JP2014197690A - Light-emitting module and vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for achieving desired light distribution characteristics with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A light-emitting module 32 comprises: a plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements 42a-42d; a substrate 34 for supporting the plurality of arranged semiconductor light-emitting elements; and a plate-like phosphor layer 44 which is provided so as to face light-emitting surfaces 43a-43d of the plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements and converts the wavelength of light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting elements. The phosphor layer 44 has light-shielding parts 58b, 58c, and 58d formed at boundaries between regions which respectively face the light-emitting surfaces of adjacent semiconductor light-emitting elements.

Description

  The present invention relates to a light emitting module including a light emitting element.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an illumination device for a vehicle that attempts to realize an arbitrary light distribution by arranging a large number of semiconductor light sources in a matrix and selectively turning on a semiconductor light source at a specific portion is known (for example, Patent Documents). 1 to 3).

JP 2003-45210 A Special table 2003-503253 gazette JP 2001-266620 A

  However, in the illumination device as described above, when a part of the semiconductor light sources is turned off in order to realize a desired light distribution, the light emitted from the semiconductor light source that is turned on adjacent to the turned off semiconductor light source is turned off. Corresponding to the semiconductor light source, there is a possibility of leaking to an area where light is not originally irradiated. For this reason, the leaked light becomes glare for a target that originally exists in a region that is not irradiated with light.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for realizing a desired light distribution characteristic with high accuracy.

  In order to solve the above problems, a light-emitting module according to an aspect of the present invention faces a plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements, a substrate that supports the plurality of arranged semiconductor light-emitting elements, and a light-emitting surface of the plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements. And a plate-shaped light wavelength conversion member that converts the wavelength of light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element. The light wavelength conversion member has a light shielding portion formed at the boundary of each region facing each of the light emitting surfaces of adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements.

  According to this aspect, even if a part of the light of at least one semiconductor light emitting element is irradiated toward the light wavelength conversion member in the region facing the light emitting surface of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element, it is blocked by the light shielding portion. Therefore, the light emitted from the at least one semiconductor light emitting element is suppressed from shining the light wavelength conversion member in the region facing the light emitting surface of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element.

  The light shielding portion may be configured by filling a groove formed in the light wavelength conversion member with a light shielding material that prevents light transmission. Thereby, the light-shielding part can be formed as it is, without cutting the light wavelength conversion member into a plurality of members.

  The groove may be formed on the surface of the light wavelength conversion member on the light emission side. Thereby, even after the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements are fixed to the light wavelength conversion member, processing from the light emitting side where the semiconductor light emitting elements are not fixed can be easily performed.

  The light wavelength conversion member may be made of an inorganic material. Thereby, it becomes easy to obtain a plate-shaped light wavelength conversion member. Moreover, highly accurate processing can be easily performed.

  Each of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements may be configured to be dimmable individually. Thereby, the several light distribution pattern from which an irradiation area differs can be obtained.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicular lamp. The vehicular lamp includes a light emitting module and a control circuit that performs dimming control for each group when a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements included in the light emitting module are divided into a plurality of groups.

  According to this aspect, desired light distribution characteristics can be realized with high accuracy.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a representation obtained by converting the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, and the like are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which implement | achieves a desired light distribution characteristic with high precision can be provided.

It is a schematic structure figure of the lamp body unit which constitutes the vehicular headlamp device concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 2nd lamp unit contained in the lamp main body unit of this Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the light emitting module which concerns on 1st Embodiment. For example, a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen disposed at a position 25 meters ahead of the vehicle by light irradiated forward from the left and right lamp body units of the vehicle headlamp device according to the present embodiment. FIG. It is the figure which looked at the light emitting module concerning this embodiment from the light emission side. It is the figure which looked at the modification of the light emitting module which concerns on this Embodiment from the light-projection side. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the light emitting unit suitable for this Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the light emitting module which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the light emitting module which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the light emitting module which concerns on the modification concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the light emitting module which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram explaining the structure of the irradiation control part of a vehicle headlamp apparatus, and the vehicle control part by the side of a vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

  The vehicle headlamp device according to the present embodiment includes a lamp unit that emits light capable of forming a partial region of a high beam light distribution pattern, and an irradiation control unit that controls the light irradiation state of the lamp unit. Prepare. And an irradiation control part controls the irradiation state of light so that the partial area | region of the light distribution pattern for high beams may be formed by the partial area | region divided | segmented into multiple at least by the vehicle width direction. In addition, the intensity of the irradiation light corresponding to each partial area is individually adjusted to switch between the high beam irradiation mode and the daytime lighting irradiation mode to form a light intensity distribution suitable for the high beam irradiation mode and a light intensity distribution suitable for the daytime lighting irradiation mode. .

  FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a lamp body unit constituting the vehicle headlamp device according to the present embodiment. The vehicle headlamp device according to the present embodiment includes a pair of lamp body units at the left and right ends in the vehicle width direction of the front portion of the vehicle. And the irradiation as a vehicle headlamp apparatus is completed by superimposing the light distribution pattern irradiated from the left and right lamp body units in front of the vehicle. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a lamp body unit 10 arranged on the right side of the left and right lamp body units. FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the lamp body unit 10 cut from a horizontal plane and seen from above for easy understanding. The lamp body unit arranged on the left side has a symmetrical structure with the lamp body unit 10 arranged on the right side, and the basic structure is the same. Therefore, the description of the lamp body unit 10 disposed on the left side is omitted by describing the lamp body unit 10 disposed on the right side. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the direction in which the light from the lamp is irradiated may be described as the vehicle front (front side) and the opposite side as the vehicle rear (rear side).

  The lamp body unit 10 includes a translucent cover 12, a lamp body 14, an extension 16, a first lamp unit 18, and a second lamp unit 20. The lamp body 14 is formed into a cup shape having a long and narrow opening with resin or the like. The translucent cover 12 is formed of a translucent resin or the like, and is attached to the lamp body 14 so as to close the opening of the lamp body 14. Thus, the lamp body 14 and the translucent cover 12 form a lamp chamber that is substantially a closed space, and the extension 16, the first lamp unit 18, and the second lamp unit 20 are disposed in the lamp chamber.

  The extension 16 has an opening for passing the irradiation light from the first lamp unit 18 and the second lamp unit 20 and is fixed to the lamp body 14. The first lamp unit 18 is disposed outside the second lamp unit 20 in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. The first lamp unit 18 is a so-called parabolic lamp unit, and forms a low beam light distribution pattern to be described later.

  The first lamp unit 18 includes a reflector 22, a light source bulb 24, and a shade 26. The reflector 22 is formed in a cup shape, and an insertion hole is provided in the center. In the present embodiment, the light source bulb 24 is configured by an incandescent lamp having a filament such as a halogen lamp. The light source bulb 24 may employ other types of light sources such as a discharge lamp. The light source bulb 24 is inserted into the insertion hole of the reflector 22 so as to protrude inside, and is fixed to the reflector 22. The reflector 22 has a curved inner surface so as to reflect the light emitted from the light source bulb 24 toward the front of the vehicle. The shade 26 blocks light that travels directly from the light source bulb 24 toward the front of the vehicle. Since the structure of the 1st lamp unit 18 is well-known, the detailed description regarding the 1st lamp unit 18 is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the second lamp unit 20 included in the lamp body unit 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the second lamp unit 20 cut from a horizontal plane and viewed from above. The second lamp unit 20 includes a holder 28, a projection lens 30, a light emitting module 32, and a heat sink 38. The 2nd lamp unit 20 is a lamp unit which irradiates the light which can form all or one part area | regions of the high beam light distribution pattern. That is, the second lamp unit 20 forms the high beam light distribution pattern on the low beam light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 18 in the high beam irradiation mode. By adding the high-beam light distribution pattern to the low-beam light distribution pattern, the irradiation range is widened as a whole, and the distance viewing performance is improved. Further, the second lamp unit 20 irradiates light alone in the daytime lighting irradiation mode, so that it is easy to recognize the presence of the vehicle by an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian during daytime, so-called daylighting lamp. It functions as a time running lamp (DRL).

  The projection lens 30 is a plano-convex aspheric lens having a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and projects a light source image formed on the rear focal plane onto a virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp as a reverse image. To do. The projection lens 30 is attached to one opening of a holder 28 formed in a cylindrical shape.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the light emitting module according to the first embodiment. The light emitting module 32 includes a first light emitting unit 36a, a second light emitting unit 36b, a third light emitting unit 36c, a fourth light emitting unit 36d, and a substrate 34 that supports the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d. . Note that the light emitting units 36a to 36d are collectively referred to as the light emitting unit 36 unless otherwise distinguished. The substrate 34 according to the present embodiment is a mounting substrate.

