JP2003208806A - Vehicular lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lighting system capable of improving visibility without making the system large-sized, while using a light emitting diode. <P>SOLUTION: This lighting system 100 is provided with a base 200 having a reflecting surface 202, emitters 300 and a cover 206. The emitter 300 has a built-in light emitting diode 316, and is mounted to the base 200 so that light emitted from the light emitting diode 316 goes toward the reflecting surface 202. The light emitted from the light emitting diode 316 is emitted to the outside by transmitting the cover 206 after being reflected by the reflecting surface 202. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle such as an automobile (truck, passenger car, etc.) or a motorcycle is equipped with an illuminating device which emits light so that it can be seen from the surroundings in order to ensure safety during night driving. For example, a high light mounted on the rear portion of the truck. An incandescent light bulb is generally used as a light-emitting body of this type of lighting device because it is preferable that the light-emitting body emits light at a wide angle so that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can easily see it.

However, incandescent light bulbs have the problems that the internal filaments are easily broken and the life is short, and the power consumption is high. Therefore, in place of the incandescent light bulb, it is considered to use a light emitting diode (LED) that has a long life and consumes less power.

[0004]

However, the light emitting diode has a property that emitted light does not spread in a wide angle unlike an incandescent light bulb (that is, the directivity is high).
There is a problem that the visibility (so-called visibility) is inferior to that of an incandescent light bulb. In order to improve visibility, it has been considered to make the transparent cover of the lighting device into a shape that diffuses light. However, in order to sufficiently diffuse the light with such a structure, the lighting cover and the light emitting diode are used. Therefore, there is a problem that the lighting device becomes large in size.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lighting device which uses a light emitting diode and can improve the visibility without increasing the size of the device.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle lighting device of the present invention is a lighting device mounted on a vehicle, and has a reflecting member having a reflecting surface and a light emitting diode for emitting light. Along with the light emitting body disposed so as to face the reflection surface so that the light emitted from the light emitting diode is directed to the reflection surface, a cover covering the reflection surface and the light emission body, the reflection from the reflection surface. And one that transmits light.

According to this structure, the light emitted from the light emitting body is reflected by the reflecting surface, then passes through the cover, and goes to the outside. Therefore, the optical path length from the light emitter to the cover can be lengthened without increasing the size of the device, and thereby the traveling direction of the light passing through the cover can be widened to a wide angle. Therefore, the visibility can be improved without increasing the size of the lighting device.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the reflecting surface is formed by surface coating.

Further, in the present invention, the luminous body is
It is preferable that a pair of conductive wires for supplying electric power to the light emitting diode be attached, and the light emitting body be fixed to the reflecting member via the pair of conductive wires.

In this case, it is more preferable that the light emitting body has a transparent member in which the light emitting diode is enclosed, and the pair of conductive wires extends so as to sandwich the transparent member.

Further, it is preferable that the cover has a shape for diffusing the reflected light reflected by the reflecting surface.

Further, the cover has a shape into which the reflecting member is inserted, and an opening for inserting the reflecting member, and an abutment for abutting the reflecting member inserted from the opening. It is preferable that a holding member is attached to the opening, and the holding member holds the reflecting member in a state of being brought into contact with the contact portion.

Further, it is preferable that the reflecting surface has a plurality of surface elements having different normal directions.

In this case, it is preferable that a plurality of the light emitting bodies are provided so as to face the plurality of surface elements, respectively.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a truck 102 which is an example of a vehicle to which a lighting device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached. The illuminating device 100 is suitable as a so-called vehicle high light, and is mounted near the upper end of the rear portion 104 of the truck 102. When the vehicle travels at night, the illumination device 100 emits light at a wide angle so that a driver running in a surrounding vehicle can recognize the existence of the truck 102.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the illuminating device 100 in a disassembled state for each component. The lighting device 100 has a substrate 200 which is a resin plate member. This substrate 200 has a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction in the drawing. The surface of the substrate 200 is coated with a material that reflects light to form a reflective surface 202. Board 2
Mounting holes 204 for penetrating a mounting bolt 208 described later are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of 00.

Five light emitters 300 are attached to the reflection surface 202 side of the substrate 200. These five light emitters 300 are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 200. Further, on the reflection surface 202 side of the substrate 200,
A cover 206 made of transparent resin is attached so as to cover the five light emitters 300. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cover 206, the mounting holes 2 that penetrate the mounting bolts 208
10 are formed. Attach the mounting bolt 208 to the cover 2
06 through the mounting hole 210 of the board 200 and the mounting hole 204 of the substrate 200, and by engaging a nut (not shown),
The cover 206 is fixed to the substrate 200.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of the illuminating device 100 shown in FIG. Each luminous body 30
0 has a substantially cylindrical transparent member 304 having a hemispherical tip 302. The transparent member 304 has a flat portion 306 on the side opposite to the tip portion 302, and a pair of terminals 308 and 310 are embedded from the flat portion 306 to the inside of the transparent member 304. One terminal 308
A light emitting diode (LED) 316 formed of a semiconductor element is formed on the tip portion 302 side of the. Terminal 308,
The flat portion 306 of the transparent member 304 is connected to the conductive wires 312 and 314, respectively.

