface or flat surface, and thus a vehicle lamp with improved design can be obtained.
• the vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure includes: a low-beam light source unit; a high-beam light source unit; and a projection lens that projects light from each of the light source units to form a required light distribution, in which a low-beam lens portion that projects light from the low-beam light source unit to form a low-beam light distribution and a high-beam lens portion that projects light from the high-beam light source unit to form a high-beam light distribution are integrally formed, the light source units are capable of having different structures, and a front surface of the projection lens has the same lens shape regardless of a difference in the light source units. That is, the front surface of the projection lens is formed as a uniform curved surface or flat surface, and a rear surface of the projection lens is formed with different curved surfaces corresponding to the disposed light source units.
• the uniformity in the appearance of the projection lens can be regardless of a difference in configuration of the light source units, and a vehicle lamp with improved design can be obtained.
• the vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure it is possible to obtain a vehicle lamp that reduces lens aberration in high-beam light distribution and has improved design.
• FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of an automobile CAR including left and right headlamps L-HL and R-HL applied as a vehicle lamp of the present disclosure. Since the left and right headlamps L-HL and R-HL are symmetrical except for some configurations, the right headlamp R-HL will be mainly described below, but may be simply referred to as a headlamp HL.
• the right headlamp R-HL is disposed in a right front portion of a vehicle body of the automobile CAR, and is configured as a composite headlamp in which an illumination lamp unit LLU and an indicator lamp unit ILU are disposed in a lamp housing 100 attached to the vehicle body.
• a front-rear direction basically refers to a front-rear direction of the automobile CAR
• a left-right direction basically refers to a vehicle width direction of the automobile CAR.
• FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view showing a part of the right headlamp R-HL in an exploded state.
• the lamp housing 100 includes a lamp body 101 having an opening extending from the front to the side of the vehicle, and a translucent outer cover 102 attached to cover the opening of the lamp body 101.
• the outer cover 102 is also referred to as a translucent cover or an outer lens, and is configured as a transparent lens made of a colorless translucent resin or the like.
• a surface of the outer cover 102 is formed as a slightly curved surface following a curved shape of the right front portion of the vehicle body of the automobile CAR.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU is disposed in a lower portion of the lamp housing 100, and the indicator lamp unit ILU is disposed in an upper portion of the lamp housing 100.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU has a light-emitting surface having a shape close to a horizontally long rectangle with a longer side oriented in the vehicle width direction when viewed from a front side.
• the indicator lamp unit ILU has, on an upper side of the illumination lamp unit 1, a light-emitting surface having a shape close to an elongated strip extending in the vehicle width direction.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU has a plurality of embodiments, and a low-beam (hereinafter, Lo) light source unit and a high-beam (hereinafter, Hi) light source unit are assembled corresponding to one projection lens.
• Lo low-beam
• Hi high-beam
• the indicator lamp unit ILU is configured as a lamp unit that functions as a clearance lamp (CL) or a daytime running lamp (DRL) that emits white light to indicate the presence of a host vehicle.
• the indicator lamp unit ILU is less related to the present disclosure, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted, but the indicator lamp unit ILU includes a strip-shaped light guide extending in the vehicle width direction along an upper edge of the illumination lamp unit LLU and a white LED that emits white light. When the white LED emits light, the emitted white light passes through the light guide and is emitted, and thus the CL or DRL is turned on.
• the indicator lamp unit ILU may include a plurality of white LEDs disposed in the vehicle width direction and a projection lens that is elongated in the vehicle width direction and disposed in front of the LEDs. In this configuration, when the white LEDs emit light, the emitted white light passes through the projection lens and is emitted, and thus the CL or DRL is turned on.
• the indicator lamp unit ILU may further include an amber LED that emits amber light, and in this case, the indicator lamp unit ILU is also configured as a turn signal lamp (TSL) having a signal lamp function.
• TSL turn signal lamp
• FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the illumination lamp unit LLU in the right headlamp R-HL described above
• FIG. 3 is a schematic plan cross-sectional view.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU includes two Lo light source units, that is, a first Lo light source unit 1 and a second Lo light source unit 2, and one Hi light source unit 3 for one projection lens 4, and the light source units 1, 2, and 3 shares the one projection lens 4 to constitute projector-type lamps, respectively.
• the two Lo light source units 1 and 2 are disposed outside in the vehicle width direction, and the one Hi light source unit 3 is disposed inside in the vehicle width direction.