  The light emitting module 32 emits light of a high beam light distribution pattern, and is configured to selectively irradiate a part of a plurality of regions divided into a plurality in the vehicle width direction. In the case of the present embodiment, a high beam light distribution pattern is formed by combining the irradiation areas divided corresponding to the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d. The number of divisions can be determined according to the performance required in the high beam irradiation mode or the daytime lighting irradiation mode. For example, the number of divided regions may be more or less than four as long as it is plural, and may be an odd number or an even number.

  Each of the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d is formed in a rectangular shape, and is arranged in a straight line on the substrate 34 so as to form a belt shape in the order of the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d. The 1st light emission unit 36a-the 4th light emission unit 36d can be comprised by the light source which can control luminous intensity separately, for example. That is, the second lamp unit 20 is a multi-lamp light source.

  The light source constituting the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d includes a semiconductor light emitting element, for example, an LED element having a square light emitting surface of about 1 mm square. Needless to say, the light source of the light emitting unit 36 is not limited to this, and may be another element-like light source that emits light in a substantially dot-like manner, such as a laser diode.

  The heat sink 38 is formed in a shape having a large number of fins from a metal such as aluminum, and is attached to the back surface of the substrate 34. In this way, by configuring the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d with LED light sources, the light emitting state of each light emitting unit 36 can be adjusted with high accuracy. As a result, desired light distribution characteristics can be realized with high accuracy in a high beam irradiation mode and a daytime lighting irradiation mode, which will be described later.

  In the light emitting module 32, the substrate 34 is attached to the other opening of the holder 28 so that the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d are arranged in the order from the left in the holder 28. Each of the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d emits light, thereby projecting each image on a virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp.

  FIG. 4 is formed on a virtual vertical screen disposed, for example, at a position 25 meters ahead of the vehicle by light emitted forward from the left and right lamp body units 10 of the vehicle headlamp device according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows a light distribution pattern.

  The low beam light distribution pattern PL is formed by the first lamp unit 18. The low beam light distribution pattern PL is a left light distribution low beam light distribution pattern used in a left-hand traffic area, and has a first cut-off line CL1 to a third cut-off line CL3 at an upper end edge thereof. The first cut-off line CL1 and the third cut-off line CL3 extend in the horizontal direction at the left and right steps with the vertical line V-V set in the lamp front direction as a boundary. The first cut-off line CL1 extends in the horizontal direction below the horizontal line HH set on the right side of the vertical line VV and in the front direction of the lamp. For this reason, the first cutoff line CL1 is used as an oncoming lane cutoff line.

  The third cutoff line CL3 extends obliquely at an inclination angle of, for example, 45 ° from the left end portion of the first cutoff line CL1 toward the upper left. The second cutoff line CL2 extends on the horizontal line HH on the left side from the intersection of the third cutoff line CL3 and the horizontal line HH. For this reason, the second cutoff line CL2 is used as the own lane side cutoff line. In the low beam light distribution pattern PL, the elbow point E, which is the intersection of the first cut-off line CL1 and the vertical line VV, is located about 0.5 to 0.6 ° below the intersection HV. The hot zone HZ, which is a high luminous intensity region, is formed by adjusting the shape of the reflector 22 so as to surround the elbow point E slightly from the left, thereby improving the visibility on the own lane side.

  The additional light distribution pattern PA, which is a partial region of the high beam light distribution pattern, is formed by the irradiation light from the second lamp unit 20. The additional light distribution pattern PA is formed in a strip shape including the horizontal line HH and extending in the horizontal direction.

  The additional light distribution pattern PA is divided into four rectangular areas arranged in the horizontal direction according to the number of the light emitting units 36. Hereinafter, these regions are referred to as a first partial region PA1 to a fourth partial region PA4 in order from the right, and a boundary line between adjacent partial regions is referred to as a division line. The dividing line between the second partial area PA2 and the third partial area PA3 is set to 0 ° and corresponds to the vertical line V-V.

  The first partial area PA1 is formed by the irradiation light of the first light emitting unit 36a. The second partial area PA2 is formed by the irradiation light of the second light emitting unit 36b. The third partial area PA3 is formed by the third light emitting unit 36c. The fourth partial area PA4 is formed by the fourth light emitting unit 36d.

