JP2002133918A - Signal light for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal light for vehicle that can get broad light distribution of surface emission as if a number of light sources exist with a small number of light sources. SOLUTION: This signal lamp is composed of two or more light sources 1 that are arranged on a straight line with given intervals, a common inner lens 2 that covers the front and the side of the light sources along the arrangement direction of the light sources 1, reflectors 4 that are set along the length direction of the inner lens 2 and are arranged at both sides of the inner lens 2 so as to put the lens between the reflectors, a diffusion lens 6 that contains cylindrical lens 10a, 10b, 10c and an outer cover 5 that is arranged in the front of the reflectors 4 with the given intervals, where Fresnel lens 9 are equipped in the outer side of the inner lens 2 opposite to the each light source 1, respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle signal light used for, for example, a rear combination lamp, and more particularly to a vehicle signal light using an LED as a light source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An LED has an irradiation angle of about 3
Directivity is strong at about 0 degrees. For this reason, a plurality of LEDs are used, and these LEDs are closely arranged to ensure uniform illuminance. However, as the number of LEDs increases, the cost increases and the power consumption also increases.

Accordingly, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-187810, an LED lamp and a vehicular lamp have been proposed in which the number of LEDs is reduced to reduce the cost.

However, in this vehicle lighting device, LE
The reduction in thickness and size due to the use of D is not reflected in the design.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular signal light capable of obtaining a wide light distribution that emits surface light as if there were many light sources with a small number of light sources.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there are provided two or more light sources arranged on a straight line at a predetermined interval, and a front portion and side portions of the light sources along the arrangement direction of the light sources. A common inner lens that covers one side, a reflector that is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the inner lens and on both sides of the inner lens, and has a multi-stage reflecting surface formed on the inner surface, and a predetermined distance in front of the reflector. And an outer cover that is disposed with the light source, and a Fresnel lens is provided on an outer surface of the inner lens facing each of the light sources.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the light source is converted into substantially parallel light by the Fresnel lens formed on the outer surface of the inner lens, and then is radiated by the multi-stage reflecting surface of the reflector. The light is distributed and emitted forward from the outer cover as a wide light distribution pattern. Thus, a wide light distribution pattern can be obtained, so that the number of light sources can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the signal light for a vehicle according to the first aspect, wherein a diffusion lens having the cylindrical lens is provided so as to cover the inner lens.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
In addition to the effect of the invention described in the above, the light that has become substantially parallel light by the Fresnel lens provided on the outer surface of the inner lens,
By the combination of the cylindrical lens provided on the diffusion lens and the multi-stage reflecting surface provided on the reflector, it is possible to obtain a wide light distribution that emits a surface light as if the light sources were arranged in a lattice. Further, by changing the angle at which the lattice pattern can be seen, a sense of depth can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle signal lamp according to the first or second aspect, the light source of the light source is positioned with respect to a focal position of the Fresnel lens formed on a side surface of the inner lens. The luminescent center is lowered to the rear opposite to the light irradiation direction.

According to the invention described in claim 3, according to claim 1 of the present invention,
Or, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, by lowering the light emission center of the light source to the rear opposite to the light irradiation direction with respect to the focal position of the Fresnel lens, the light is emitted from the Fresnel lens toward the reflector. Light is totally deviated from the parallel light. When this shifted light is reflected by the multi-stage reflecting surface of the reflector, it becomes light that spreads outward, and the light around the Fresnel lens can be used effectively, and a wide light distribution can be obtained as a whole.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle signal lamp according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the light source is an LED.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 4, according to claim 1 of the present invention.
In addition to the effects of the invention described in the third aspect, the utilization efficiency of the Fresnel lens can be increased.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Construction of Vehicle Signal Light> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle signal light partially cut away, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle signal light showing that a Fresnel lens is provided corresponding to each light source. FIGS. 3A and 3B show a diffusion lens, wherein FIG. 3A is a plan view of the diffusion lens viewed from the inside, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the signal light for a vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a vehicle signal light according to the present embodiment includes two or more light sources 1 arranged on a straight line at a predetermined interval, and these light sources 1 are arranged along the arrangement direction of the light sources 1. A common inner lens 2 covering the front part and the side part of the inner lens 1 and a reflector arranged along both sides of the inner lens 2 along the longitudinal direction of the inner lens 2 and having a multi-stage reflecting surface 3 formed on the inner surface; 4, an outer cover 5 disposed at a predetermined interval in front of the reflector 4, and a diffusion lens 6 provided to cover the inner lens 2.

