JP2018055907A - Headlight device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problems that in a headlight device for vehicle, configured of a plurality of light sources, an optical element and a projector lens, the optical element is configured of a plurality of light guide parts for guiding beams from the plurality of light sources, and when the light guide parts are aggregated to configure an emission surface of the optical element, stripe-shaped irregularity is generated in a light distribution pattern so as to lower front visibility of a driver.SOLUTION: A headlight device for vehicle includes a plurality of light sources, an optical element and a projector lens. The optical element includes a plurality of light guide parts transmitting light from the plurality of light sources, and a light mixing unit forming the light guide parts in an integral shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp apparatus using an optical element.

  Cars driving at night have a high accident rate due to poor visibility of the driver. Although it is obliged to turn on the headlight from the viewpoint of safety, if the headlight for driving (hereinafter referred to as high beam) is turned on, the driver of the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle may be dazzled. This can be prevented by turning on a passing headlamp (hereinafter referred to as “low beam”), but it is difficult to secure a sufficient field of view with the low beam.

  In recent years, in order to solve this problem, a technique for recognizing an object such as an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle in front and appropriately controlling the light distribution of the headlamp based on the recognition result has been proposed and spread. It's getting on. For example, there is a technology that uses an image acquired using a front sensor, detects an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle, and controls the headlamp so that the beam is not irradiated or dimmed in the corresponding region. Proposed. Such a technique is called Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB).

  On the other hand, a technique for realizing a plurality of light distribution patterns including a high beam, a low beam, and a partial high beam with one lamp unit has been developed. As background art in this technical field, for example, there is JP-A-2011-63070 (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for forming a plurality of light distribution patterns by rotating a shade having a continuous shape. However, the method described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that loss of light is generated because the light source is always turned on and unnecessary portions are shielded by the shade, so that light use efficiency is reduced. Furthermore, since light is shielded by the physical shape of the shade, a light distribution pattern that does not exist in the shape cannot be realized, and there is a problem that the light distribution pattern is limited. When the light distribution pattern is limited, for example, when a plurality of vehicles appear in front simultaneously, there is a possibility that the light cannot be completely shielded, and the anti-glare effect by ADB cannot be obtained, and the driver feels uncomfortable.

  In order to solve the above problems, there is EP2306065A2 (Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a matrix rather than a shade.

JP 2011-63070 A EP2306065A2 publication

  In Patent Document 2, a plurality of light distribution patterns are realized by irradiating / non-irradiating each area by turning on / off the LED. Since no loss light is generated in this configuration, there is an advantage that the light use efficiency is higher than that of Patent Document 1. In addition, it is possible to realize an arbitrary light distribution pattern, and it is possible to reduce a sense of discomfort to the driver.

  However, the shape of the optical element disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a shape in which a plurality of rods are integrated, and the number of the LEDs is the same as that of the LEDs, so that the light from each LED is independent of each other. Propagate through the rod. That is, the light from each LED reaches the exit surface of the optical element without being mixed. As a result, for example, when the low beam is formed, the luminance unevenness and the color unevenness of the LED are generated, which causes the driver to feel uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and is a vehicle headlamp device using an optical element capable of forming a plurality of light distribution patterns including a high beam, a low beam, and a partial high beam. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle headlamp device whose light distribution pattern reduces a driver's uncomfortable feeling and improves visibility.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is, as an example, a vehicle headlamp device, which includes a plurality of light sources, an optical element, and a projection lens. It is set as the structure provided with the several light guide part which propagates the light from a light source, and the light mixing part which made the light guide part integral.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicular headlamp device that can reduce luminance unevenness and color unevenness of a light source and form a smooth light distribution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of a vehicle headlamp device in Embodiment 1. It is an optical system block diagram of the conventional lamp unit. It is a light distribution map by the optical system structure of the conventional lamp unit. 1 is a configuration diagram of an optical element in Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is another configuration diagram of the optical element in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a low beam forming portion of the optical element in Embodiment 1. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a Fresnel lens portion of a low beam forming portion of the optical element in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a light distribution distribution diagram explaining the effect of the light mixing part of the low beam forming part in Example 1. It is a light distribution distribution diagram explaining the effect of the intensity gradient formation part of the low beam formation part in Example 1. It is a light distribution diagram explaining the effect of curving the light emission part of the low beam formation part in Example 1. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an additional light distribution forming unit of the optical element in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the light distribution pattern of the vehicle headlamp apparatus in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another configuration example of a lamp unit of a vehicle headlamp device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a bird's-eye view showing another configuration example of the lamp unit of the vehicle headlamp device according to the third embodiment. It is a functional block diagram explaining the operation | movement cooperation of the irradiation control part of the lamp unit in Example 4, and the vehicle control part by the side of a vehicle.

