JP2003257222A - Headlamp for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To utilize effectively the beam of light and prevent shortage of the light-emitting area and the number of irradiation light beams in the headlamp for a vehicle having two beam irradiation units arranged in adjacency. <P>SOLUTION: Two beam irradiation units 5, 6 that comprise respectively a light source 8, 9 and a reflector 7, 10 for reflecting the light of the light source to the front are arranged adjacent to each other. And a transparent light guide body 11 is arranged in front of the light source of one of the beam irradiation units 5, and the light guide body comprises an incidence plane 12 for entering the light of the light source of the other beam irradiation unit 6 in the light guide body and a reflecting plane 14 for reflecting to the front the light entered from the incidence plane. <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 novel vehicle headlight. Specifically, in a vehicle headlamp in which two beam irradiation units are arranged adjacent to each other, the luminous flux is effectively used to enhance the visibility, and the light emitting area is increased to enhance the visibility from an oncoming vehicle or the like. Regarding technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle headlight, for example, an automobile headlight, two beam irradiation units may be arranged adjacent to each other. For example, a traveling beam irradiation unit that mainly emits a traveling beam that is emitted when traveling on a suburb or an expressway, and a passing beam irradiation unit that emits a low beam that is emitted when traveling in an urban area or when a vehicle passes by an oncoming vehicle. May be placed adjacent to each other.

[0003]

When the two beam irradiation units are arranged adjacent to each other as described above, one of the beam irradiation units must be made small if the space for arranging the headlight is limited. I don't get it. For example, when the two beam irradiation units are arranged vertically adjacent to each other and the vertical width of the front end portion of the vehicle is small, the vertical width of either beam irradiation unit must be reduced.

As described above, when one of the beam irradiation units is made smaller and the smaller beam irradiation unit is turned on, the light emitting area of the beam irradiation unit becomes smaller, so that the oncoming vehicle and the preceding vehicle It is difficult for the driver and the pedestrian to visually recognize it, and it may be delayed for those persons to notice the presence of an oncoming vehicle, a following vehicle, and an approaching vehicle.

Further, in the beam irradiation unit on the smaller side, the reflector also becomes relatively small, which may cause a shortage in the number of light beams emitted forward. Then, if an auxiliary reflector is added in order to supplement the light amount, the headlamp becomes large.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in a vehicle headlamp in which two beam irradiation units are arranged adjacent to each other, the luminous flux is effectively utilized so that the light emitting area and the number of luminous fluxes to be irradiated do not become insufficient. This is an issue.

[0007]

The vehicle headlamp according to the present invention comprises:
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, two beam irradiation units each including a light source and a reflector that reflects the light of the light source forward are arranged adjacent to each other, and one beam irradiation unit is transparent in front of the light source. A light guide body is disposed, and the light guide body is provided with an incident surface on which the light of the light source of the other beam irradiation unit is incident into the light guide body, and a reflection surface which reflects the light incident from the incident surface forward. It was made to come.

Therefore, in the vehicle headlight of the present invention,
Even if the shape of the reflector of the other beam irradiation unit as viewed from the front is reduced, the light incident on the light guide is emitted to the front when the beam irradiation unit is turned on. Since it appears to be shining, the light emitting area of the other beam irradiating unit is increased by the amount of the light guide body, and it is easy to be visually recognized. Moreover, since the light guide body is located in one of the beam irradiation units, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the headlamp.

Further, by superimposing the light emitted from the light guide on the light distribution pattern formed by the light reflected by the reflector, it is possible to increase the number of light beams emitted by the other beam irradiation unit, It is possible to effectively use the luminous flux.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in all the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is applied to a vehicle headlight.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a vehicle headlight according to the present invention.
FIG.

The vehicle headlamp 1 includes two beam irradiation units in a lamp chamber 4 defined by a cover lens 3 covering the front opening of a lamp body 2 having a recessed front surface.
That is, the traveling beam irradiation unit 5 and the passing beam irradiation unit 6 are arranged.

The cover lens 3 is made of a transparent material and has no element called a lens step for controlling refraction or catadioptric control of light. May be formed.

The traveling beam irradiation unit 5 includes a reflector 7, and an incandescent bulb 8 is attached to the reflector 7 as a light source. The filament 8 of the incandescent bulb 8
A black light-shielding film 8c called a black top is formed at the front end of the glass bulb 8b in which a is enclosed, and the light directly shining forward from the filament 8a is shielded by the light-shielding film 8c, so that an oncoming vehicle or Phantom light is not emitted to pedestrians.