  As will be described in detail later, the first light emitting unit 36a to the fourth light emitting unit 36d are based on information from a driver's operation or a device mounted on the vehicle and detecting a forward vehicle or a pedestrian such as an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle. It is possible to turn on / off or dimm each of a plurality of individual or grouped units. Thereby, the several light distribution pattern from which an irradiation area differs can be obtained. Therefore, the glare given to the forward vehicle or the pedestrian can be suppressed by turning off the light emitting unit 36 that irradiates the area where the forward vehicle or the pedestrian exists in the first partial area PA1 to the fourth partial area PA4.

  For example, when there is an oncoming vehicle that travels in the opposite lane to the host vehicle, it is possible to prevent glare from the driver of the oncoming vehicle by turning off the first light emitting unit 36a and the second light emitting unit 36b. Further, when there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the own vehicle, it is possible to prevent glare from being given to the preceding driver by turning off the second light emitting unit 36b and the third light emitting unit 36c. Further, when there is a pedestrian traveling on the roadside zone of the road, glare can be prevented from being given to the pedestrian by turning off the first light emitting unit 36a and the fourth light emitting unit 36d. In this way, the plurality of light emitting units 36 are partially turned off and the remaining light emitting units 36 are turned on so that the oncoming vehicle, the preceding vehicle, the pedestrian, etc. do not feel glare. Securement becomes possible.

  By the way, when a light distribution pattern is formed by combining the areas irradiated by each of the plurality of light emitting units 36, it is desirable that there are no gaps (non-irradiated areas) between the areas. From such a viewpoint, the configuration of the light emitting module 32 is set in a direction in which the boundary portions of the irradiation regions of the respective light emitting units 36 overlap. On the other hand, if there are many overlaps between the borders of the irradiation areas, when some of the light emitting units 36 are turned off and other light emitting units 36 are turned on, the light of the light emitting units 36 that are turned on is turned off. It will leak to the irradiation area | region of a light emission unit, and will also give a glare with respect to the preceding vehicle and pedestrian which exist in the area | region.

  Thus, as a result of intensive studies by the inventors, the inventors have conceived that light emitted from a light emitting unit that is lit is shielded by providing a light wavelength conversion member such as a phosphor layer with a light shielding portion. Thereby, even if the adjacent light emitting units are turned off, glare given to the preceding vehicle or pedestrian existing in the partial region corresponding to the turned off light emitting units is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting module 32 according to the present embodiment includes a first light emitting unit 36a to a fourth light emitting unit 36d. The first light emitting unit 36a includes a semiconductor light emitting element 42a. The second light emitting unit 36b includes a semiconductor light emitting element 42b. The third light emitting unit 36c includes a semiconductor light emitting element 42c. The fourth light emitting unit 36d includes a semiconductor light emitting element 42d. A phosphor layer 44 is provided so as to face the light emitting surfaces 43a to 43d of the semiconductor light emitting elements 42a to 42d. The phosphor layer 44 functions as a light wavelength conversion member that converts the wavelength of the light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting elements 42a to 42d facing each other and emits the light.

  The phosphor layer 44 includes light shielding portions 58a to 58e. The light shielding portion 58b is formed at the boundary between the regions 60a and 60b facing the light emitting surfaces 43a and 43b of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42a and 42b. The light shielding portion 58c is formed at the boundary between the regions 60b and 60c facing the light emitting surfaces 43b and 43c of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42b and 42c. The light shielding portion 58d is formed at the boundary between the regions 60c and 60d facing the light emitting surfaces 43c and 43d of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42c and 42d.

  Therefore, even if a part of the light of the semiconductor light emitting element 42a is irradiated toward the phosphor layer 44 in the region 60b facing the light emitting surface 43b of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element 42b, it is blocked by the light shielding portion 58b. Further, even if a part of the light of the semiconductor light emitting element 42b is irradiated toward the phosphor layer 44 in the region facing the light emitting surfaces 43a and 43c of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42a and 42c, the light shielding portions 58b and 58c. Blocked. Further, even if a part of the light of the semiconductor light emitting element 42c is irradiated toward the phosphor layer 44 in the region facing the light emitting surfaces 43b and 43d of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42b and 42d, the light shielding parts 58c and 58d. Blocked. Further, even if part of the light of the semiconductor light emitting element 42d is irradiated toward the phosphor layer 44 in the region 60c facing the light emitting surface 43c of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element 42c, it is blocked by the light shielding portion 58c.