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

  An example of a vehicle headlamp apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view for explaining the internal structure of the vehicle headlamp apparatus according to the present embodiment. The vehicle headlamp device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a headlamp unit 110L disposed at the left end portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and a headlamp unit 110R disposed at the right end portion. Since most of the headlight units 110L and 110R have substantially the same configuration except that they have a symmetrical structure, the structure of the left headlight unit 110L will be described below and the right headlight unit 110L will be described. Description of the lamp unit 110R will be omitted as appropriate.

  In FIG. 1, the headlamp unit 110 </ b> L includes a lamp body 212 and a translucent cover 214. The lamp body 212 has an opening in the front direction of the vehicle, and has a detachable cover 212a to be removed when the light source is replaced on the rear side. A translucent cover 214 is connected to an opening in front of the lamp body 212 to form a lamp chamber 216. The lamp chamber 216 houses the lamp unit 10 that irradiates light in the forward direction of the vehicle. A lamp bracket 218 having a pivot mechanism 218 a serving as a swing center of the lamp unit 10 is formed in a part of the lamp unit 10. The lamp bracket 218 is screwed with an aiming adjustment screw 220 that is rotatably supported on the wall surface of the lamp body 212. Therefore, the lamp unit 10 is supported in a state where it can tilt to a predetermined position in the lamp chamber 216 determined by the adjustment state of the aiming adjustment screw 220.

  Further, on the lower surface of the lamp unit 10, a rotating shaft of a swivel actuator 311 for configuring a curved road light distribution variable headlight (Adaptive Front-Lighting System: AFS) that illuminates the traveling direction when traveling on a curved road or the like. 311a is fixed. The swivel actuator 311 is based on the steering amount data provided from the vehicle side, the shape data of the traveling road provided from the navigation system, the relationship between the relative position of the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle including the oncoming vehicle and the preceding vehicle, etc. The lamp unit 10 is swiveled (swiveled) in the traveling direction around the pivot mechanism 218a. As a result, the irradiation area of the lamp unit 10 is directed not to the front of the vehicle but to the tip of the curve road, and the driver's forward visibility is improved. The swivel actuator 311 can be constituted by a stepping motor, for example. When the swivel angle is a fixed value, a solenoid or the like can be used.

  The swivel actuator 311 is fixed to the unit bracket 224. A leveling actuator 313 disposed outside the lamp body 212 is connected to the unit bracket 224. The leveling actuator 313 is composed of, for example, a motor that expands and contracts the rod 313a in the directions of arrows M and N. When the rod 313a extends in the arrow M direction, the lamp unit 10 swings around the pivot mechanism 218a so as to be in a backward tilted posture. Conversely, when the rod 313a is shortened in the direction of the arrow N, the lamp unit 10 swings so as to assume a forward leaning posture with the pivot mechanism 218a as the center. When the lamp unit 10 is tilted forward, leveling adjustment can be performed in which the optical axis is directed downward. By performing such leveling adjustment, the optical axis can be adjusted according to the vehicle posture. As a result, the reach distance of the front irradiation light by the vehicle headlamp device 100 can be adjusted to an optimum distance.

  This leveling adjustment can also be executed according to the vehicle posture while the vehicle is running. For example, when the vehicle is accelerated while traveling, the vehicle posture is a backward leaning posture, and when the vehicle is decelerated, it is a forward leaning posture. Therefore, the irradiation direction of the headlamp unit 110 also fluctuates up and down corresponding to the posture of the vehicle, and the front irradiation distance becomes longer or shorter. Therefore, by executing leveling adjustment of the lamp unit 10 in real time based on the vehicle posture, it is possible to optimally adjust the reach distance of the front irradiation even while traveling. This is sometimes referred to as “auto-leveling”.

  On the inner wall surface of the lamp chamber 216 at the lower position of the lamp unit 10, an irradiation control unit 300 (control unit) that performs turning-on / off control of the lamp unit 10 and formation control of a light distribution pattern is arranged. In the case of FIG. 1, an irradiation control unit 300L for controlling the headlamp unit 110L is arranged. The irradiation control unit 300L also performs control of the swivel actuator 311, the leveling actuator 313, and the like. The headlamp unit 110L may have a dedicated irradiation control unit 300L, or the irradiation control unit 300L provided in the headlamp unit 110L may include each of the headlamp unit 110L and the headlamp unit 110R. Actuator control and light distribution pattern formation control may be collectively controlled.

