JP2003031008A - Vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle lamp having superior designing property. SOLUTION: The vehicle lamp is structured with a short-wavelength LED and a lens which include phosphor material emitting fluorescence up on receiving a light of the short-wavelength LED, whereby, the light of the short-wavelength LED is irradiated on the phosphor material, fluorescence from which conducts lamp display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to vehicle lamps. Specifically, it relates to a vehicle lamp in which an LED that emits light of a short wavelength and a fluorescent material are combined. In particular, it can be suitably used for a rear combination lamp of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a rear combination lamp arranged at a rear portion of a vehicle, a bulb is generally used as a light source. The rear combination lamp includes a tail / stop lamp part, a turn lamp part, and a back lamp part, and radiates light emitted from the bulb to the outside through a lens added to the display color of each part. When using a bulb as a light source, there are problems such as high power consumption, short life, short bulbs, and the need for color filters (additive lenses) for each display such as tail, stop, and lamp. To be done. Therefore, instead of the bulb, a rear combination lamp using an LED as a light source has been proposed. By using the LED, the above problems peculiar to the bulb are solved. When an LED light source is used, at present, one LED cannot provide the brightness equivalent to that of a bulb. Therefore, a plurality of LEDs are arranged, for example, in a matrix so as to cover the entire lens surface.

[0003]

However, when the LEDs are used as described above, point lights are observed side by side from the lens surface, and the brightness of all the lights is not uniform due to the brightness difference between the LEDs. Therefore, the design is poor. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that emits more uniform light over the entire lens surface and has a high design.

[0004]

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and the constitution thereof is as follows. That is, it is a vehicle lamp including a short-wavelength LED and a lens including a fluorescent material that emits fluorescence upon receiving light from the short-wavelength LED.

According to this structure, the fluorescent material is excited by the light emitted from the short-wavelength LED to emit fluorescence. That is, fluorescence is generated in the lens, and the fluorescence is emitted as surface light from the lens surface. This is because the fluorescent material emits light in all directions and the light is diffused by the fluorescent material. Moreover, since the light itself of the short-wavelength LED is hardly visually recognized, the light of the LED is not observed in a dot shape. Thus, a vehicle lamp with a high design is provided with a simple structure.

[0006]

The type of short wavelength LED is not particularly limited, and a known structure such as a shell type or SMD type can be adopted. Here, the short-wavelength LED refers to an LED capable of emitting short-wavelength light (light having a peak wavelength in the range of 380 nm to 450 nm, hereinafter also referred to as “short-wavelength light”). For example, the main emission peak wavelength is 360 nm to 45 nm.
An LED in the range of 0 nm, an LED in the range of 360 nm to 410 nm, and the like can be used. More preferably, the main emission peak wavelength is 360 nm to 400 nm.
LEDs in the range can be used. Short wavelength L
By using the ED, it is possible to excite and emit the fluorescent material described later with high efficiency. It is also possible to employ an LED that has one or more emission peak wavelengths in a wavelength range different from the above wavelength range. Furthermore, you may employ | adopt the LED which has several light emission peaks in the said wavelength range. In selecting a short-wavelength LED, it is preferable to consider the excitation peaks of fluorescent materials (inorganic and organic) described later. In other words, if a short wavelength LED having a main emission peak wavelength near the excitation peak of the fluorescent material is selected, the fluorescent material can be excited and emit light with high brightness, and the display section can be effectively illuminated. Becomes

The material for forming the short-wavelength LED is not particularly limited. It is possible to use an LED including a light emitting device including a group III nitride compound semiconductor layer. Here, the group III nitride compound semiconductor has a general formula of Al
_X Ga _Y In _1-XY N (0 ≦ X ≦ 1, 0 ≦ Y ≦ 1,
0 ≦ X + Y ≦ 1), AlN, GaN, and InN
So-called binary system, Al _x Ga _1-x N, Al _x In
_1-x N and _Ga x _{In 1 -x} N (0 in the above <x
The so-called ternary system of <1) is included. At least a part of the group III element may be replaced with boron (B), thallium (Tl) or the like, and at least a part of nitrogen (N) may be phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb). , Bismuth (Bi) or the like. The element functional portion of the light emitting element is preferably composed of the binary or ternary group III nitride compound semiconductor.