• the first Lo light source unit 1 is configured as a concentration Lo light source unit that provides concentrated illumination to a central region of light distribution, that is, a region in the vicinity of an intersection (hereinafter, referred to as an HV point) of a horizontal line H and a vertical line V serving as a reference of light distribution when illuminating the front of an automobile.
• the second Lo light source unit 2 is configured as a diffusion Lo light source unit that illuminates a wide region including the light concentration region at a relatively low illuminance.
• the first Lo light source unit that is, the concentration Lo light source unit 1 includes a white LED 11 as a light source and a reflector 12 that reflects white light emitted from the white LED 11 forward.
• the white LED 11 is configured by a chip-type LED that emits white light, and is mounted on a unit body 13 with a light-emitting surface thereof facing vertically upward.
• the unit body 13 is configured as, for example, a heat sink, the white LED 11 is mounted on an upper surface thereof via a required attachment, and power is supplied for light emission through wiring (not shown).
• the reflector 12 is configured as a concave reflecting mirror based on an ellipsoid of revolution, and the white LED 11 is disposed at a first focal point thereof.
• the reflector 12 has a shape in which the flattening ratio of the ellipse gradually decreases from a vertical cross section including a major axis of the ellipse toward a horizontal cross section.
• a front end edge of an upper surface of the unit body 13 is configured as a shade 14, and has a planar shape that is curved in a concave shape toward the front.
• the second Lo light source unit that is, the diffusion Lo light source unit 2 has a basic configuration similar to that of the concentration Lo light source unit 1. That is, the diffusion Lo light source unit 2 includes a white LED 21 as a light source and a reflector 22 that reflects white light emitted from the white LED 21 forward.
• the white LED 21 is configured by a chip-type LED that emits white light, and is mounted on a unit body 23 with a light-emitting surface thereof facing vertically upward.
• the reflector 22 is configured as a concave reflecting mirror based on an ellipsoid of revolution, and the white LED 21 is disposed at a first focal point thereof.
• a front end edge of an upper surface of the unit body 23 is configured as a shade 24, and the shade 24 has a planar shape that is curved in a convex shape toward the front, contrary to the concentration Lo light source unit 1.
• the Hi light source unit 3 includes a plurality of white LEDs 31 as light sources, and a correction lens 32 that converges light emitted from the white LEDs to some extent.
• the plurality of white LEDs 31 are constituted by ten chip-type LEDs, and are mounted side by side in a row in the vehicle width direction on a front surface of a base wall 34 erected on a unit body 33 with respective light-emitting surfaces facing forward. These ten white LEDs 31 are disposed configured such that an interval dimension in the vehicle width direction between adjacent white LEDs gradually increases from an outer side of a vehicle width to an inner side of the vehicle width (the center of the vehicle width) of the automobile, which will be described in detail later.
• the correction lens 32 is disposed in front of the ten white LEDs 31, and is configured such that the white light emitted from the light-emitting surface of each of the white LEDs 31 is incident thereon.
• the correction lens 32 is configured as a lens having a positive refractive power, in this case, a convex lens, and is configured to refract the white light emitted in a divergent state from the each of the white LEDs 31 in a converging direction and cause the white light to enter the projection lens 4.
• the correction lens 32 is assembled integrally with the Hi light source unit 3, but may be configured separately.
• the projection lens 4 shown in FIG. 3 is configured as a common projection lens for forming respective light distributions of the two Lo light source units 1 and 2 and the one Hi light source unit 3, and is disposed over a region in front of the two Lo light source units 1 and 2 and the one Hi light source unit 3.
• the projection lens 4 is also referred to as an inner lens, and is configured as the light-emitting surface of the illumination lamp unit LLU and is made of a translucent material in a shape close to a horizontally long rectangle with a longer side oriented in the vehicle width direction.
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the projection lens 4 viewed from a rear side, and the projection lens 4 is divided in the vehicle width direction corresponding to the light source units 1, 2, and 3.
• the divided portions are referred to as lens portions for convenience. That is, the portions facing the concentration Lo light source unit 1, the diffusion Lo light source unit 2, and the Hi light source unit 3 are referred to as a concentration Lo lens portion 41, a diffusion Lo lens portion 42, and a Hi lens portion 43, respectively.