  The lamp unit 10 can include an aiming adjustment mechanism. For example, an aiming pivot mechanism (not shown) serving as a swing center at the time of aiming adjustment is disposed at a connecting portion between the rod 313a of the leveling actuator 313 and the unit bracket 224. Further, the above-described aiming adjusting screw 220 is disposed on the lamp bracket 218 with a gap in the vehicle width direction. For example, if the two aiming adjustment screws 220 are rotated counterclockwise, the lamp unit 10 is inclined forward with the aiming pivot mechanism as the center, and the optical axis is adjusted downward. Similarly, if the two aiming adjusting screws 220 are rotated in the clockwise direction, the lamp unit 10 is tilted backward with the aiming pivot mechanism as the center, and the optical axis is adjusted upward. Further, if the aiming adjustment screw 220 on the left side in the vehicle width direction is rotated counterclockwise, the lamp unit 10 assumes a right turning posture around the aiming pivot mechanism, and the optical axis is adjusted rightward. Further, if the aiming adjustment screw 220 on the right side in the vehicle width direction is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the lamp unit 10 assumes the left turning posture around the aiming pivot mechanism, and the optical axis is adjusted in the left direction. This aiming adjustment is performed at the time of vehicle shipment, vehicle inspection, and replacement of the headlamp units 110L and 110R. Then, the headlamp units 110L and 110R are adjusted to the posture determined by design, and the formation control of the light distribution pattern of the present embodiment is performed based on this posture.

  The lamp unit 10 includes a plurality of LEDs 1, an optical element 2, a projection lens 3, a heat dissipation component 4, a structural component 5 for holding the component, and an LED substrate 6. The heat dissipating component 4 is composed of, for example, a heat sink or a fan, and the structural component 5 is composed of a lamp housing or the like. A light beam emitted from the LED 1 enters the optical element 2 and propagates with total internal reflection. The exit surface of the optical element 2 is disposed at a position substantially at the focal length f of the projection lens 3, and the light distribution distributed by the exit surface of the optical element 2 is irradiated to the front of the vehicle through the projection lens 3.

  Next, an optical system configuration proposed in Patent Document 2 which is a premise of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an optical system proposed in Patent Document 2. In FIG. In FIG. 2, this optical system configuration includes a plurality of LEDs 1, an optical element 2, and a projection lens 3 as in FIG. 1. The optical element 2 is composed of a plurality of light guides for guiding light rays from the plurality of LEDs 1, and one light guide corresponds to one LED. The exit surface of the optical element 2 is configured by aggregating the exit surfaces of the respective light guides, and the exit surface is disposed so as to be approximately the focal position of the projection lens 3.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a light distribution obtained by the optical system configuration proposed in Patent Document 2. In FIG. FIG. 3 shows the distribution of light distribution obtained on the exit surface of the optical element 2 when the light from the three LEDs 1 is incident on the optical element 2 composed of three light guides as shown in FIG. It is a simulation result. 3A, the horizontal axis indicates the horizontal distance, the vertical axis indicates the vertical distance, and shows the light intensity distribution on the exit surface of the optical element 2. Emits light with a substantially Lambertian distribution, but by repeating total reflection inside the light guide portion, a substantially uniform light intensity distribution is obtained. However, the boundary of each light guide unit becomes a shadow on the exit surface, and the light intensity distribution is such that there is uneven luminance in the horizontal direction. FIG. 3B is a graph plotting the light intensity distribution at Y = 0 mm, which is the center in the vertical direction in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3B, the intensity is almost uniform in each light guide, but the intensity decreases at the boundary of each light guide and is observed as a dark line at a position of about + -2 mm in the horizontal direction. In the optical system proposed in Patent Document 2, since this light distribution distribution is imaged in front of the vehicle by the projection lens 3, a lot of streaky irregularities appear, causing the driver's forward visibility to be significantly reduced. Become. As the number of LEDs 1 increases, the number of light guides also increases, so the number of streaky irregularities also increases.

  Although not shown, color irregularities also occur in the optical element 2 proposed in Patent Document 2. That is, the color temperature of the LED 1 varies from chip to chip. Therefore, the light from each LED 1 independently propagates through the light guide unit, and is emitted from the optical element 2 while maintaining its color temperature. For this reason, even if it is the same white light, bluish white light and yellowish white light will be divided for every irradiation area, and a driver's forward visibility will fall.