  As described above, in the light emitting module 32 according to the present embodiment, the phosphor layer 44 in the region facing the light emitting surface of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element is suppressed from being illuminated by the light emitted from at least one semiconductor light emitting element. . As a result, for example, when the light emitting unit 36a is turned on and the light emitting unit 36b adjacent to the light emitting unit 36a is turned off, the irradiation target area of the light emitting unit 36b is prevented from being unintentionally illuminated. Further, even if a part of the light of at least one semiconductor light emitting element is irradiated toward the irradiation region of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element, it is blocked by the light shielding portion provided in the phosphor layer 44. Therefore, when the semiconductor light emitting element adjacent to the lit semiconductor light emitting element is turned off, the irradiation target area of the light emitting unit including the turned off semiconductor light emitting element is prevented from being unintentionally illuminated.

  The phosphor layer 44 according to the present embodiment is provided with light shielding portions 58a and 58e at the outermost part. Accordingly, unintentional illumination of the left and right outer regions of the light distribution pattern PA shown in FIG. 4 is suppressed.

  The material to be filled in the light shielding part and the configuration of the light shielding part may be any as long as at least incident light is prevented from being transmitted as it is. As a filling material for the light shielding portion, a material having a light transmittance lower than that of at least the phosphor layer 44 is preferable, and for example, it is appropriately selected from various opaque materials such as a resin composition, a metal, and a dielectric. The opaque material need not exhibit light absorption over the entire wavelength range of electromagnetic waves, and may be any material that exhibits absorption in at least the wavelength range of light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element. For example, ultraviolet light or blue light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element may be selectively shielded.

  The light shielding part may function as a reflecting member. For example, a highly reflective resin composition, metal, dielectric, and the like can be given. In addition, the light shielding portion may be one in which a metal film or a dielectric thin film is formed on the boundary surface with the phosphor layer. For example, a reflective film in which dielectric thin films having a high refractive index and a low refractive index are alternately stacked may be provided in the light shielding portion. Further, the light may be reflected on the surface of the light shielding part by utilizing the difference in refractive index between the phosphor layer and the light shielding part. In this case, the refractive index of the substance filled in the light shielding portion is preferably lower than the refractive index of the substance constituting the phosphor layer. Further, the shape of the light shielding portion is not limited to a polygon having a square cross section as shown in FIG. 3, and may be a thin shape such as a light shielding film. Moreover, the light shielding part may be provided so as to penetrate the phosphor layer.

  Note that the light shielding portions 58a and 58e and the light shielding portions 58b, 58c and 58d shown in FIG. 3 may be made of the same material or different materials.

  FIG. 5 is a view of the light emitting module 32 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the light emitting side. As shown in FIG. 5, the phosphor layer 44 is divided into a plurality of regions 60a, 60b, 60c, and 60d by light shielding portions 58b, 58c, and 58d. In addition, as a manufacturing method of the phosphor layer 44, there is a method in which a plurality of light shielding portions and each region constituting the phosphor layer are formed by integral molding. For example, each region constituting the phosphor layer and each light shielding It is also possible to create a plurality of members combined with a portion and arrange the semiconductor light emitting elements on the substrate 34 and then mount them on the top thereof. FIG. 6 is a view of a modification of the light emitting module according to the present embodiment as viewed from the light emitting side. In the phosphor layer 144 in the light emitting module 132, the regions 60a to 60d constituting the light wavelength conversion member are provided inside the integrated light shielding portion 158.

  Examples of the material used for the light wavelength conversion member include a resin composition or a glass composition in which a powdered phosphor is dispersed, and a fluorescent ceramic described later. In particular, fluorescent ceramics, which are inorganic materials, can be easily formed into various shapes and processed with high accuracy. Therefore, the fluorescent ceramic is particularly suitable for use as a plate-like light wavelength conversion member. As the semiconductor light emitting element, the above-described LED element is suitable, but the emission wavelength may be not only in the visible light range but also in the ultraviolet light range.