[Light Source] As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of light sources 1 are linearly arranged at predetermined intervals on a long printed wiring board 8 attached to a lamp holding member 7. As the light source 1, for example, an LED having strong directivity is used. Each light source 1 is provided with a power supply 11.

"Inner lens" The inner lens 2
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the side facing the light source 1 is formed as a rectangular body having a substantially U-shaped cross section opened and provided on the lamp holding member 7. Then, on the outer surface of the top surface and the side surface that cover the front part and the side part of the light source 1,
A Fresnel lens 9 is formed corresponding to each light source 1. That is, three light sources 1 are provided on the front and both sides. The Fresnel lens 9 is a lens that converts emitted light into parallel light. In this example, a light emission center position of the light source 1 is provided at a focal position of the Fresnel lens 9.

[Diffusion Lens] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the diffusion lens 6 is provided on the lamp holding member 7 so as to completely cover the inner lens 2. Like the inner lens 2, the diffusion lens 6 is formed as a rectangular body having a substantially U-shaped cross section with the side facing the light source 1 opened. Further, cylindrical lenses 10a, 10b, and 10c are formed on the inner surface and the outer surface of the front portion of the light source 1 and the outer surface of the side portion, respectively.

The inner and outer cylindrical lenses 10a and 10b formed on the top plate, which is the front part of the light source 1, are formed so that their directions are substantially orthogonal. That is, the cylindrical lens 10a formed on the inner surface is a horizontal cylindrical lens formed along the longitudinal direction which is the arrangement direction of the light sources 1. On the other hand, the cylindrical lens 10 b formed on the outer surface is a vertical cylindrical lens formed along a short side direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the light sources 1. Further, the cylindrical lenses 10c and 10c formed on the outer surface of the side portion are vertical cylindrical lenses formed along the height direction.

"Reflector" The reflector 4 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the lamp holding member 7 is formed as a plate-like body having a bent end, and is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the inner lens 2 and on both sides of the inner lens 2. Fixed to. On the inner surface of the reflector 4, a multi-stage reflecting surface 3 is formed along a longitudinal direction which is an arrangement direction of the light sources 1.

"Outer cover" The outer cover 5
As shown in FIG. 4, the light source 1 is attached to the distal ends of the reflectors 4 arranged on both sides of the light source 1.
The inner lens 2 and the diffusion lens 6 are accommodated therein.

<Operation> According to the vehicular signal light configured as described above, even if the LED which is the light source 1 having a strong directivity and a narrow emission angle is used, as shown in FIG.
Of the light that has passed through the Fresnel lens 9 formed on the top plate of the inner lens 2 is converted into substantially parallel light by the Fresnel lens 9 and then diffused by the cylindrical lenses 10a and 10b of the diffusion lens 6. The light is distributed forward from the outer cover 5. The light entering the side portion of the inner lens 2 is converted into substantially parallel light by a Fresnel lens 9 formed on the inner lens 2 and then diffused by a diffusion lens 6.
, Is diffused by the cylindrical lens 3 of the inner lens 2 and distributed forward from the outer cover 5.

As a result, it looks as if a plurality of light sources 1 are arranged in a grid, and a wide light distribution for surface emission is obtained.
The light emitting section can be made to shine uniformly, and visibility can be improved. Further, by changing the angle at which the lattice pattern can be seen, a sense of depth can be created. In addition, the uniformity of the light emitting portion can be further improved by reducing the spread of the light from the light emitting portion by the reflector 4 (aiming at the central portion) and increasing the light spread of the portion directly emitting light by the Fresnel lens 9. . By applying the vehicle signal light configured as described above to a rear combination lamp, it is possible to achieve a wide light distribution with a small number of light sources 1.

<Other Embodiments> In the above embodiment, the light emission center position of the light source 1 is provided at the focal position of the Fresnel lens 9, but as shown in FIG. By lowering the light emission center F of the light source 1 to the rear opposite to the light irradiation direction with respect to the focal position F1 of the lens 9, the light entering the lower end side (rear end side) of the Fresnel lens 9 is more effectively utilized. A wide range of light distribution can also be obtained. In addition, C in FIG. 5 indicates a Fresnel center axis of the Fresnel lens 9.