The conductive wires 312 and 314 extend from the flat portion 306 of the transparent member 304 so as to sandwich the transparent member 304, and the through holes 318 and 32 formed in the substrate 200.
It passes through 0. The conductive wires 312 and 314 penetrating the through holes 318 and 320 are fixed by solder 322 on the back surface of the substrate 200, respectively. With the conductive wires 312 and 314, the light emitting body 300 is attached to the substrate 200 with the tip portion 302 thereof facing the reflecting surface 202 of the substrate 200.

A conductor pattern (not shown) is formed on the back side of the substrate 200. Conductive wires 312, 31
4 are lead wires 32 through the conductor pattern.
4, 326 (FIG. 2) and can be applied with a positive potential and a negative potential, respectively. The voltage supplied through the conductive wires 312 and 314 is applied to the terminal 30.
Is supplied to the LED 316 via
Light is emitted from 16 toward the tip portion 302 side of the transparent member 304.

The inner and outer surfaces of the cover 206 are covered by the cover 20.
6 has a curvature that widens the traveling direction of the transmitted light that is transmitted toward the outside. In addition, as shown in FIG.
A so-called fly-eye lens 328 in which a large number of lens elements are arranged is formed on the inner surface of 6 in order to promote the diffusion of light.

The lighting device 100 thus configured
Is attached to the track 102 with the substrate 200 side facing the track 102 (FIG. 1) and the longitudinal direction of the substrate 200 horizontal. The conductive wires 312 and 314 of the light emitting body 300 are connected to a vehicle-mounted battery (not shown) via lead wires 324 and 326.

The operation of the illuminating device 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the respective components of the lighting device 100 shown in a separated state in FIG. 3 in combination with each other. The LED 316 of the light emitter 300 includes terminals 308 and 310 (FIG. 3), conductive wires 312 and 314, and a lead wire 32.
Voltage is supplied via 4,326 (FIG. 2). LED
Upon receiving the supply of voltage, 316 emits light toward the tip portion 302 side of the transparent member 304, and the light goes toward the reflecting surface 202 via the tip portion 302. Tip portion 30 of light emitter 300
The light emitted from the substrate 2 is emitted from the substrate 2 as indicated by the arrow
00 reflected by the reflecting surface 202, and the reflected light travels toward the cover 206. The cover 206 transmits the reflected light from the reflecting surface 202 to the outside. The transmitted light is diffused at a wide angle by the action of the fly-eye lens 328 (FIG. 4) of the cover 206. Here, from the light emitter 300 to the reflecting surface 202
To the cover 206 and the optical path from the reflecting surface 202 to the cover 206, a long optical path length from the light emitter 300 to the cover 206 is ensured, so that the incident angle to the cover 206 becomes large, and therefore the cover 206 is not covered. The traveling direction of the transmitted light can be widened to a wide angle.

As described above, the lighting device 10 according to the present embodiment.
According to No. 0, since the reflection surface 202 is provided on the substrate 200 and the tip portion 302 of the light emitting body 300 is attached toward the reflection surface 202, the illumination device 100 is transmitted through the cover 206 without upsizing. The traveling direction of light can be widened to improve the visibility.

Further, compared with an illuminating device using an incandescent light bulb as a light emitting body, the life can be remarkably extended and the power consumption can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, since the reflecting surface 202 is formed by coating the surface of the substrate 200, the light reflecting function can be obtained with a simple configuration.

In addition, the luminous body 300 is connected to the conductive wire 3
Since it is configured to be attached to the substrate via 12, 314, the light emitting body 300 can be supported without hindering the light emitted from the light emitting body 300.
In addition, the conductive wires 312 and 314 are used to form the light emitting body 300
Since the transparent member 304 of is sandwiched from both sides,
The light emitting body 300 can be kept in a constant posture.

FIG. 6 shows another structural example of the lighting device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the lighting device 500 shown in FIG. 6,
The mounting bolt 510 does not project to the cover 506 side. That is, the cover 506 has a shape in which the substrate 200 is inserted into the inside through the opening on the lower side in the drawing, and the inside of the cover 506 is in contact with the substrate 200 inserted through the opening. A portion (stepped portion) 508 is formed. The base member 502 that closes the opening of the cover 506 is configured to engage with the cover 506 from the outside. A seal member 504 is interposed between the base 502 and the substrate 200. The base member 502 includes
A mounting bolt 510 for mounting the lighting device 500 to the truck 102 is provided, and the mounting bolt 51.
A nut 512 is engaged with 0.