The group III nitride compound semiconductor may contain an arbitrary dopant. As an n-type impurity,
Si, Ge, Se, Te, C or the like can be used.
As p-type impurities, Mg, Zn, Be, Ca, Sr, B
a or the like can be used. Note that the group III nitride compound semiconductor can be exposed to electron beam irradiation, plasma irradiation, or heating by a furnace after being doped with p-type impurities, but it is not essential. Group III nitride compound semiconductors can be produced by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOCVD method), well-known molecular beam crystal growth method (MBE method), and halide vapor phase epitaxy method (H).
VPE method), sputtering method, ion plating method, electron shower method and the like.

The lens is arranged at a position where the short-wavelength LED irradiates, and the lens contains a fluorescent material which emits fluorescence upon receiving the light of the short-wavelength LED.

As the fluorescent material, one that emits fluorescence when excited by light having a short wavelength is used. As the fluorescent material, a material that emits fluorescence of a color corresponding to the display portion (for example, the tail / stop lamp portion or the turn lamp portion of the rear combination lamp) is appropriately selected. For example, tail stop
A fluorescent material having a red fluorescent color can be preferably used for the lamp portion, and a fluorescent material having a yellow fluorescent color can be suitably used for the turn lamp portion. It is also possible to obtain a desired emission color by using two or more kinds of fluorescent materials (including fluorescent materials having the same or similar fluorescent colors and different fluorescent colors).

A known phosphor is used as the fluorescent material.
be able to. The phosphor can be inorganic or organic
The following inorganic phosphors should be adopted.
You can For example, 6MgO · having a reddish emission color
As_TwoO₅: Mn⁴⁺, Y (PV) O_Four: Eu, CaL
a_0.1Eu_0.9Ga_ThreeO₇, BaY_0.9Sm_{0
． 1}Ga_ThreeO₇, Ca (Y_0.5Eu_0.5) (Ga
_0.5In_0.5)_ThreeO₇, Y_ThreeO_Three: Eu, YV
O_Four: Eu, Y_TwoO_Two: Eu, 3.5MgO ・ 0.5M
gF_TwoGeO_Two: Mn⁴⁺, And (Y ・ Cd) BO_Two:
Has a blue emission color such as Eu (Ba, Ca, Mg)
₅(PO_Four)_ThreeCl: Eu²⁺, (Ba, Mg) _TwoAl
₁₆O₂₇: Eu²⁺, Ba_ThreeMgSi_TwoO₈: Eu
²⁺, BaMg_TwoAl₁₆O₂₇: Eu²⁺, (Sr,
Ca)₁₀(PO_Four)₆Cl_Two: Eu²⁺, (Sr, C
a)₁₀(PO_Four)₆Cl_Two・ NB_TwoO_Three: Eu²⁺,
Sr₁₀(PO_Four)₆Cl_Two: Eu²⁺, (Sr, B
a, Ca)₅(PO_Four)_ThreeCl: Eu^{Two +}, Sr_TwoP_Two
O₇: Eu, Sr₅(PO_Four)_ThreeCl: Eu, (Sr,
Ba, Ca)_Three(PO_Four)₆Cl: Eu, SrO · P_Two
O₅・ B_TwoO₅: Eu, (BaCa)₅(PO_Four)_ThreeC
l: Eu, SrLa_0.95Tm_0.05Ga_ThreeO₇,
ZnS: Ag, GaWO_Four, Y_TwoSiO₆: Ce, Zn
S: Ag, Ga, Cl, Ca_TwoB_FourOCl: Eu²⁺,
BaMgAl_FourO_Three: Eu²⁺, And the general formula (M1, E
u)₁₀(PO_Four)₆Cl_Two(M1 is Mg, Ca, S
at least one selected from the group consisting of r and Ba
Have a green emission color, such as phosphors represented by
Y_TwoSiO₅: Ce³⁺, Tb³⁺, Sr_TwoSi_ThreeO₈
・ 2SrCl _Two: Eu, BaMg_TwoAl₁₆O₂₇: E
u²⁺, Mn²⁺, ZnSiO_Four: Mn, Zn_TwoSiO
_Four: Mn, LaPO_Four: Tb, SrAl_TwoO_Four: Eu,
SrLa_0.2Tb_0.8Ga_ThreeO₇, Ca_0.9YP
r0_{． 1}Ga_ThreeO₇, ZnGd _0.8Ho_0.2Ga_Three
O₇, SrLa_0.6Tb_0.4Al_ThreeO₇, ZnS:
Cu, Al, (Zn, Cd) S: Cu, Al, ZnS:
Cu, Au, Al, Zn _TwoSiO_Four: Mn, ZnSiO
_Four: Mn, ZnS: Ag, Cu, (Zn · Cd) S: C
u, ZnS: Cu, GdOS: Tb, LaOS: Tb,
YSiO_Four: Ce / Tb, ZnGeO_Four: Mn, GeM
gAlO: Tb, SrGaS: Eu²⁺, ZnS: Cu
・ Co, MgO ・ nB_TwoO_Three: Ge, Tb, LaOB
r: Tb, Tm, and La_TwoO_TwoS: Use Tb, etc.
You can In addition, YVO having a white emission color_Four:
Dy, CaLu having a yellowish emission color_0.5Dy
_0.5Ga _ThreeO₇Can also be used.

