JP2006073289A - Vehicular marker lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve appearance in lighting and in non-lighting, in relation to a vehicular marker lamp structured so as to be used as a lamp such as a tail lamp or a stop lamp by using LEDs for a light source. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicular marker lamp is provided with: the LEDs 12 constituting the light source; Fresnel lenses 20 and 22 for converting light from the LEDs 12 to parallel light; a reflector 24 for reflecting the parallel light from the Fresnel lenses 20 and 22 toward the front side of the lamp; and a front cover 26 for transmitting the light from the reflector 24 to the front side of the lamp. On the reflector 24, a rhomboid reflecting surface 24a is formed by being divided into a plurality of steps. In lighting the lamp, the light from the LEDs 12 is reflected on the reflecting surface 24a, and emitted based on the rhomboid shape; and in non-lighting, light from the outside is reflected on the reflecting surface 24a and emitted based on the rhomboid shape. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular marker lamp, and more particularly, to a vehicular marker lamp configured to be used as a lamp such as a tail lamp or a stop lamp using an LED as a light source.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicular marker lamp using an LED (light emitting diode) as a light source is known. In this type of vehicular marker lamp, there has been proposed a lamp in which LEDs are arranged so as not to be seen from the front of the lamp and the lamp is made to shine softly by an indirect lighting effect. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, light from an LED (LED light source) 1 arranged upward is converted into upward parallel light by a Fresnel lens 2 provided in the vicinity of the LED 1, and this parallel light is reflected by the reflector 3. The reflecting surface 3a is reflected toward the front of the lamp, and the reflected light is transmitted through the translucent cover and guided to the front of the lamp. The reflector 3 has a reflective surface 3a that is divided into a plurality of segments at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and a reflective element 3s and a stepped portion 3r are assigned to each of the segments, and the reflector 3 is formed in a staircase shape. The reflecting surface 3a diffuses and reflects the parallel light from the Fresnel lens 2 toward the front of the lamp in each reflecting element 3s, and the parallel light from the Fresnel lens 2 does not enter each stepped portion 3r. Thus, it is formed as a vertical plane (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-59312 A (pages 4 to 5, FIG. 5)

  In the prior art, each reflecting element 3s has a substantially spherical shape so that the parallel light from the Fresnel lens 2 is diffusely reflected at a predetermined diffusion angle in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction centering on the front front direction of the lamp. It is composed of curved surfaces. That is, when viewed from the front of the lamp, the reflective element 3s emits light as a substantially rectangular reflector step, so that it looks good with uniform light emission when lit, but the appearance when not lit is not sufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to improve the appearance at the time of lighting and at the time of non-lighting.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the vehicular marker lamp according to claim 1, an LED that constitutes a light source, an optical member that converts light from the LED into parallel light, and parallel light from the optical member. In a vehicle sign lamp comprising a reflector that reflects toward the front of a lamp and a front cover that transmits light from the reflector to the front of the lamp, the reflector includes a plurality of reflecting surfaces formed by rhombus steps. It was set as the structure formed by.

  (Operation) Since the reflector has a plurality of reflecting surfaces formed by the rhombus steps dispersedly, the reflected light from each reflecting surface emits light gently by the indirect illumination effect, and emits light based on the rhombus shape. The appearance at the time of lighting can be improved. Further, even in the non-lighting state, when the light from the outside is reflected by each reflecting surface, the reflected light is emitted based on the rhombus shape, so that the appearance at the time of non-lighting can be improved.

  The vehicle marker lamp according to claim 2 is the vehicle marker lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting surfaces are divided into a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the reflector, and the reflection of each stage is performed. The surface is formed at a position shifted from each other by a half step in the horizontal direction of the reflector from the adjacent upper or lower reflective surface.

  (Effect) Since each reflecting surface is formed in a plurality of steps in the vertical direction and is formed so as to be shifted from each other by a half step in the horizontal direction of the reflector from the adjacent upper or lower reflecting surface, the rhombic step It is possible to give a change to the light emission due to the above, and to improve the appearance at the time of lighting and non-lighting.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular marker lamp according to the first or second aspect, wherein a plurality of inner lenses are provided in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the reflector between the reflector and the front cover. A light guide that guides light from the LED and reflects it to the front cover side at a position that does not overlap the diamond step when viewed from the front of the lamp. The step was formed in a dispersed manner.