  Next, the light emitting unit 36 including the semiconductor light emitting element 42 will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a light emitting unit suitable for the present embodiment. The light emitting unit 36 includes a growth substrate 40, a semiconductor light emitting element 42 grown on the growth substrate 40, and a phosphor layer 44. The light emitting unit 36 is supported by the substrate 34. The substrate 34 is appropriately selected from, for example, glass epoxy resin, polyimide resin, stainless steel such as SUS, Cu, AlN, SiC, Si, and the like. The growth substrate 40 is a crystal having an appropriate lattice constant for producing the semiconductor light emitting device 42, and preferably has a light transmitting property. In the light emitting unit 36 according to the present embodiment, sapphire is used as the growth substrate 40.

  In the light emitting unit 36 shown in FIG. 7, a plate-like phosphor layer 44 is provided so as to face the light emitting surface of the semiconductor light emitting element 42 with the growth substrate 40 interposed therebetween. The semiconductor light emitting element 42 is configured by an LED element. In the present embodiment, a blue LED that mainly emits light having a blue wavelength is employed as the semiconductor light emitting element 42. Specifically, the semiconductor light emitting device 42 includes an n-type semiconductor layer 46 and a p-type semiconductor layer 48 that are crystal-grown on a sapphire growth substrate 40, and a light-emitting layer 50 formed therebetween. Since the semiconductor light emitting element 42 emits light mainly in the light emitting layer 50, the upper surface of the light emitting layer 50 can be regarded as a light emitting surface. The semiconductor light emitting element 42 is flip-chip mounted on the substrate 34 via the bumps 52. Of course, the configuration of the semiconductor light emitting element 42 and the wavelength of the emitted light are not limited to those described above.

  The phosphor layer 44 is a light wavelength conversion member and is composed of at least a light wavelength conversion ceramic. The light wavelength conversion ceramic is formed in a plate shape having a thickness of 1 μm or more and less than 5000 μm, preferably 10 μm or more and less than 1000 μm, and is processed according to the size of the semiconductor light emitting element 42. Of course, the size of the light wavelength conversion ceramic is not limited to this. In the phosphor layer 44 according to the present embodiment, a light shielding portion 58 is formed at the boundary of each region facing each light emitting surface of an adjacent semiconductor light emitting element.

  Light wavelength conversion ceramics are so-called luminescent ceramics or fluorescent ceramics, which are produced by sintering a ceramic substrate made of YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) powder, which is a phosphor excited by blue light. Can be obtained. Since the manufacturing method of such a light wavelength conversion ceramic is well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. The light wavelength conversion ceramic thus obtained can suppress light diffusion on the surface of the powder, unlike a powdered phosphor, for example, and the loss of light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element 42 is very small.

  In addition, when YAG powder is used as the phosphor, the material filled in the light shielding portion 58 preferably has a refractive index of about 1.8 or less. In this case, a part of the light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element 42 is shielded by the light shielding portion 58 and, in some cases, total reflection occurs, and light is prevented from being absorbed unnecessarily.

  The light wavelength conversion ceramic converts the wavelength of blue light mainly emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element 42 and emits yellow light. For this reason, the light emitting unit 36 emits combined light of blue light that has passed through the phosphor layer 44 as it is and yellow light whose wavelength has been converted by the light wavelength conversion ceramic. Thus, the light emitting unit 36 can emit white light.