The following can be used as the organic phosphor. For example, 1,4-bis (2-methylstyryl) benzene (Bis-MSB), trans-
Stilbene dyes such as 4,4′-diphenylstilbene (DPS) and coumarin dyes such as 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (coumarin 4), BOQP, PBB
O, BOT, POPOP, etc. can be used. These phosphors have a blue emission color. Also, DPO
T, Brilliant Sulfoflavin FF (brilliantsul
foflavine FF), basic yellow HG (basic yell)
ow HG), SINLOIHICOLOR FZ-5005 (manufactured by Shinroyhi Co., Ltd.) and the like can also be used. These phosphors have a yellow to green fluorescent color. In addition, yellow to red phosphors such as eosin and rhodamine 6G (rhodam
ine 6G), Rhodamine B (rhodamine B), NKP-8303
(Nippon Fluorescent Chemical Co., Ltd.) can also be used. Further, TB (EDTA) SSA, EuTTA or the like may be dissolved in, for example, methyl methacrylate and polymerized and solidified to form polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

The manner in which the fluorescent material is contained in the lens is not particularly limited. For example, a layer containing a fluorescent material can be formed on the surface of the lens. A layer containing a fluorescent material can be formed on the lens surface by applying or printing a fluorescent material on the lens surface facing the LED or the lens design surface. Further, a sheet containing a fluorescent material may be attached to the lens surface. Although it is preferable to form the layer containing the fluorescent material on the entire lens surface, the layer containing the fluorescent material may be formed on only a part of the surface. The layer containing the fluorescent material is an LED
It is preferably formed on the lens surface side facing the. L
This is because the fluorescent material can be efficiently irradiated with the light from the ED. Further, if it is formed on the lens design surface side, it will be exposed to rain, dust, etc., and wear will be a problem, but if it is formed on the lens surface side facing the LED, such wear etc. can be prevented. A fluorescent material may be dispersed in the lens. For example, a lens in which the fluorescent material is dispersed can be manufactured by mixing a fluorescent material with a light-transmissive resin material and molding this into a lens shape.

In addition to the above-mentioned short wavelength LED, visible light LE
You may use D and / or a bulb together as a light source. In this way, the lamp display is performed with the light from the visible light LED and / or the bulb and the light from the fluorescent material emitted by receiving the light of the short wavelength LED.
In this case, it is possible to perform control such that both are turned on when high-luminance light emission is required and only the short-wavelength LED is turned on when low-luminance light emission is required. Taking the tail stop lamp part of the rear combination lamp as an example, the short-wavelength LED is turned on during normal driving (tail lamp display state), which causes fluorescent light from the fluorescent material to display at low brightness, and during deceleration ( In the stop lamp display state), a visible light LED or the like and a short-wavelength LED can be turned on at the same time, and high-intensity display can be performed with light from the visible light LED or the like and fluorescence from the fluorescent material.

If the bulb is arranged so as to face the center of the lens, the short-wavelength LED is arranged so as to face the peripheral edge of the lens, and at least the fluorescent material is contained in the peripheral edge, then the bulb is removed. The fluorescent light from the fluorescent material can be used as the external radiated light in the peripheral portion of the lens that is not irradiated with the light (or the irradiation amount is small), so that the luminance of the external radiated light can be made uniform over the entire lens. You can also

The vehicle lamp of the present invention can be applied to, for example, a rear combination lamp, an independent stop lamp, a back lamp, a turn lamp, and a high mount stop lamp. Above all, it can be suitably applied to a rear combination lamp. When the rear combination lamp is configured by using the visible light LEDs, it is necessary to prepare LEDs of different colors for each display unit and individually control the lighting thereof, but the present invention is applied to the rear combination lamp. In this case, since short-wavelength LEDs can be used as the light source for all the display units, there are advantages that the number of types of parts is reduced, assembly is facilitated, and lighting state control is facilitated.