  (Operation) Since the light emitting region by the light guide step is formed in a region different from the light emitting region of the reflection surface by the rhombus step, light emission is more uniform in the light emitting region including the light emitting region by the rhombus step and the light emitting region by the light guide step Can be made. Furthermore, since the light emitting areas by the rhombus steps and the light emitting areas by the light guide steps are alternately formed in the vertical direction, the sense of depth can be improved.

  As is apparent from the above description, the vehicular marker lamp according to claim 1 can improve the appearance at the time of lighting and at the time of non-lighting.

  According to the second aspect, it is possible to further improve the appearance during lighting and during non-lighting.

  According to the third aspect, in the light emitting region including the light emitting region by the diamond step and the light emitting region by the light guide step, it is possible to emit light more uniformly and to improve the sense of depth.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a vehicular marker lamp according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is taken along line BB in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inner lens, and FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a vehicle sign lamp according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing a vehicle marker lamp according to the present invention, FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part schematically showing a relationship between a reflector and an inner lens, and FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between a reflector light emission part and an inner lens light emission part.

  In these drawings, the vehicle marker lamp 10 includes, for example, a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) 12 constituting a light source as a tail-and-stop lamp among lamps provided at the left corner portion or the right corner portion of the vehicle rear end. Each LED 12 is divided into an upper part and a lower part of the lamp body 14. The lamp body 14 is configured as a frame formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and substrates 16 and 18 are fixed to the upper wall surface and the bottom wall surface of the lamp body 14, respectively. The LED 12 is fixed. The LEDs 12 fixed to the substrates 16 and 18 are arranged opposite to each other so that the optical axis L faces the vertical direction, and are connected to a power source and a drive circuit (not shown). A Fresnel lens 20 is disposed below the LED 12 fixed on the substrate 16, and a Fresnel lens 22 is disposed above the LED 12 fixed on the substrate 18. Each Fresnel lens 20, 22 is configured as an optical member that converts the light from each LED 12 into parallel light and guides it to the reflector 24. In addition, depending on the surface shape of the LED mold (resin material covering the LED chip) constituting the LED 12, parallel light can be emitted without using the Fresnel lenses 20 and 22. In this case, the LED mold constitutes one element of the optical member.

  The reflector 24 is formed so as to extend obliquely upward and forward from the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the lamp body 14, and the parallel light irradiated downward or upward from the Fresnel lenses 20 and 22 is directed substantially perpendicularly toward the front of the lamp. It is designed to reflect. That is, the reflecting surface 24a and the stepped portions 24 are alternately assigned to the reflector 24 in the vertical direction, and the reflector 24 has a plurality of reflecting surfaces 24a and a plurality of stepped portions 24 alternately assigned to form a staircase shape. Is formed. Each reflecting surface 24a is formed as a diamond-shaped rhombus step so as to diffusely reflect parallel light from the Fresnel lens 20 or the Fresnel lens 22 toward the front of the lamp, and each step portion 24r is formed by the Fresnel lens 20 or the Fresnel lens. It is formed as a vertical surface so that parallel light from the lens 22 does not enter. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, each reflecting surface 24a is formed in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the reflector 24, as shown in FIG. 8, and the reflecting surfaces 24a of each stage are adjacent to each other above or below. The reflecting surface 24a is formed at a position shifted from each other by a half step in the horizontal direction of the reflector 24.

  A flat front cover 26 having a substantially rectangular shape is disposed on the front side of the lamp 24 of the reflector 24, and the edge of the front cover 26 is fixed to the lamp body 14. A space between the front cover 26 and the reflector 24 is formed as a lamp chamber, and a plurality of inner lenses 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 are vertically arranged in the lamp chamber. Inserted in stages. The inner lenses 28 and 40 at the upper and lower ends are configured as cover members that are disposed on the front side of the lamps of the LEDs 20 and cover the LEDs 12 so that the LEDs 12 cannot be seen from the front side of the lamps. Further, the inner lenses 28 and 40 are formed in a cylindrical shape as a light guide member, and are subjected to a graining process as a cylindrical step on the back side thereof, and the reflected light reflected by the reflector 24 is incident and reflected. When light is guided, light is emitted by the light guide effect (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