  In order to solve these problems, the configuration of the optical element 2 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration diagram of the optical element 2. 4A is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 4B is a perspective view seen from the exit surface side, and FIG. 4C is a front view seen from the exit surface side. As shown in FIG. 4A, the optical element 2 includes a low beam forming unit 20 for forming a low beam light distribution pattern and an additional light distribution forming unit 21 for forming an additional light distribution pattern. . A plurality of LEDs 11 are arranged in an array or matrix near the incident surface of the low beam forming unit 20, and a plurality of LEDs 12 are arranged in an array or matrix near the incident surface of the additional light distribution forming unit 21. Light is emitted from the light emitting unit 27.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the light emitting portion 27 is formed with a cut-off line forming portion 28 necessary for the low beam light distribution pattern.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4A, the manufacturing method of each forming portion is such that the low beam forming portion 20 and the additional light distribution forming portion 21 are individually manufactured with a mold or the like and then bonded with an optical adhesive or the like. Finally, it may be manufactured as one optical element 2 or may be manufactured by integral molding.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram of the optical element 2 at the time of integral molding. In FIG. 5, (A) is a cross-sectional view, and (B) is a perspective view as seen from the exit surface side. As shown in FIG. 5 (A), the portion from the joint of the low beam forming portion 20 and the additional light distribution forming portion 21 to the light emitting portion 27 is a common portion, and the joint portion is shown in FIG. 5 (B). As shown, a cut-off line forming portion 28 is formed. The cut-off line forming portion 28 that is a joint is arranged at the focal length f of the projection lens. Since the pattern irradiated to the position of the focal length f of the projection lens is imaged in front of the vehicle, a cut-off line is formed in front of the vehicle.

  Next, the configuration of the low beam forming unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram in which only the low beam forming unit 20 in FIG. 4 is extracted. 6A is a perspective view, FIG. 6B is a plan view, and FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view. As shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the light emitted from each LED 11 is incident on each light guide portion 24 arranged correspondingly.

  The light guide 24 is formed in a divergent shape in which the width and / or height increases from the side closer to the LED 11 toward the side farther away, whereby the light beam from the LED 11 propagates with total reflection while changing the angle. The shape of the light guide unit in this embodiment is a shape obtained by cutting a quadrangular pyramid, but it may be a shape obtained by cutting a cone. The light propagating through the respective light guides having such a shape by total reflection enters the light mixing unit 25, spreads and mixes in the horizontal direction, and is emitted from the intensity gradient forming unit 26 and the light emitting unit 27. The light mixing unit 25 has a shape in which a plurality of light guide units are integrated, and may have a divergent shape in which the width and / or height increases from the side closer to the LED 11 to the side farther from the LED 11, or a rectangular parallelepiped that does not expand. It may be a shape. As shown in FIG. 6C, the intensity gradient forming unit 26 has a shape having a gradient different from the gradient of the light mixing unit 25. As a result, the propagating light beam can be spread in the vertical direction inside the optical element 2, and the low beam light distribution pattern is smoothly distributed in the vertical direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the light emitting unit 27 includes a cut-off line forming unit 28 and a Fresnel lens unit 29, and is curved. The cut-off line forming unit 28 is formed corresponding to the shape of the cut-off line necessary for the low beam light distribution pattern, and can thereby form a cut-off line in front of the vehicle. Further, the light emitted from the optical element 2 can be condensed by the Fresnel lens unit 29 to increase the incident light to the projection lens 3. This has the effect of improving the lens coupling efficiency. The processing of the Fresnel lens may be one-dimensional or two-dimensional, but the headlamp needs to illuminate the horizontal direction more widely than the vertical direction of the road, so the optical element 2 that forms it also needs to be longer in the horizontal direction In view of this, it may be formed one-dimensionally in such a direction as to collect light in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, by curving the light emitting portion 27, the curvature of field of the projection lens 3 can be reduced, and the cut-off line can be clearly formed. When the light emitting portion 27 is bent in the direction shown in FIG. 6A, the cutoff line can be clarified, but the light propagating through the optical element 2 is refracted outward on the emission surface according to Snell's law. As a result, there is an adverse effect that light that does not enter the lens diameter of the projection lens 3 increases and the lens coupling efficiency decreases. However, in combination with the above-described Fresnel lens unit 29, the Fresnel lens unit 29 has an effect of condensing light that is originally refracted outward, which is effective in improving lens coupling efficiency. Alternatively, the lens coupling efficiency may be improved by forming both ends of the light emitting portion 27 that is most difficult to enter the lens so that the light beam is refracted inward.