The light source that can be used is not limited to the incandescent bulb 8, and a discharge bulb or other lighting type bulb can be used. Further, when it is not possible to directly provide a light-shielding means such as the light-shielding film 8c to the bulb, a light-shielding member called a light-shielding cap or the like may be separately arranged in front of the bulb.

The reflector 7 is an incandescent bulb 8.
The light emitted from the filament 8a is reflected and irradiated as a substantially parallel light beam to form a traveling beam light distribution pattern. The shape of the reflecting surface of the reflector 7 is
For example, it is possible to use a surface that can be uniquely defined such as a paraboloid of revolution, but at present, in many vehicle headlights, the entire reflecting surface, which is called "free-form surface", is used. Into a number of segments (there are some that allow you to visually see the boundaries of each segment, but there are also some that cannot be visually recognized by making them continuous with a smooth surface).
A reflective surface shape is used in which each segment is assigned a reflection characteristic defined by a different direction and a diffusion angle (including 0 (zero)) to obtain a desired light distribution pattern.

A passing beam irradiation unit 6 is arranged adjacent to the upper side of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5.

The low beam irradiation unit 6 comprises an incandescent bulb 9 as a light source, a reflector 10 for reflecting the light of the incandescent bulb 9 forward, and a light guide 11.

A black light-shielding film 9c called a black top is formed at the front end of a glass sphere 9b in which the filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9 is enclosed. Is shielded so that no dazzling light is emitted to oncoming vehicles or pedestrians.

The light source that can be used as the light source of the low beam irradiation unit 6 is not limited to the incandescent bulb 9.
A discharge bulb and other lighting bulbs can also be used. Further, when it is not possible to directly provide a light blocking means such as the light blocking film 9c to the bulb, a light blocking member may be separately arranged in front of the bulb.

The reflector 10 reflects the light emitted from the filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9 and irradiates it as a slightly downward beam to form a light distribution pattern of the low beam. For the shape of the reflecting surface of the reflector 10, for example, the above-mentioned free curved surface is used. Of course, a reflecting surface other than the free curved surface may be used as long as it can irradiate the passing beam.

The light guide 11 is arranged inside the reflector 7 of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5 in front of the incandescent bulb 8. The light guide 11 is made of a transparent material and has a side surface having a wedge shape and a front shape having a vertically long rectangular shape. And an reflecting surface 14 connecting the rear end of the entrance surface 12 and the lower end of the exit surface 13. The reflection surface 14 is a transmission portion 14a which is a surface substantially perpendicular to the irradiation axis xx of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5.
, And reflecting portions 14b, 14b, ..., Which are surfaces inclined with respect to the incident surface 12 and the emitting surface 13, are alternately formed.

Fresnel steps 15, 15, ... (Refer to FIG. 3) are formed on the incident surface 12 of the light guide 11 in a concentric shape with the filament 9a position of the incandescent bulb 9 of the traveling beam irradiation unit 6 substantially at the center. Has been done. Then, the light guide 11 is arranged such that the incident surface 12 is located at substantially the same height as the lower end of the reflector 10.

When the incandescent bulb 9 of the low beam irradiation unit 6 is turned on, the light 16, 16, ..., Reflected by the reflector 10 is emitted slightly downward toward the front to form a light distribution pattern of the low beam. .

.., which are emitted from the filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9 and are directed downward, enter the incident surface 12 of the light guide 11. Then, the light 17, 1
.. are refracted by Fresnel steps 15, 15, .. Since the Fresnel steps 15, 15, ... Are for directing the light incident on the incident surface 12 to the reflecting surface 14, the Fresnel steps are not limited to the refraction-type Fresnel step in which light is controlled only by refraction, and A reflective Fresnel step that controls light may be used, or two types of Fresnel steps may be used depending on the formation position. That is, it is selected from the viewpoint of which type of Fresnel step can efficiently direct the light in a desired direction as the step of forming the portion. In addition, Fresnel steps 15, 15, ...
As described above, the filament 9 of the incandescent bulb 9
The reason why it is formed in a concentric shape with the a position as the center is that it is suitable for making the light enter the light guide body 11 in parallel and directing the light to the reflecting surface 14 almost uniformly. When it is necessary to radially inject light from the incident surface 12 when viewed from the front, the incident surface may be formed in a cylindrical shape and the Fresnel steps may be formed in parallel straight lines extending in the left and right directions.