  On the other hand, the inner lenses 30, 32, and 34 are arranged along the substantially horizontal direction on the upper side from the center of the reflector 24, and the inner lenses 36 and 38 are arranged along the substantially horizontal direction on the lower side from the center of the reflector 24. Each of the inner lenses 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 is formed in a waveform shape in which the amplitude, that is, the wave height changes in the front-rear direction of the lamp, as shown in FIGS. . The inner lenses 30, 32, and 34 are provided with 45 ° total reflection surfaces 30a, 32a, and 34a on the tip side thereof, guide the light from the LED 12, and the front cover 26 is formed by the total reflection surfaces 30a, 32, and 34a. Reflected to the side. On the other hand, on the back side of the inner lenses 36 and 38, light guide steps 36a and 38a for guiding light from the LED 12 and reflecting the light to the front cover 26 side are formed in a rhombus shape. The light guide steps 36a and 38a are, as inner lens light emitting portions, a region that connects the edge of each reflective surface 24a of the reflector 24 and the front cover 26 with a straight line when viewed from the front of the lamp and does not overlap the reflective surface 24a (diamond step). Are formed in a dispersed manner). In other words, the inner lens light emitting part by the light guiding steps 36a and 38a is formed in a region different from the reflector light emitting part by the reflecting surface 24a.

  When the vehicle marker lamp 10 having the above-described configuration is mounted on the vehicle and enters the tail and stop lamp lighting mode, light is emitted from each LED 12. The light emitted from each LED 12 is converted into parallel light by the Fresnel lenses 20 and 22 and then enters the reflector 24. Of the parallel light incident on the reflector 24, the parallel light incident on the reflecting surface 24a is reflected by the reflecting surface 24a to the front side of the lamp and is guided to the front of the lamp through the inner lenses 28 to 40 and the front cover 26. At this time, the reflective surface 24a emits light in a rhombus shape, and the light guide steps 36a and 38a emit light in a rhombus shape, respectively, so that the appearance during lighting can be improved.

  Further, in the light emitting area on the lower side of the front cover 26, the reflector light emitting part by the reflecting surface 24a and the inner lens light emitting part by the light guiding steps 36a and 38a are alternately formed in the vertical direction, so that more light is emitted during lighting. It can be made uniform. That is, it is possible to emit light more uniformly in the light emitting region including the light emitting region by the diamond step (reflecting surface 24a) and the light emitting region by the light guiding steps 36a and 38a. Furthermore, since the light emitting areas formed by the rhombus steps (reflecting surface 24a) and the light emitting areas formed by the light guiding steps 36a and 38a are alternately formed in the vertical direction, the sense of depth can be improved.

  In this embodiment, the surfaces of the inner lenses 28 and 40 also emit light due to the light guiding effect, so that the appearance at the time of lighting can be further improved.

  Also. At the time of non-lighting, when the reflecting surface 24a and the light guide steps 36a, 38a emit light by light from the outside, the light is emitted in a rhombus shape, so that the appearance at the time of non-lighting can be improved.

It is a front view which shows one Example of the marker lamp for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. It is a perspective view of an inner lens. It is a principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view which represented typically the marker lamp for vehicles which concerns on this invention. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vehicular marker lamp according to the present invention. It is the principal part enlarged view which represented typically the relationship between a reflector and an inner lens. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between a reflector light emission part and an inner lens light emission part. It is a principal part perspective view of the conventional vehicle marker lamp.

Explanation of symbols

10 Vehicle sign light 12 LED
14 Lamp body 20, 22 Fresnel lens 24 Reflector 24a Reflective surface 24r Stepped portion 26 Front cover 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 Inner lens 36a, 38a Light guiding step

Claims (3)

  An LED that constitutes a light source, an optical member that converts the light from the LED into parallel light, a reflector that reflects the parallel light from the optical member toward the front of the lamp, and the light from the reflector in front of the lamp A vehicular marker lamp comprising a front cover to be transmitted, wherein the reflector is formed by dispersing a plurality of reflection surfaces by rhombus steps.   2. The vehicle sign lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting surfaces are divided into a plurality of steps in a vertical direction of the reflector, and the reflecting surfaces of the respective steps are adjacent to the upper or lower steps. The vehicular marker lamp, wherein the reflecting surface is formed at a position shifted from each other by a half step in the horizontal direction of the reflector.   3. The vehicular marker lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of inner lenses are inserted in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the reflector between the reflector and the front cover. The inner lens is formed by dispersing light guide steps for guiding light from the LEDs and reflecting the light to the front cover side at positions that do not overlap with the rhomboid step when viewed from the front of the lamp. Vehicle sign light.

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