• a front surface of the projection lens 4 is formed as a uniform curved surface over the entire area. That is, a vertical cross section of each of the lens portions 41 to 43 is an arc surface having a convex shape with a required curvature or a curved surface close to the arc surface. On the other hand, a horizontal cross section of each of the lenses 41 to 43 is formed as a curved surface that gently extends rearward from a vehicle center side toward a vehicle width outer side direction following the curved shape of the outer lens 102 of the lamp housing 100.
• the front surface of the projection lens 4 is configured as a uniform curved surface that is curved in both a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and when the projection lens 4 is observed from a front side, the front surface thereof is observed as a smooth continuous surface in which the division of the lens portions 41 to 43 cannot be distinguished, and the design effect in this respect can be enhanced.
• the shapes of the lens portions 41 to 43 on a rear surface of the projection lens 4 are different.
• a rear surface of the concentration Lo lens portion 41 is formed as a convex spherical surface or aspheric surface having a required curvature at least in the horizontal direction.
• the rear surface is formed as a similar convex curved surface in the vertical direction.
• the concentration Lo lens portion 41 is configured as a biconvex lens, and is configured as a lens portion with a positive refractive power that converges light in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
• a focal point F on an optical axis Lx of the concentration Lo lens portion 41 is set at a position in the vicinity of a second focal point of the reflector 12 of the concentration Lo light source unit 1, in other words, at a position in the vicinity of the shade 14.
• the rear surface of the concentration Lo lens portion 41 may be a concave surface as long as the concentration Lo lens portion 41 is configured as a lens portion having a positive refractive power in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
• a rear surface of the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 is formed as a flat surface or a curved surface that generates a positive refractive power in the vertical direction.
• the rear surface is formed as a curved surface having a smaller curvature than the front surface, and the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 is configured as a meniscus lens and is formed thinner than the concentration Lo lens portion 41.
• the rear surface is formed as a curved surface parallel to the front surface, and therefore has no refractive power as a lens in the horizontal direction.
• the diffusion Lo lens 42 is configured as a cylindrical lens curved in the horizontal direction.
• the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 has an optical axis Lx and a focal point F that can be specified in the vertical direction, but has a planar shape or a linear shape that extends horizontally in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 4C , the optical axis Lx and the focal point F are set at a position in the vicinity of the second focal point of the reflector 22 of the diffusion Lo light source unit 2, that is, at the position of the shade 24.
• a rear surface of the Hi lens portion 43 is formed as a convex spherical surface or aspheric surface having a required curvature in the horizontal direction, and is formed as a similar convex spherical surface or aspheric surface in the vertical direction.
• the Hi lens portion 43 is configured as a lens portion with a positive refractive power that converges light in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and is formed to be the thickest among the three lens portions.
• An optical axis Lx of the Hi lens portion 43 coincides with the optical axis of the correction lens 32.
• the position of the optical axis Lx in the vertical direction coincides with a height of the white LED 41, and the position of the optical axis Lx in the horizontal direction coincides with a predetermined position set as a center position of the white LED 31 in the horizontal direction.
• the rear surface of the Hi lens portion 43 may also be a concave surface as long as the Hi lens portion 43 is configured as a lens portion having a positive refractive power in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
• the above three light source units 1, 2, and 3 and one projection lens 4 may be separately configured and independently disposed in the lamp housing 100.
• the two Lo light sources 1 and 2 may be integrally assembled and disposed in the lamp housing 100.
• the three light source units 1, 2, and 3 may be integrally assembled and disposed in the lamp housing 100.
• the projection lens 4 and the three light source units 1, 2, and 3 may be integrally assembled.
• the two Lo light source units 1 and 2 are simultaneously put into a light emitting state.
• the concentration Lo light source unit 1 as shown in FIG. 4A , the white light emitted from the white LED 11 is reflected forward by the reflector 12 and converged in the vicinity of the second focal point, and part of the white light is reflected by a surface of the unit body 13.
• the white light that is not blocked by the shade 14 is incident on the concentration Lo lens portion 41 of the projection lens 4.
• the concentration Lo lens portion 41 has a refractive power in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the white light is emitted to the front of the automobile by the concentration Lo lens portion 41.
• a cutoff line here, a stepped CO line COL1 is formed in the projected white light, and a concentration Lo light distribution PLo1 can be obtained in which a lower region of the stepped CO line COL1 is illuminated with the white light.