  The semiconductor light emitting element 42 may be one that mainly emits light having a wavelength other than blue. Also in this case, a material that converts the wavelength of the main light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element 42 is employed as the light wavelength conversion ceramic. In this case, the light wavelength conversion ceramic also changes the wavelength of the light emitted by the semiconductor light emitting element 42 so that the light having the wavelength of white or near white is combined with the light having the wavelength mainly emitted by the semiconductor light emitting element 42. It may be converted.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the light emitting module according to the second embodiment. Note that description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted as appropriate. In the light emitting module 132 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of grooves 62 are formed on the light emitting side surface of the phosphor layer 244. Thereby, even after the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements 42a to 42d are fixed to the phosphor layer 244, processing from the light emitting side where the semiconductor light emitting elements are not fixed can be easily performed. Each groove 62 is filled with a light shielding material that prevents transmission of light in the same manner as the material described in the first embodiment, thereby constituting light shielding portions 158b, 158c, and 158d. Thereby, the light-shielding portions 158b, 158c, and 158d can be formed as a single unit without cutting the light wavelength conversion member into a plurality of members.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a light emitting module according to a modification of the second embodiment. In the light emitting module 232, a plurality of grooves 162 are formed on the surface of the phosphor layer 244 facing the semiconductor element. As a result, each groove 162 is filled with a light shielding material that prevents transmission of light in the same manner as the material described in the first embodiment, thereby constituting light shielding portions 258b, 258c, and 258d. Thereby, the light-shielding portions 258b, 258c, and 258d can be formed as a single unit without cutting the light wavelength conversion member into a plurality of members.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a light emitting module according to a modification according to the second embodiment. In the light emitting module 332, thin portions 260a to 260d are formed in part of the phosphor layer 244. The thin-walled portion 260a and the thin-walled portion 260b are formed in a portion of the phosphor layer 44 that is located above the gap between the semiconductor light-emitting element 42a and the semiconductor light-emitting element 42b, and are adjacent to the light-shielding portion 258b. The thin-walled portion 260b and the thin-walled portion 260c are formed in a portion of the phosphor layer 44 located above the gap between the semiconductor light emitting element 42b and the semiconductor light emitting element 42c, and are adjacent to the light shielding portion 258c. The thin-walled portion 260c and the thin-walled portion 260d are formed in a portion of the phosphor layer 44 located above the gap between the semiconductor light-emitting element 42c and the semiconductor light-emitting element 42d, and are adjacent to the light-shielding portion 258d.

  As described above, in the light emitting module 332, the thin portions 260a to 260d are formed in the boundary regions of the light emitting units 36a to 36d in the phosphor layer 244. That is, a portion of the phosphor layer 244 that does not face the semiconductor light emitting element 42 is thinned. Therefore, color unevenness is prevented.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a light emitting module according to the third embodiment. Note that description of the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments is omitted as appropriate. In the light emitting module 432, light shielding portions 358 b to 358 d are provided in part of the phosphor layer 244. The light shielding portion 358b is formed at the boundary between the regions 60a and 60b facing the light emitting surfaces 43a and 43b of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42a and 42b. The light shielding portion 358c is formed at the boundary between the regions 60b and 60c facing the light emitting surfaces 43b and 43c of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42b and 42c. The light shielding portion 358d is formed at the boundary between the regions 60c and 60d facing the light emitting surfaces 43c and 43d of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting elements 42c and 42d.

  The light shielding portions 358b to 358d are provided so as to protrude from the lower surface of the phosphor layer 44 toward the gaps between the semiconductor light emitting elements 42a to 42d. Thereby, it is suppressed that the light radiate | emitted from each semiconductor light emitting element 42 injects into the fluorescent substance layer of the adjacent light emission unit 36. FIG. When the phosphor layer 44 and the semiconductor light emitting element 42 are separated from each other, the lower ends of the light shielding portions 358b to 358d are provided at least below the light emitting surfaces 43a to 43d of the semiconductor light emitting elements 42. Good.

(Vehicle lamp)
FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the irradiation control unit and the vehicle control unit on the vehicle side of the vehicle headlamp device configured as described above. The irradiation control unit 102 of the vehicle headlamp device 100 controls the power supply circuit 108 in accordance with an instruction from the vehicle control unit 106 mounted on the vehicle 104 to control the irradiation of the first lamp unit 18 and the second lamp unit 20. Do.

  A light switch 110, a clock 112, an illuminance sensor 114, a camera 116, and a vehicle speed sensor 118 are connected to the vehicle control unit 106. The light switch 110 switches the low beam irradiation by turning on / off the first lamp unit 18, switches the high beam irradiation by turning on / off the second lamp unit 20 when the first lamp unit 18 is turned on, and turns off the first lamp unit 18. It is a switch for manually switching DRL irradiation by turning on / off the second lamp unit 20.

  The vehicle headlamp device 100 according to the present embodiment detects the surroundings of the vehicle 104 even when the light switch 110 is not operated, and controls the turning on / off of the first lamp unit 18 and the second lamp unit 20. be able to. For example, the clock 112 provides the current date and time or the current season and time to the vehicle control unit 106. When the vehicle control unit 106 can determine that the surroundings of the vehicle 104 are dark enough to turn on the vehicle headlamp device 100 based on the date and time and season, the vehicle control unit 106 instructs the irradiation control unit 102 to turn on the first lamp unit 18. The low beam may be turned on automatically. On the other hand, when the vehicle control unit 106 determines that the lighting of the vehicle headlamp device 100 is not necessary, the dimming lighting command for the second lamp unit 20 is sent to the irradiation control unit 102 to automatically turn on the DRL. You may do it. Further, the vehicle control unit 106 may automatically switch from low beam irradiation to high beam irradiation based on information from the camera 116 when there is no forward vehicle or pedestrian in front of the vehicle.