【Example】

Hereinafter, the structure of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a rear combination lamp 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention. The rear combination lamp 1 includes a housing 10 having a mounting portion to a rear panel of a vehicle, a tail stop lamp portion 2 for displaying a tail lamp display and a stop lamp display.
0, a turn lamp unit 30 for displaying a turn lamp, and a back lamp unit 40 for displaying a back lamp. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the tail stop lamp section 20 is shown.
A film 52 containing a red phosphor is attached to the back surface of the lens 24 that covers (i.e., the surface facing the LED 11). Similarly, a film containing a yellow phosphor is formed on the back surface of the lens 34 that covers the turn lamp part 30.
Films containing three types of red, green, and blue phosphors are attached to the back surface of the lens 44 that covers the back lamp portion 40. In addition, the short wavelength LED 11
Are arranged in a matrix on a substrate installed in each section of the housing that constitutes each display unit. FIG. 3 shows a usage example of the rear combination lamp 1.
The rear combination lamp 1 is fixed to the rear panel of the vehicle through the mounting portion of the housing 10.

Next, the light emission mode of the rear combination lamp 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described by taking the case of displaying a stop lamp as an example. First, the short-wave LE of the tail stop lamp is linked with the driver's brake operation.
D11 lights up. Then, the short-wavelength light emitted from the short-wavelength LED 11 irradiates the film 52 on the back surface of the lens 24 to excite the phosphor in the film. This causes fluorescence, and the fluorescence is radiated to the outside through the film 52 and the lens 24. As a result, reddish light is observed from the design surface 24a of the lens 24. Here, since the fluorescence emitted from the phosphor has a low directivity and the phosphor itself functions as a light diffusing agent, the light emitted through the film 52 and the lens 24 is designed surface 24 a of the lens 24.
The surface light has a uniform brightness over the entire surface. That is,
From the design surface 24a of the lens 24, planar light with less unevenness is observed over the entire surface, and a stop lamp display with high designability is performed.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a rear combination lamp 2 which is another embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those of the rear combination lamp 1 of FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The lens 25 of the tail stop lamp section 21 and the lens 35 of the turn lamp section 31 are colored in colors (red and yellow) suitable for the tail stop lamp display and the turn lamp display, respectively. Further, the lens 45 of the back lamp part 41 is subjected to a cutting process. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. The bulbs 29, 39, 49 are arranged so as to face substantially the central portions of the lenses 25, 35, 45 of the respective display portions. On the other hand, the short wavelength LEDs 11 are arranged in a matrix around the bulbs 29, 39 and 49. As shown in FIG. 5, a film 53 containing a red phosphor is attached to the back surface of the lens 25 of the tail stop lamp section 21. Similarly, a film containing a yellow phosphor is attached to the back surface of the lens 35, and a film containing three types of phosphors of red, green, and blue is attached to the back surface of the lens 45.

The light emission mode of the rear combination lamp 2 having the above structure will be described by taking the case of displaying a stop lamp as an example. First, the bulb 29 of the tail stop lamp and the short wavelength LED 11 are turned on in association with the driver's brake operation. The light of the bulb 29 is colored the lens color (red) when passing through the lens 25. On the other hand, the short-wavelength light emitted from the short-wavelength LED 11 irradiates the film 53 to excite the phosphor in the film. This causes fluorescence, and the fluorescence is radiated to the outside through the film 53 and the lens 25. Therefore, red light due to the bulb 29 and red light due to the phosphor are observed from the design surface 25a of the lens 25. Here, the light from the bulb 29 is mainly emitted from the central portion of the lens design surface 25a. That is, the light originating from the bulb is insufficient at the peripheral portion of the lens design surface 25a. However, since the phosphor-derived light is emitted from the peripheral portion of the lens, the shortage of light at the peripheral portion is compensated. In this way, the light from the bulb is emitted exclusively from the central portion of the lens 25, and the light from the fluorescent material is emitted from the peripheral portion of the lens 25, whereby uneven light emission on the lens design surface 25a is reduced. . Therefore, the stop lamp display with excellent design is performed.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a rear combination lamp 3 which is another embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those of the rear combination lamp 1 of FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 7 shows C- in FIG.
It is a C line sectional view. As shown in FIG. 7, a film 54 containing a red phosphor is attached to the back surface of the lens 26 of the tail stop lamp section 22. Similarly, a film containing a yellow phosphor is provided on the back surface of the lens 36 of the turn lamp part 32, and three types of red, green, and blue phosphors are provided on the back surface of the lens 46 of the back lamp part 42. The films containing each are attached. On the board installed in the tail stop lamp section 22,
Short-wavelength LEDs 11 and red LEDs 12 are arranged alternately. Similarly, the short-wavelength LED 11 and the yellow LED 13 are provided on the substrate installed in the turn lamp unit 32, and the short-wavelength L is provided on the substrate installed in the back lamp unit 42.
The ED 11 and the white LED 14 are alternately arranged. The light emission mode of the rear combination lamp 3 having the above configuration will be described by taking a case of performing tail lamp display and stop lamp display as an example. First, the short-wavelength LED 11 in the tail stop lamp unit 22 is turned on in synchronization with the turning on of the side lights. The short-wavelength light emitted from the short-wavelength LED 11 irradiates the film 54 on the back surface of the lens 26 to excite the phosphor in the film. This causes fluorescence to be emitted to the outside through the film 54 and the lens 26. Therefore, the design surface 26 of the lens 26
Red light is observed from a, and the tail lamp display is performed by this.