• the stepped CO line COL1 is lower on an oncoming lane side than on an own lane side, and is positioned at an angle of 0.57 degrees downward with respect to the horizontal line H on the oncoming lane side.
• the concentration Lo light source unit 1 since the shade 14 has a concave shape facing forward, a sharp stepped CO line COL1 can be obtained in which lens aberration generated in the concentration Lo lens portion 41, in particular, curvature of field is eliminated or reduced. Further, since the vicinity of the HV point is illuminated with the concentrated white light by the refractive power of the concentration Lo lens portion 41 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the concentration Lo light distribution PLo1 becomes a Lo light distribution including a relatively high illuminance region, that is, a hot zone.
• the white light emitted from the white LED 21 is reflected by the reflector 22 and converged in the vicinity of the second focal point, and the white light that is not blocked by the shade 24 is incident on the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 of the projection lens 4.
• the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 has a refractive power in the vertical direction, but does not have a refractive power in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 3 . Since the shade 24 of the diffusion Lo light source unit 2 has a convex shape facing forward, which is a convex shape corresponding to the curved shape of the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG.
• a straight line extending in the horizontal direction or a horizontal CO line COL2 close thereto is formed.
• the horizontal CO line COL2 is positioned at the same angle as the stepped CO line COL1 on the oncoming lane side, that is, at an angle of 0.57 degrees downward with respect to the horizontal line H.
• a region below the horizontal CO line COL2 is illuminated with the white light, and a diffusion Lo light distribution PLo2 is formed. Since the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 does not have a refractive power in the horizontal direction, the white light is diverged toward a wide angle in the horizontal direction, and a wide region in the left-right direction is illuminated with the white light. Since a region wider than the Lo light distribution PLo1 is illuminated with the white light, the light distribution has relatively low illuminance. In FIGS. 4A to 4D , the region illuminated with the white light is indicated by dots.
• a Lo light distribution PLo is formed which illuminates wide regions in the horizontal direction below the stepped CO line COL1 and the horizontal CO line COL2 and has a hot zone of high illuminance in a straight-ahead direction of the automobile, that is, in the vicinity of the HV point.
• the Lo light distribution is a combination of the light distributions in FIGS. 4B and 4D .
• the two Lo light source units 1 and 2 emit light and the white LEDs 31 of the Hi light source unit 3 emit light at the same time.
• the white light emitted from each of the white LEDs 31 is incident on the correction lens 32, and incident on the Hi lens portion 43 of the projection lens 4 after being transmitted through the correction lens 32. Since the Hi lens portion 43 has a refractive power in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the white light from each of the white LEDs 31 is projected forward of the automobile while being diverged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
• FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a light distribution operation in the Hi light source unit 3. Since the ten white LEDs 31 [31 (1) to 31 (10)] are disposed in the horizontal direction, the white light from each of the white LEDs 31 is projected by the projection lens 4, and thus light distributions can be obtained in which a projection pattern of the white light is disposed in the horizontal direction.
• the ten white LEDs 31 are disposed more densely in the horizontal direction on the white LED 31 (1) side closer to the optical axis Lx than on the white LED 31 (10) side away from the optical axis Lx. In other words, the interval dimension between the white LEDs 31 gradually increases as a distance from the optical axis Lx increases.
• the pointillism of an illumination pattern is omitted.
• the white light from the white LED 31 (10) disposed away from the optical axis Lx has a larger incident angle with respect to the optical axis Lx than the white light from the white LED 31 (1) closer to the optical axis Lx.
• An enlarged width of this white light in the horizontal direction is increased by the lens aberration in the Hi lens portion 43. Therefore, due to the increase in the enlarged width in the horizontal direction, both sides of a projection pattern PAHi (10) of adjacent white light from the white LED 31 away from the optical axis Lx overlap each other, as shown in FIG. 6 .
• the white light from the ten white LEDs 31 is projected as a projection pattern aligned in the horizontal direction on an upper side including the horizontal line H. Since both sides of each of the projected projection patterns PAHi (1) to PAHi (10) of the white LEDs 31 overlap each other in the horizontal direction, each of the projection patterns has a continuous light distribution in the horizontal direction, and this light distribution is called Hi additional light distribution PAHi. Although illustration and description are omitted, in the Hi light source unit of the left headlamp L-HL, Hi additional light distribution PAHi symmetrical to the above Hi additional light distribution PAHi is formed. Therefore, a Hi light distribution PHi shown in FIG. 7B is formed by combining the Lo light distributions PLo1 and PLo2 and the left and right Hi additional light distributions PAHi on an upper side thereof.