Fresnel steps 15, 15, ...
The light 17, 1 directed to the reflecting surface 14 controlled by
7, ... Reflection portions 14b, 14b, ... Of the reflection surface 14
And is emitted from the emission surface 13. The lights 17, 17, ... Emitted from the emission surface 13 are superimposed on appropriate portions of the above-mentioned light distribution pattern of the low beam. The light 17, 17 emitted from the light guide body 11,
The position where ... is superimposed is not particularly limited, but for example, it is superimposed on a so-called hot zone, which is slightly below the central part on the left and right of the cut line (bright-dark boundary line that limits the upper end of the light distribution pattern of the passing beam). Therefore, it is conceivable to improve the distant visibility of the road.

When the incandescent bulb 8 of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5 is turned on, the filament 8a of the incandescent bulb 8 is turned on.
The light emitted from is reflected by the reflector 7 and is radiated forward to form a traveling beam distribution pattern. Then, the light 18 reaching the back side of the light guide body 11 is transmitted through the transmissive portions 14a, 14a, ... Of the reflection surface 14 of the light guide body 11 and is irradiated forward.

In the above vehicle headlamp 1, when the low beam irradiation unit 6 is turned on, light is also emitted from the light guide 11, so that the light emitting area when viewed from the front is increased. Even if the area of the reflector 10 is small, the light emitting area as a whole is large, and the visibility is improved.

Further, since the light guide 11 is arranged in the traveling beam irradiation unit 5, provision of the light guide 11 does not increase the outer shape of the vehicle headlamp.

Further, the lights 17, 17, ... That are directed toward the incident surface 12 of the light guide 11 are reflected by the reflector 10.
Even if the reflecting surface of the lamp is formed, the light reflected by the reflecting surface is reflected by the inner surface of the lamp body 2, the bumper, or the like.
It is reflected as the next, third, ..., and becomes a dazzling light. Therefore, in order not to generate such a dazzling light, a reflecting surface should not be formed in the above-mentioned place, or if a reflecting surface is formed in the above-mentioned place, the above-mentioned light should not be irradiated to the outside. It is like having to take measures such as taking measures against light. In the vehicle headlamp 1 described above, the lights 17, 1 that would otherwise be wasted light
7, ... Is radiated forward by the light guide 11, and
Since the light is superimposed on the light distribution pattern of the low beam, the light emitted from the incandescent bulb 9 can be effectively used.

Furthermore, the light guide 11 has a transmissive portion 14
, a, 14a, ... Are provided, and the light in the central portion of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5 is transmitted through the transmitting portions 14a, 14a ,.
The light distribution pattern of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5 does not become dark because it is transmitted through and transmitted to the front.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a second vehicle headlight according to the present invention.
2 shows an essential part of the embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the passing beam irradiation unit differs from the passing beam irradiation unit in the first embodiment in that the traveling beam irradiation unit is the traveling beam irradiation unit in the first embodiment. The same as No. 5.

The passing beam irradiation unit 19 includes a incandescent bulb 9 and a light guide 11, a reflector 20, a convex lens 21, and a light shielding plate 22.

The reflector 20 has a central condensing and reflecting portion 2
0a and control reflectors 20b and 20b located on the left and right of the condensing reflector 20a. The incandescent bulb 9 is attached to the center of the condensing / reflecting portion 20a.

The condensing / reflecting portion 20a has a reflecting surface having a characteristic of reflecting the light emitted from the filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9 and condensing it in a predetermined area. The light collecting area is a laterally long area in which the lateral width is larger than the vertical width when viewed from the front, and the area is slightly wider in the front and back. Control reflector 20
Each of b and 20b has a reflecting surface configured to reflect the light from the filament 9a in a desired direction at a desired diffusion angle, like the above-mentioned free-form surface. The reflective surfaces that can be used for the control reflective portions 20b and 20b are not limited to free-form surfaces, and may be parabolic surfaces or other surface-shaped reflective surfaces.

A convex lens 21 is arranged in front of the reflector 20 and the incandescent bulb 9, and the light of the incandescent bulb 9 reflected by the reflecting surface of the condensing / reflecting portion 20a of the reflector 20 by the convex lens 21 is part of the beam passing forward. Is projected as.

A light shielding plate 22 is arranged at a position between the incandescent bulb 9 and the convex lens 21. The light-shielding plate 22 limits the upper edge (referred to as a “cut line”) of the light distribution pattern of the low beam, and the upper edge 2 of the light-shielding plate 22.
The cut line is formed by the upper edge 22a of the light shielding plate 22. The light shielding plate 2a is arranged so as to be positioned within the light collecting area of the light collecting and reflecting portion 20a of the reflector 20. The focal point of the convex lens 21 is the upper edge 2 of the light shielding plate 22.
It is arranged so as to be located near the center of 2a in the left-right direction.

The filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9
The light traveling from the control reflection units 20b, 20b to the control reflection units 20b, 20b is reflected by the control reflection units 20b, 20b and irradiated as the low beam, and the light distribution pattern of the low beam is generated by this light and the light projected by the convex lens 21. Is formed.

Further, the light guide 11 is arranged so that the incident surface 12 is located between the reflector 20 and the light shielding plate 22 at substantially the same height as the lower end of the light collecting and reflecting portion 20a of the reflector 20. Then, the light 23, 23, ... Emitted from the filament 9 a of the incandescent bulb 9 and directed downward is guided by the light guide 11.
Is incident on the incident surface 12. Then, the light 23, 23,
Are refracted by the Fresnel steps 15, 15 and so on toward the reflecting surface 14 in the light guide 11. The light 23, 23, ... That is directed toward the reflecting surface 14 is reflected by the reflecting portion 1 of the reflecting surface 14.
The light is reflected by 4b, 14b, ... And is emitted from the emission surface 13. Then, the light 2 emitted from the emission surface 13
Are superposed on appropriate portions of the light distribution pattern of the low beam formed by the light 24, 24, ...

The traveling beam irradiating unit 5 irradiates the traveling beam, and the light guide 11 is transmitted through the transmitting portions 14a, 14a ,. The same as in the first embodiment.

Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the light emitting area of the low beam irradiation unit 19 can be increased to improve the visibility, and the luminous flux can be effectively used. Can be used.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the vehicle headlamp according to the present invention.
FIG.

Also in the third embodiment, the passing beam irradiation unit is different from the passing beam irradiation unit in the first and second embodiments in that the traveling beam irradiation unit is the first embodiment. 2 and the traveling beam irradiation unit 5 in the second embodiment.

The passing beam irradiation unit 25 is a so-called projector type beam irradiation unit, and includes a reflector 26, a convex lens 27, a light shielding plate 28, and a light guide 29 in addition to the incandescent bulb 9.

Although the incandescent bulb 9 is used as a light source also in the low beam irradiation unit 25 in the third embodiment, it is the same as in the low beam irradiation units 6 and 19 in the first and second embodiments. The light source is not limited to the incandescent bulb 9.

The reflector 26 has a reflecting surface having a characteristic of reflecting the light emitted from the filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9 and condensing the light in a predetermined area. The light collecting area is a laterally long area in which the lateral width is larger than the vertical width when viewed from the front, and the area is slightly wider in the front and back.

A convex lens 27 is arranged in front of the reflector 26 and the incandescent bulb 9, and the light of the incandescent bulb 9 reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflector 26 by the convex lens 27 is projected forward as a passing beam.

A light shielding plate 28 is arranged at a position between the incandescent bulb 9 and the convex lens 27. The shading plate 28 limits the upper edge (referred to as a “cut line”) of the light distribution pattern of the passing beam, and the upper edge 2 of the shading plate 28
8a is arranged so as to be positioned within the light collecting area of the reflector 26, and the cut line is formed by the upper edge 28a of the light shielding plate 28. Further, the focal point of the convex lens 27 is arranged so as to be located in the vicinity of the central portion of the upper edge 28a of the light shielding plate 28 in the left-right direction.

The light guide body 29 is made of a transparent material, and has a front shape that is fan-shaped with a key portion located at the upper end, and a side shape that is wedge-shaped. An entrance surface 30 having a rectangular shape close to a square is formed at the upper end portion, and an exit surface 31 extending downward from the front end of the entrance surface 30 is provided between the rear end of the entrance surface 30 and the bottom end of the exit surface 31. Reflective surface 3 connecting
2 is formed. The reflecting surface 32 is inclined with respect to the transmitting portions 32a, 32a, ... And the incident surface 30 and the emitting surface 31 which are surfaces substantially perpendicular to the irradiation axis xx of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5. Reflection part 3 which is the surface
2b, 32b, ... are alternately formed. Then, the transmissive portions 32a, 32a, ... And the reflective portion 3
2b, 32b, ... Are formed in an arc shape with the filament 9a of the incandescent bulb 9 of the passing beam irradiation unit 29 being substantially centered when arranged in the reflector 7 of the traveling beam irradiation unit 5. In addition, the incident surface 30
Is the light guide 11 in the first and second embodiments.
Fresnel step (not shown) is formed in the same manner as
The light incident on the incident surface 30 from the filament 9a is made into a substantially parallel luminous flux and directed toward the reflecting surface 32.