When the stop lamp is displayed, the short wavelength LED 11 and the red LED 12 in the tail stop lamp section 22 are turned on at the same time. As a result, the fluorescent light due to the short wavelength light of the short wavelength LED 11 and the light of the red LED 12 are emitted from the design surface 26a of the lens 26. Therefore, the light emitted from the design surface 26a of the lens 26 has higher brightness than the case of the above-described tail lamp display, and effective stop lamp display is performed.

In the above embodiments, the short-wavelength LED is arranged so as to face the lens, and the light from the short-wavelength LED is directly emitted to the lens side. However, as shown in FIG. 8, a reflector may be used. it can. FIG. 8 is similar to FIG.
It is sectional drawing of the tail stop lamp part of a rear combination lamp. The same elements as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. In the configuration of FIG. 8, the reflector 61 is installed so as to face the back surface 74b side of the lens 74. Also, the housing 100
The substrate 110 is installed on the side part 100a of the
The short-wavelength LED 11 is arranged above. On the back surface 74b of the lens 74, a film 122 containing a red phosphor is formed.
Is attached.

In the above structure, the short-wavelength light emitted from the short-wavelength LED 11 is reflected by the reflector 61 and becomes light toward the lens 74 side. Then, the light excites the phosphor in the film 122, and as a result, red light is emitted from the lens 74 design surface 74a. still,
A part of the light emitted from the short-wavelength LED 11 directly irradiates the film 122.

Here, as in the example of FIG. 9, the film 123 containing the phosphor may be attached to the surface of the reflector 61 (the surface facing the lens). In such a configuration, part of the light emitted from the short-wavelength LED 11 and heading for the reflector 61 excites the phosphor when passing through the film 123. The fluorescence generated thereby is reflected by the reflector 61 to become light directed to the lens 75, and finally emitted from the lens design surface 75a. On the other hand, a part of the light emitted from the short wavelength LED 11 is reflected by the reflector and then excites the phosphor in the film.

In the above structure, the light emitted from the short-wavelength LED is reflected and dispersed by the reflector, so that the irradiation range of the light is widened. Therefore, it is possible to emit light over a wide area with fewer short wavelength LEDs.

The present invention is not limited to the above description of the embodiments and examples of the invention. Various modifications are also included in the present invention within a range that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a rear combination lamp 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a usage mode of the rear combination lamp 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a rear combination lamp 2 which is another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a rear combination lamp 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a tail stop lamp portion of a rear combination lamp according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a tail stop lamp portion of a rear combination lamp according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Reference Signs] 1, 2, 3 Rear combination lamp 10 Housing 11 Short wavelength LED 12 Red LED 13 Yellow LED 14 White LED 20, 21, 22 Tail stop lamp part 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36, 44, 45, 4
6, 74, 75 Lens 24a, 25a, 26a, 74a, 75a Lens design surface 29, 39, 49 Bulb 30, 31, 32 Turn lamp part 40, 41, 42 Back lamp part 52, 53, 54, 122, 123 Fluorescent Film including body 61 Reflector 100 Housing 110 Substrate

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) F21Y 101: 02 F21Q 1/00 NZ (72) Inventor Osamu Yamanaka Ochiai, Nagahata, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Address 1 F-term in Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (reference) 3K080 AA01 AB00 BA01 BA07 BB20 BC01 BC11 5F041 AA14 CA34 EE16 EE23 EE25 FF11

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle lamp comprising: a short-wavelength LED; and a lens including a fluorescent material that emits fluorescence upon receiving light from the short-wavelength LED. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a main emission peak wavelength of the short-wavelength LED is in a range of 450 nm or less. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a layer containing the fluorescent material is formed on the lens surface. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a bulb. 5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle lamp is a rear combination lamp. 6. A vehicle lamp lens comprising a fluorescent material that emits fluorescence upon receiving light of a short wavelength.