• the projected Hi additional light distribution PAHi has a higher illuminance on the side closer to the optical axis Lx than on the side away from the optical axis Lx in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, when the Hi additional light distribution PAHi is combined with the Lo light distribution PLo, a Hi light distribution PHi can be obtained in which the illuminance of a region continuous to the hot zone of the Lo light distribution PLo is higher than that of a peripheral region.
• the Hi light source units 31 of the left and right headlamps are bilaterally symmetrical, and the arrangement of the ten white LEDs 31 is also bilaterally symmetrical. Therefore, by combining the Hi additional light distributions PAHi from the Hi light source units 31 of the left and right headlamps, the illuminance on the side closer to the optical axis is further increased, and at the same time, a Hi light distribution PHi can be obtained in which a wide region is illuminated to the left and right in the horizontal direction around the optical axis Lx.
• the ten white LEDs 31 are selectively turned on or off. Therefore, when some of the white LEDs are turned off during the Hi light distribution, the region of the projection pattern of the white LEDs is formed as a light-blocking region. Therefore, when an oncoming vehicle or the like is present, the white LEDs 31 are selectively turned off such that a region where the oncoming vehicle is present becomes a light-blocking region, thereby implementing the ADB light distribution control that prevents glare for the oncoming vehicle.
• the lens aberration in the Hi lens portion 43 that is, the imaging blur, is utilized to increase the enlarged width of the projected light distribution, but undesirable effects due to the lens aberration cannot be ignored. That is, when the incident angle of the white light with respect to the optical axis increases, coma aberration, which is one type of lens aberration, becomes prominent, and boundaries of the projection patterns of the white light become unclear due to the coma aberration.
• FIGS. 9A to 9C are conceptual diagrams of the glare prevention effect
• FIG. 9C is a diagram showing a region T in FIG. 9B .
• the white LEDs in a region where an oncoming vehicle O is present are turned off, and this region becomes a light-blocking region D, and the glare prevention effect can be obtained.
• FIGS. 9B and 9C boundaries of the adjacent illumination regions L may advance into the light-blocking region D, making boundaries of the light-blocking region D unclear, and the glare prevention effect for the oncoming vehicle O may decrease.
• the Hi light source unit 3 includes the correction lens 32, and the divergence of the white light emitted from the white LED is reduced by the positive refractive power of the correction lens 32. That is, as shown in FIG. 8 , which is a schematic diagram of an enlarged part of the Hi light source unit 3, the white light flux (beam of light) emitted in a divergent state from the white LEDs 31 is converged by the correction lens 32 as shown by a dashed line to a solid line in FIG. 8 , and an aperture effect can be obtained. Accordingly, the incident angle of the white light transmitted through the correction lens 32 and incident on the Hi lens portion 43 of the projection lens 4 is reduced, and the coma aberration is reduced.
• the Hi lens portion 43 is a convex spherical surface in which the curvature of the rear surface on which the white light is incident is larger than the curvature of the front surface, the coma aberration is also reduced from this point of view. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the boundaries of the illumination regions L from becoming unclear when the ADB light distribution control is executed, and to implement highly accurate ADB light distribution control.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU of Embodiment 1 by providing the Hi light source unit 3 with the correction lens 32, the coma aberration generated by the Hi lens portion 43 is reduced, the boundaries of the projection pattern due to the white light are clear, and the ADB light distribution control is enhanced.
• the front surface of the projection lens 4 is formed as a uniform curved surface, the appearance thereof when observed through the outer lens 102 is simple, and the design of the illumination lamp unit LLU can be improved.
• FIG. 10 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of an illumination lamp unit LLU of Embodiment 2. Since only a configuration of a Hi light source unit 3A is different from that of Embodiment 1, descriptions of other configurations will be omitted.
• the Hi light source unit 3A of Embodiment 2 includes a correction reflector 35 instead of the correction lens. That is, on the front surface of the base wall 34 on which the ten white LEDs 31 are mounted, the correction reflector 35 whose front side is opened so as to surround the white LEDs 31 is attached. Part of the white light emitted from the white LEDs 31 is reflected by the correction reflector 35 and is incident on the Hi lens portion 43 of the projection lens 4.