The light guide 29 is arranged so that the incident surface 30 is located between the reflector 26 and the light shielding plate 28 at substantially the same height as the lower end of the reflector 26. Then, the light 33, 33, ... Emitted from the filament 9 a of the incandescent bulb 9 and directed downward enters the incident surface 30 of the light guide 29. The light 33, 33, ...
The light guide member 2 is refracted by the Fresnel step formed to 0.
The inside 9 is directed toward the reflecting surface 32. Light 3 toward the reflective surface 32
3, 33, ... Are reflection parts 32b, 32 of the reflection surface 32.
The light is reflected by b, ... And is emitted from the emission surface 31. Then, the light 33, 33 emitted from the emission surface 31,
... is the light 3 projected forward by the convex lens 27.
The light distribution pattern of the low beam is superimposed on an appropriate part of the light distribution pattern of the low beam.

The traveling beam irradiating unit 5 irradiates the traveling beam, and the portion of the light guide 29 is transmitted through the transmitting portions 32a, 32a ,. This is the same as in the first and second embodiments.

Also in the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the light emitting area of the low beam irradiation unit 25 can be increased to improve the visibility. It is possible to effectively use the luminous flux.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the two beam irradiation units are arranged vertically adjacent to each other, but the method of disposing the two beam irradiation units is not limited to the vertically adjacent ones. It does not mean that it is arranged, but for example, it may be arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right, and it is naturally included in the technical scope of the present invention although it is arranged adjacent to other than the top and bottom. .

Further, the shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-mentioned respective embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment to be carried out when the present invention is carried out, and the technical or technical aspects of the present invention can be realized by these. The range should not be construed as limiting.

[0056]

As is apparent from the above description, the vehicle headlamp of the present invention has two beam irradiation units each having a light source and a reflector for reflecting the light of the light source forward. And a transparent light guide body is arranged in front of the light source in one beam irradiation unit, and the light guide body has an incident surface on which the light of the light source of the other beam irradiation unit is made incident. And a reflecting surface for reflecting the light incident from the incident surface forward.

Therefore, in the vehicle headlight of the present invention,
Even if the shape of the reflector of the other beam irradiation unit as viewed from the front is reduced, the light incident on the light guide is emitted to the front when the beam irradiation unit is turned on. Since it appears to be shining, the light emitting area of the other beam irradiating unit is increased by the amount of the light guide body, and it is easy to be visually recognized. Moreover, since the light guide body is located in one of the beam irradiation units, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the headlamp.

By superimposing the light emitted from the light guide on the light distribution pattern formed by the light reflected by the reflector, it is possible to increase the number of light beams emitted by the other beam irradiation unit. It is possible to effectively use the luminous flux.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the reflecting surface has a reflecting portion for reflecting the light incident from the incident surface forward and a transmitting portion for transmitting the light from the light source located at the rear forward. Since and are formed alternately, it is possible to avoid wasting light from the light source located behind the light guide.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a first headlamp for a vehicle according to the present invention, together with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
This is a vertical cross-sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a cover lens is removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a light guide.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the vehicle headlamp of the present invention together with FIG. 5, and this figure is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a main part.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a third embodiment of the vehicle headlamp of the invention together with FIG. 7, and this figure is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a main part.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Headlight for vehicle, 5 ... Running beam irradiation unit (one beam irradiation unit), 6 ... Dipped beam irradiation unit (other beam irradiation unit), 7 ... Reflector,
8 ... Incandescent bulb (light source), 9 ... Incandescent bulb (light source), 1
0 ... Reflector, 11 ... Light guide, 12 ... Incident surface, 14 ...
Reflecting surface, 14a ... Transmitting part, 14b ... Reflecting part, 19 ... Dipped beam irradiation unit (other beam irradiation unit), 20 ... Reflector, 25 ... Dipped beam irradiation unit (other beam irradiation unit), 26 ... Reflector, 29 ... Light guide, 30 ... Incident surface, 32 ... Reflective surface, 32
a ... transmission part, 32b ... reflection part

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A two-beam irradiation unit, each of which has a light source and a reflector for reflecting the light of the light source forward, is arranged adjacent to each other, and a transparent light guide is provided in front of the light source in one of the beam irradiation units. Is disposed, and the light guide is provided with an incident surface on which the light of the light source of the other beam irradiation unit is incident on the light guide, and a reflection surface that reflects the light incident from the incident surface forward. A characteristic vehicle headlight. 2. The reflecting surface is alternately formed with a reflecting portion for reflecting the light incident from the incident surface forward and a transmitting portion for transmitting the light from a light source located rearward forward. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, which is characterized in that.