JP2013152828A - Vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle lamp able to be assembled without increasing assembling man-hours or cost and attaining uniform light emission along a whole area in an arrangement direction of light-emitting elements.SOLUTION: In a vehicle lamp 1 wherein a flat substrate 5 and a plurality of LEDs (light-emitting elements) 6 mounted on the flat substrate 5 are stored in a lamp chamber 4 defined by a housing 2 and an outer lens 3 for covering an opening of the housing, light guide inner lenses 7A for guiding light emitted from the respective LEDs 6 to an outer lens 3 side are arranged for the respective LEDs 6, and a height of each light guide inner lens 7A is determined so as to make constant a spacing between a tip of each of the plurality of light guide inner lenses 7A and the outer lens 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp that uses a plurality of light emitting elements such as LEDs as a light source.

  For example, the high-mount stop lamp is installed at the rear of the vehicle body, the upper surface of the trunk lid, the upper surface of the rear end of the roof panel, etc., and an example thereof is shown in FIG.

  3 is a plan sectional view of a high-mount stop lamp. The illustrated high-mount stop lamp 101 includes a housing 102 that is long in the lateral direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) and a convex curved outer lens 103 that covers the opening. In the lamp chamber 104 defined by the above, a substrate 105 that is long in the horizontal direction and a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) 106 that are mounted on the substrate 105 at appropriate intervals in the horizontal direction are accommodated. Here, each LED 106 is mounted on the substrate 105 by inserting the lead wire 110 into the substrate 105 and soldering and fixing the insertion portion.

  However, in the high-mount stop lamp 101 including the outer lens 103 that is curved in a convex curved surface, if a configuration in which a plurality of LEDs 106 are linearly arranged on the substrate 105 is employed, the distance between the LEDs 106 and the outer lens 103 is inconsistent. There is a problem that uniform light emission cannot be obtained over the entire lateral direction.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a vehicular lamp as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

  That is, FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of the vehicle lamp proposed in Patent Document 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4, and the illustrated vehicle lamp 201 is a high-mount stop lamp. Also in the lamp chamber 204 defined by the housing 202 that is long in the lateral direction (left and right in FIG. 4) and the convex curved outer lens 203 that covers the opening, a substrate 205 that is long in the lateral direction, A plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) 206 mounted at appropriate intervals in the horizontal direction are accommodated.

  Here, the substrate 205 is obtained by punching out a single flat plate with a fan shape, and is configured as a horizontally long arc-shaped strip in accordance with the curved surface shape of the outer lens 203. It is stored horizontally. A plurality of LEDs 206 are attached to the substrate 205 by lead wires 210 bent in an L shape as shown in FIG. With this configuration, the distance between each LED 206 and the outer lens 2-3 is constant, so that uniform light emission can be obtained over the entire lateral direction.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-045574

  However, in the vehicle lamp 201 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 proposed in Patent Document 1, a forming process for bending the lead wire 210 of the LED 206 into an L shape before the LED 206 is mounted on the substrate 205 is necessary. In addition, since the LED 206 including the lead wire 210 bent in an L shape cannot be automatically mounted on the substrate 205 by an automatic mounting machine, it is actually necessary for the operator to manually mount the LEDs 206 side by side. There is a problem that the number of assembling steps increases and the cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the target process is that it can be assembled without increasing the number of assembling steps or increasing the cost, and can emit light uniformly over the entire arrangement direction of the light emitting elements. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular lamp that can be obtained.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a flat substrate and a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on the flat substrate are accommodated in a lamp chamber defined by a housing and an outer lens covering the opening. A light guide inner lens that guides the light emitted from each light emitting element to the outer lens side is disposed for each light emitting element, and each tip of the plurality of light guide inner lenses, the outer lens, The height of each of the light guide inner lenses is set so that the distance between them is constant.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the light emitting element is constituted by a bullet-type LED, and each tip portion of the light guide inner lens is bullet-shaped.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the plurality of light guide inner lenses are formed so as to be adjacent to each other along the lateral direction of the lamp, and the height of the plurality of light guide inner lenses is The adjacent light guide inner lenses are different from each other.

  According to the present invention, the light guide inner lens that guides the light emitted from each light emitting element to the outer lens side is disposed in the lamp chamber for each light emitting element, and therefore, the distance between the light emitting element mounted on the flat substrate and the outer lens. Even if is not constant, by setting the height of each light guide inner lens so that the distance between each tip of the plurality of light guide inner lenses and the outer lens is constant, from the tip of each light guide inner lens The intensity of the light emitted and passing through the outer lens can be made the same, and uniform light emission can be obtained throughout the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements.

  In addition, since the plurality of light emitting elements are automatically mounted on the flat substrate using an automatic mounting machine, the vehicle lamp can be efficiently assembled without increasing the number of assembly steps or increasing the cost. .

  In addition, the light emitting element is composed of a bullet-type LED, and each tip portion of the light guide inner lens is formed into a bullet shape according to the tip shape of the bullet-type LED, so that the light is emitted directly from the bullet-type LED. As a result, it is possible to prevent the design from being deteriorated by using the light guide inner lens.