• the correction reflector 35 is configured as a rectangular frame wall or an elliptical frame wall surrounding the ten white LEDs 31 when viewed from a front direction.
• At least inner surfaces of left and right frame walls 35a are configured as light reflecting surfaces.
• inner surfaces of upper, lower, left, and right frame walls are configured as light reflecting surfaces.
• the inner surface of each of the frame walls 35a is formed as a light reflecting surface, which is a flat surface, a parabolic surface, or a concave surface close thereto, and is inclined in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
• the white light emitted at a relatively large angle with respect to the optical axis Lx of the Hi lens portion 43 is deflected in a direction closer to the optical axis Lx by the correction reflector 35 and is incident on the Hi lens portion 43.
• the light from the left and right white LEDs 31 having a large distance from the optical axis Lx is deflected toward the optical axis Lx by the left and right frame walls 35a. Accordingly, although the degree of improvement is lower than that of Embodiment 1, the coma aberration generated in the Hi lens portion 43 is reduced, and the accuracy of the ADB light distribution control is improved.
• FIG. 12 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of an illumination lamp unit LLU of Embodiment 3, which differs from Embodiment 1 in the configuration of the projection lens. Since the configurations of the Lo light source units 1 and 2 and the Hi light source unit 3 are the same as those in Embodiment 1, descriptions thereof will be omitted.
• a curvature of a convex spherical surface of a rear surface of a Hi lens portion 43A is smaller than that in Embodiment 1, and the rear surface is formed as a flat surface or a curved surface close to a flat surface.
• a front surface of the Hi lens portion 43A is formed as a spherical surface or an aspheric surface that protrudes further forward than the two Lo lens portions 41 and 42.
• the restriction that the front surface of the Hi lens portion 43A is formed as a predetermined curved surface is released, the degree of freedom in designing the front surface of the Hi lens portion 43A is increased, and a projection lens 4A with reduced lens aberration can be obtained.
• the front surface of the Hi lens portion 43A is different in shape from the front surfaces of the Lo lens portions 41 and 42, but a dimension of the Hi lens portion 43A in the vertical direction is the same as that of the Lo lens portions 41 and 42. Therefore, when the projection lens 4A is observed from the front, the entire projection lens 4A has a horizontally long rectangular appearance, and thus the projection lens 4A has a sense of unity as a whole.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU of Embodiment 3 it is possible to reduce the lens aberration in the Hi light source unit 3A and implement the ADB control with high accuracy, and it is also possible to obtain sufficient design for the design in the appearance of the projection lens 4A.
• FIG. 13 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of an illumination lamp unit LLU of Embodiment 4, and FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view thereof.
• the Lo light source units 1 and 2 are the same as that of Embodiment 1, but configurations of a Hi light source unit 3B and projection lens 4B are different.
• the Hi light source unit 3B of Embodiment 4 does not perform the ADB light distribution control, but simply projects an additional Hi light distribution formed above the Lo light distribution, and is a light source unit used in an illumination lamp unit which is also referred to as Bi-function (Bi) light distribution control.
• the Hi light source unit 3 (first Hi light source unit) that performs the ADB light distribution control of Embodiment 1 is replaced with the Hi light source unit 3B (second Hi light source unit) performing Bi light distribution control, which has a structure different from that of the Hi light source unit 3.
• the Hi light source unit 3B includes a white LED 31 as a light source and a reflector 36 based on an ellipsoid of revolution, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional structure of FIG. 15A .
• the entire Hi light source unit 3B is also configured to be smaller than the Lo light source units 1 and 2, and further differs in configuration in that the Hi light source unit 3B is provided with a front mirror 38 formed integrally with a unit body 37 at a lower front side of the reflector 36.
• two Hi light source units 3B having substantially the same configuration are disposed side by side in the horizontal direction.
• the white LED 31 of each of the Hi light source units 3B is constituted by a chip-type LED that emits white light and is mounted on an upper surface of the unit body 37 with a light-emitting surface thereof facing vertically upward, and is supplied with power for light emission.
• the reflector 36 is configured as a concave reflecting mirror based on an ellipsoid of revolution, and the white LED 31 is disposed at a first focal point thereof.
• the front mirror 38 is configured as a plane mirror having a light reflecting surface inclined forward in the vicinity of a second focal point, that is, at a position in front of the second focal point.