As a result, the substrate 2 is placed inside the cover 506.
00 and the seal member 504 are sequentially inserted, and then the base member 502 is attached to the cover 506, so that the substrate 200 is sandwiched between the contact portion 508 and the seal member 504. That is, the seal member 504 and the base member 502 (instead of the mounting bolt 510) function as a holding member for holding the substrate 200. With such a configuration, the mounting bolt 510 can be provided at a position that does not block the light of the light emitting body 300, and the illumination efficiency of the illumination device 500 can be improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 shows a lighting device 10 according to the present embodiment.
It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of 6. This lighting device 106
For example, it is suitable for being attached to the side surface of the truck 102 shown in FIG. 1 as a so-called side marker.

This illuminating device 106 has a substrate 60 made of resin.
Has 0. This substrate 600 has a substantially square shape, and a surface thereof is coated with a material that reflects light, and a reflecting surface 602 is formed. A convex portion 604 is formed in the central portion of the substrate 600 on the reflection surface 602 side. The convex portion 604 has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a substantially isosceles triangle with the bottom side facing the substrate 600 side. A material that reflects light is coated on the two side surfaces 606 and 608 of the convex portion 604 to form reflection surfaces 610 and 612, respectively.

As opposed to the reflecting surfaces 610 and 612,
Light emitters 620 and 622 are arranged. Luminous body 62
The structures of 0 and 622 are the same as those of the light emitting body 300 in the first embodiment. Light emitters 620 and 622
Are attached such that their light emitting directions are directed to the reflecting surfaces 610 and 622, respectively. A cover 614 made of a transparent resin is attached to the reflection surface 602 side of the substrate 600 so as to cover the two light emitters 620 and 622. The mounting structure of the cover 614 and the substrate 600 is the first
2 or 5 in the above embodiment.

In this embodiment, the light emitters 620 and 622 are provided.
Lights emitted from the respective surfaces are reflected by the reflecting surfaces 610 and 612 of the side surfaces 606 and 608 and the reflecting surface 602 of the substrate 600, as shown by arrows in the figure, and the reflected light is reflected by the cover 6
Heading outside via 14. Reflective surface 610,612,6
02 are directed in different directions, so that the lighting device 1
Light can be emitted at a wider angle from 06.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the matters shown in the above-mentioned embodiment, and changes and improvements thereof can be made based on the description of the claims.

For example, the lighting device 10 according to the first embodiment.
In 0, five light emitters 300 were arranged in a line, but the number of light emitters 300 may be any number. Further, the method of arranging the light emitters 300 is also arbitrary.

Further, in the second embodiment, not only the reflecting surfaces 610 and 612 shown in FIG. 7 but also a plurality of reflecting surfaces having different normal directions may be provided. Further, a plurality of sets of the light emitters 620 and 622 may be provided.

Further, the lighting device 10 of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.
0 and 106 are not limited to the high lights of the truck 102 or the side markers, and may be used for other illumination of other vehicles.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the reflecting member is provided with the reflecting surface and the light emitters are arranged so as to face each other so that the emitted light is directed toward the reflecting surface, the light can be emitted without increasing the size of the device. The traveling direction can be widened to improve the visibility.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle to which a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the invention is attached.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lighting device according to the first embodiment.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lighting device shown in FIG. 2 in a lateral direction.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged part of a cover of the vehicle lighting device shown in FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the vehicle lighting device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the vehicle lighting device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in a lateral direction of a vehicle lighting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100,106,500 lighting device 200,600 substrates 202,602 Reflective surface 206,614 cover 300,620,622 luminous body 302 Tip 304 transparent member 308 and 310 terminals 312,314 Conductive wire 316 light emitting diode 502 Base member 604 convex Sides 606, 608 610,612 Reflective surface

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A lighting device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a reflecting member having a reflecting surface; and a light emitting diode that emits light, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting diode is directed toward the reflecting surface. An illumination device for a vehicle, comprising: a light-emitting body that is arranged to face a surface; and a cover that covers the reflecting surface and the light-emitting body and that transmits reflected light from the reflecting surface. 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective surface is formed by surface coating. 3. A pair of conductive wires for supplying power to the light emitting diode is attached to the light emitting body, and the light emitting body is fixed to the reflecting member via the pair of conductive wires. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. 4. The light-emitting body has a transparent member in which the light-emitting diode is enclosed, and the pair of conductive wires extends so as to sandwich the transparent member. The vehicle lighting device according to. 5. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a shape that diffuses the reflected light reflected by the reflecting surface. 6. The cover has a shape into which the reflection member is inserted, an opening for inserting the reflection member, and an abutment for abutting the reflection member inserted from the opening. 2. A holding member for holding the reflecting member in a state of being brought into contact with the abutting portion is attached to the opening portion.
5. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of to 5. 7. The reflection surface has a plurality of surface elements having different normal directions, respectively.
5. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of 1. 8. The vehicular lighting device according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of the light emitters arranged so as to face the plurality of surface elements, respectively.