It is a plane sectional view of the vehicular lamp concerning the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a plane sectional view of the conventional high mount stop lamp. It is a plane sectional view of the vehicular lamp proposed in patent documents 1. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a vehicular lamp according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, and the vehicular lamp 1 shown in the figure is a transparent outer lens 3 covering a housing 2 and its opening. In the lamp chamber 4 defined by the above, a flat planar substrate 5 and a plurality (six in the illustrated example) mounted on the planar substrate 5 at appropriate intervals in the lateral direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). A bullet-type LED (hereinafter simply referred to as LED) 6, a light guide lens unit 7 and an extension 8 are accommodated.

  The light exit surface of the outer lens 3 forms a slope, and its height gradually decreases from the right side in FIG. 1 along the left direction. Therefore, the distance between the outer lens 3 and each LED 6 is not constant in the lateral direction, and gradually increases toward the right side of FIG. Therefore, as it is (when the light guide lens unit 7 is not used), the intensity of the light emitted from the outer lens 3 gradually decreases along the right direction, and uniform light emission can be obtained over the entire lateral direction. I can't.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the flat substrate 5 is attached to the inner surface of the housing 2 with the two screws 9 in a state where the mounting surface of the LED 6 stands in the vertical direction so as to face the outer lens 3 side. Then, the two lead wires 10 extending from each LED 6 are inserted as they are into the flat substrate 5 without being bent, and each LED 6 is automatically mounted by an automatic mounting machine (not shown) by soldering the insertion portion. Is done.

  The light guide lens unit 7 is fixed to the housing 2 by inserting an insertion rib formed at one end thereof into an engaging groove 2 a formed in the housing 2 and fastening the other end to the housing 2 with a screw 11. However, a total of six light guide inner lenses 7A in a columnar shape are integrally formed so as to protrude toward the outer lens 3 at locations facing each LED 6. Here, the height of the plurality of light guide inner lenses 7 </ b> A is set so that the distance between the tip and the outer lens 3 is constant. Specifically, the light guide inner lens 7 </ b> A is set so that its height increases toward the right side in FIG. 1. Further, the surface of each light guide inner lens 7 </ b> A facing each LED 6 is a concave light incident surface, and the tip is formed in a bullet shape in accordance with the bullet shape of the LED 6.

  Furthermore, the extension 8 is disposed so as to cover the gaps around the plurality of light guide inner lenses 7A, and a concave curved reflection is formed around the portion where the tip of each light guide inner lens 7A penetrates. Each surface 8a is formed.

  Thus, when a current is supplied to the plurality of LEDs 6 from a power source (not shown) and these LEDs 6 are activated, the light emitted from each LED 6 is the light of the corresponding light guide inner lens 7A of the light guide lens unit 7. The light enters the light guide inner lens 7A from the incident surface, proceeds in the tip direction while being totally reflected in the light guide inner lens 7A, is emitted from the tip of the light guide inner lens 7A, and is reflected by the reflection surface 8a of the extension 8. Then, the light passes through the outer lens 3 and is irradiated upward in FIG. The light that has not entered the light guide inner lens 7A from the light incident surface of each light guide inner lens 7A is blocked by the back surface of the extension 8 and does not leak outside.

  In the above, in the vehicular lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, since the light guide inner lens 7A that guides the light emitted from each LED 6 to the outer lens 3 side is disposed in the lamp chamber 4 for each LED 6, a flat substrate 5, even if the distance between the LED 6 mounted on the outer lens 3 and the outer lens 3 is not constant, each light guide inner lens 7 </ b> A has a constant distance between each tip of the plurality of light guide inner lenses 7 </ b> A and the outer lens 3. By setting the height, the intensity of the light emitted from the tip of each light guide inner lens 7A and passing through the outer lens 3 can be made the same, and the entire array direction (lateral direction) of the plurality of LEDs 6 is extended. Uniform light emission can be obtained.

  Further, since the plurality of LEDs 6 are automatically mounted on the flat substrate 5 using an automatic mounting machine, the vehicle lamp 1 can be efficiently assembled without increasing the number of assembly steps or increasing the cost. it can.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the LED 6 is formed of a bullet-type LED, and each tip portion of each light guide inner lens 7A is formed in a bullet shape according to the tip shape of the bullet-type LED 6, so that it looks as if it is a bullet-type LED 6 Thus, the image is as if the light is directly emitted from the light, and the deterioration of the design due to the use of the light guide inner lens 7A of the vehicular lamp 1 is prevented.

  In the above embodiment, the bullet-type LED is used as the light emitting element, but a laser diode or the like can be used as the light emitting element in addition to the LED.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle lamp 2 Housing 2a Housing engaging groove 3 Outer lens 4 Lamp chamber 5 Planar substrate 6 Cannonball type LED (light emitting element)
7 Light guide lens unit 7A Light guide inner lens 7a Insertion rib of light guide lens unit 8 Extension 8a Reflection surface of extension 9 Screw 10 Lead wire 11 Screw

Claims (3)

In a vehicular lamp comprising a flat board and a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on the flat board in a lamp chamber defined by an outer lens covering the housing and an opening thereof,
A light guide inner lens that guides the light emitted from each light emitting element to the outer lens side is provided for each light emitting element, and the distance between each tip of the plurality of light guide inner lenses and the outer lens is constant. A vehicle lamp characterized in that the height of each light guide inner lens is set.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element is formed of a bullet-type LED, and each tip portion of the light guide inner lens has a bullet shape. The plurality of light guide inner lenses are formed so as to be adjacent to each other in the lateral direction of the lamp, and the height of the plurality of light guide inner lenses is different between the adjacent light guide inner lenses. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1.

Images