• the front surface of the projection lens 4 of Embodiment 4 is formed as a uniform curved surface over the entire area as in Embodiment 1.
• the configurations of the concentration Lo lens portion 41 and the diffusion Lo lens portion 42 corresponding to the Lo light source units 1 and 2 are also the same as those in Embodiment 1.
• a Hi lens portion 43B is divided into two portions corresponding to the two Hi light source units 3B.
• Each of the divided Hi lens portions 43B is formed in a smaller size than the Hi lens portion 43 of Embodiment 1, but the structure thereof is substantially the same, and a rear surface of the projection lens 4B is formed as a convex spherical surface or aspheric surface having a required curvature in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
• the two Hi lens portions 43B are disposed side by side in the horizontal direction corresponding to the two Hi light source units 3B, but optical axes Lx of the Hi lens portions 43B are oriented in slightly different directions in the horizontal direction.
• the Lo light distribution in Embodiment 4 is the same as that in Embodiment 1.
• the two Lo light source units 1 and 2 and the two Hi light source units 3B simultaneously emit light.
• the light emitted from the white LEDs 31 in the Hi light source units 3B is reflected forward by the reflector 36, converged in the vicinity of the second focal point, and then incident on the Hi lens portions 43B of the projection lens 4.
• the white light is refracted by each of the Hi lens portions 43B, and is projected as an additional Hi light distribution PAHi above the Lo light distribution PLo indicated by a dashed line, as shown in FIG. 15B .
• the additional Hi light distributions PAHi by the two Hi light source units 3B are projected side by side in the horizontal direction.
• the additional Hi light distributions PAHi can be divided into an own lane side and an oncoming lane side, for example. Therefore, it is also possible to form the additional Hi light distribution PAHi on either the own lane side or the oncoming lane side by selectively or simultaneously emitting the two Hi light source units 3B.
• the Hi light source unit 3B part of the white light reflected by the reflector 36 is reflected by the front mirror 38, and is transmitted through the Hi lens portion 43B and projected upward. Accordingly, an overhead sign (OHS) light distribution POHi is formed above the additional Hi light distribution PAHi.
• the front mirror 38 has a tilting structure and is configured to switch between a state of reflecting the white light from the reflector 36 and a state of not reflecting the white light, and thus the OHS light distribution can be freely formed.
• one Hi light source unit 3B may be provided.
• the one Hi light source unit 3B forms a required additional Hi light distribution.
• the configuration of the Hi lens portion 43B of the projection lens 4B can be substantially the same as that of Embodiment 1, the projection lens 4 of Embodiment 1 can be used as it is.
• the front surface of the projection lens 4B is also formed as a uniform curved surface, the appearance thereof when observed through the outer lens 102 of the headlamp HL is simple, and the design of the illumination lamp unit LLU can be improved.
• the illumination lamp unit LLU of Embodiment 4 has a configuration in which the Hi light source unit is different from that of Embodiment 1, the Hi light source unit 3 of Embodiment 1 or the Hi light source unit 3B of Embodiment 4 may be selected and applied as necessary. In this case, when the Hi light source unit 3B is configured by one Hi light source unit, it is not necessary to change the projection lens.
• the shape of the front surface of the high-beam lens portion 43A may be a lens shape different from those of the low-beam lens portions 41 and 42, as in the projection lens 4A of Embodiment 3.
• the configuration and the number of the Lo light source units and the Hi light source units constituting the illumination lamp unit can be appropriately changed.
• the white LEDs constituting the Hi light source unit may be disposed in a plurality of rows in an upper-lower direction.
• the configuration of the Lo light source unit is not limited to the configurations in the embodiments.
• the configurations of the lens portions for obtaining the Hi light distribution and the Lo light distribution various modifications can be considered for the lens shape as long as a refractive power required in each of the lens portions, in particular, the refractive power in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction satisfies the requirement.
• the front surface of the projection lens may be a flat surface, and in this case, the rear surface of the projection lens may be formed as a convex curved surface in order to obtain a required refractive power in each of the lens portions.

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• 2023
  • 2023-09-27 CN CN202380069552.5A patent/CN119948293A/zh active Pending
  • 2023-09-27 EP EP23872485.0A patent/EP4596958A4/de active Pending
  • 2023-09-27 WO PCT/JP2023/035301 patent/WO2024071263A1/ja not_active Ceased

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