  As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, when the second lamp unit 20 is turned on together with the first lamp unit 18, if there is an object whose irradiation should be suppressed in the high beam irradiation area, the object exists. The partial area by the irradiation of the second lamp unit 20 corresponding to the position to be turned off is controlled. Here, the object which should suppress irradiation is an oncoming vehicle, a preceding vehicle, a pedestrian, etc. In order to execute such a turn-off control, the vehicle control unit 106 uses image data provided from a camera 116 such as a stereo camera as an object recognition unit. The shooting area of the camera 116 coincides with the virtual vertical screen area. When an image including a feature point indicating a vehicle or a pedestrian held in advance is present in the captured image, it is determined that there is an object whose irradiation should be suppressed in the high beam irradiation region. Then, information is supplied to the irradiation control unit 102 so as to turn off the light emitting unit 36 that forms the partial region corresponding to the position where the object whose irradiation should be suppressed exists. Note that means for detecting an object whose irradiation should be suppressed in the high beam irradiation region can be changed as appropriate, and other detection means such as millimeter wave radar and infrared radar may be used instead of the camera 116. Moreover, you may combine them. Further, based on information from the camera 116, the brightness around the vehicle 104 may be detected to control switching between the high beam irradiation mode and the daytime lighting irradiation mode.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle headlamp device as the vehicle lamp includes a control circuit that individually performs dimming control on a plurality of light emitting units included in the light emitting module. Note that the control circuit may perform dimming control for each group when the plurality of light emitting units included in the light emitting module are divided into a plurality of groups. Such a vehicle headlamp device can realize a desired light distribution characteristic with high accuracy by including the above-described light emitting module.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on each embodiment. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to combinations of the respective constituent elements and processing processes, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. is there.

  In the above-described embodiment, a light-emitting unit that combines a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits blue light and a yellow phosphor has been described. However, as the light-emitting unit, a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits ultraviolet light, and excited by ultraviolet light, And a plurality of phosphors that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively. Alternatively, the light emitting unit may include a semiconductor light emitting element that emits ultraviolet light and a phosphor that is excited by ultraviolet light and emits blue and yellow light.

  In the above-described embodiment, a ceramic material is used as the light wavelength conversion member. Instead, a silicone resin, glass, sol-gel agent, and powder phosphor are mixed and processed into a plate shape. You may use what was done as a light wavelength conversion member. In addition, as a fluorescent substance layer, it is preferable that the light transmittance in wavelength 600nm is 40% or more. The light emitting module according to the present embodiment can be used not only for a vehicle lamp but also for an illumination lamp.

  10 lamp body unit, 20 second lamp unit, 22 reflector, 32 light emitting module, 34 substrate, 36 light emitting unit, 40 growth substrate, 42 semiconductor light emitting element, 43a light emitting surface, 44 phosphor layer, 58 light shielding portion, 60a region, 62 groove, 100 vehicle headlamp device, 102 irradiation control unit, 104 vehicle.

Claims (5)

A plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements;
A substrate that supports the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements arranged;
A plate-shaped light wavelength conversion member that is provided so as to oppose the light emitting surfaces of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements and converts the wavelength of light emitted by the semiconductor light emitting elements,
The light wavelength conversion member is
It is a fluorescent ceramic formed in a plate shape,
A plurality of grooves formed at the boundary of each region facing each light emitting surface of the adjacent semiconductor light emitting element is formed,
A light emitting module, wherein a light shielding portion is provided in the groove.   The light-emitting module according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding portion is configured by filling the groove with a light-shielding material that prevents light transmission.   The light emitting module according to claim 2, wherein the groove is formed on a light emitting side surface of the light wavelength conversion member.   The light emitting module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements is configured to be dimmable individually. The light emitting module according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A control circuit that performs dimming control for each group when the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements included in the light emitting module are divided into a plurality of groups;
A vehicular lamp characterized by comprising:

Images