That is, with respect to the focal position F1, the light source 1
When the light emission center F is lowered, the light emitted from the Fresnel lens 9 formed on the side of the inner lens 2 is not parallel light due to the misalignment of the focal point F1 of the Fresnel lens 9 and the light source 1, for example, an optical path H1. As shown by, it shifts diagonally forward. When this light is reflected by the reflector 4, it becomes light that spreads slightly outward. In particular, light around the lower end side of the Fresnel lens 9 takes an optical path that spreads outward due to this shift, so that loss of light existing at the lower end side of the Fresnel lens 9 is suppressed.

Further, in addition to lowering the light emission center F of the light source 1 with respect to the focal position F1 of the Fresnel lens 9 to the rear opposite to the light irradiation direction, as shown in FIG. L may be shorter than that shown in FIG. With such a positional relationship, light passing through the focal position F1 of the Fresnel lens 9 becomes parallel light by the Fresnel lens 9 as shown by an optical path H2, but light entering the lower end side of the Fresnel lens 9 is parallel. Instead of light, it becomes an optical path that spreads outward as shown by optical paths H3 and H4,
In addition, light entering the lower end side can be more effectively used.

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the light source is substantially parallel by the Fresnel lens formed on the outer surface of the inner lens. Thereafter, the light is radially distributed by a cylindrical lens of the reflector, and is radiated forward from the outer lens as a wide light distribution pattern. Thus, a wide light distribution pattern can be obtained, so that the number of light sources can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the function of the first aspect, the light which has become substantially parallel by the Fresnel lens provided on the outer surface of the inner lens is provided to the diffusion lens. By the combination of the cylindrical lens and the multi-stage reflecting surface provided on the reflector, it is possible to make it appear as if a plurality of light sources are arranged in a lattice, and to achieve a wide light distribution that emits surface light. Further, by changing the angle at which the lattice pattern can be seen, a sense of depth can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second aspect, the light emission center of the light source is positioned rearward with respect to the focal position of the Fresnel lens in a direction opposite to the light irradiation direction. As a result, the light emitted from the Fresnel lens toward the reflector deviates entirely from the parallel light. When this shifted light is reflected by the multi-stage reflecting surface of the reflector, it becomes light that spreads outward, and the light around the lower end side of the Fresnel lens can be used effectively, and a wide light distribution can be obtained as a whole.

According to the invention described in claim 4, claims 1 to 1 are provided.
In addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 3, it is possible to increase the utilization efficiency of the Fresnel lens.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle signal light according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof broken away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vehicular signal light of the present embodiment, in which a Fresnel lens is provided corresponding to each light source.

3A and 3B show a diffusion lens of the vehicular signal light according to the present embodiment, wherein FIG.
(B) is a sectional view taken along line AA of (a).

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the vehicular signal light of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another example of the vehicular signal light of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another example of the vehicular signal light of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source 2 Inner lens 3 Multi-stage reflective surface 4 Reflector 5 Outer cover 6 Diffusion lens 7 Lamp holding member 8 Printed wiring board 9 Fresnel lens 10a, 10b, 10c Cylindrical lens 11 Power supply

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method in which two light emitting devices are arranged on a straight line at a predetermined interval.
The above light source, a common inner lens that covers the front part and the side part of these light sources along the arrangement direction of the light sources, and is disposed on both sides of the inner lens along the longitudinal direction of the inner lens and across the inner lens. A reflector having a multi-stage reflecting surface formed on an inner surface thereof; and an outer cover disposed at a predetermined interval in front of the reflector, wherein a Fresnel lens is provided on an outer surface of the inner lens facing each of the light sources. A signal light for a vehicle, characterized by being obtained. 2. The vehicle signal light according to claim 1, wherein a diffusion lens provided with a cylindrical lens is provided so as to cover the inner lens. 3. The signal light for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an emission center of the light source is set in a light irradiation direction with respect to a focal position of the Fresnel lens formed on a side surface of the inner lens. Is a vehicular signal light that has been lowered to the opposite rear. 4. The vehicle signal light according to claim 1, wherein the light source is an LED.