  Next, the effect of each component described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows a simulation result of the light distribution in the light emitting portion 27 of the optical element 2 when the light mixing portion 25 is provided. Similar to FIG. 3, in FIG. 8, (A) is a graph plotting the light intensity distribution on the exit surface of the optical element 2, and (B) is a graph plotting the light intensity distribution in the vertical direction Y = 0 mm. Since the light mixing unit 25 has an effect of mixing and mixing the light guided from each LED 11, the luminance unevenness is reduced in FIG. 8 compared to FIG. 3 in the case where the light mixing unit 25 is not provided. It can also be seen that a smooth light distribution with gradation can be realized.

Here, in order to reduce luminance unevenness and form a smooth light distribution pattern for low beam and to improve the visibility of the driver, as shown in FIG. When the length of the light mixing unit is defined as Ll and the length of the light mixing unit is defined as Lm, the shapes of the light guide unit 24 and the light mixing unit 25 may be designed to satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2). .
Ll ≧ 2p (1)
Lm ≧ 6p (2)

  Next, the effect of the intensity gradient forming unit 26 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the horizontal angle, the vertical axis represents the vertical angle, (A) shows the simulation result of the light distribution when the intensity gradient forming unit 26 is not provided, and (B) shows the intensity gradient formation. It is the simulation result of the light distribution in the case of providing the part 26, and both have shown equal illumination distribution. As a result, it can be seen that the density of iso-illuminance lines is higher in FIG. 9B than in FIG. 9A. That is, by providing the intensity gradient forming unit 26 in a direction perpendicular to the light mixing unit 25, the light beam propagating through the light mixing unit 25 gradually spreads toward the intensity gradient forming unit 26. Thereby, it is possible to form the isoilluminance lines in the vertical direction of the light distribution at high density. That is, it is possible to densely form a gradation that is an illuminance gradient. In this way, the low beam light distribution pattern is formed smoothly, and the driver's visibility is improved.

  Note that the intensity gradient forming unit 26 is a two-dimensional intensity gradient forming unit having a gradient not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction, so that gradation can be formed with high density in the horizontal direction. Become.

  Next, the effect of curving the light emitting portion 27 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents the horizontal angle, the vertical axis represents the vertical angle, (A) is the simulation result of the light distribution when the light emitting section 27 is not curved, and (B) is curved. It is the same result. From FIG. 10 (A), it can be seen that due to the curvature of field of the projection lens 3, when the angle is higher than about ± 10 degrees, the focus is not achieved and the cut-off line becomes unclear. In contrast, in FIG. 10B in which the light emitting portion 27 is curved, it can be seen that the cutoff line is in focus up to about ± 20 degrees. That is, by curving the light emitting portion 27, the curvature of field can be reduced and the cut-off line can be clearly formed. The above is the component of the low beam forming part.

  FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the additional light distribution forming unit 21 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the additional light distribution forming unit 21 includes a plurality of light guide units corresponding to the number of LEDs 12, and the light rays from the LEDs 12 propagate through the inside thereof with total reflection. The emission surface of the additional light distribution forming portion 21 is substantially coincident with the low beam forming portion, and by such a shape, light rays propagating through the forming portions are reduced, stray light is prevented, and driver visibility is improved. can do.

  Then, an example of the light distribution pattern by the vehicle headlamp apparatus 100 of a present Example provided with the above-mentioned structure is demonstrated. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen arranged at a position 25 m ahead of the vehicle by light irradiated forward from the vehicle headlamp device 100. 12A shows a high beam light distribution pattern, FIG. 12B shows a partial high beam light distribution pattern, and FIG. 12C shows a low beam light distribution pattern. The light distribution pattern for high beam shown in FIG. 12 (A) is a light distribution pattern to be irradiated when a preceding vehicle is not detected. The LED 11 and LED 12 are turned on simultaneously, and the light distribution pattern for low beam and the first additional light distribution pattern are displayed. And a combined light distribution pattern. The partial high beam light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 12B is a light distribution pattern to be irradiated when a vehicle ahead is present. The LED 11 and a part of the LED 12 are turned on simultaneously, and the low beam light distribution pattern It is formed as a combined light distribution pattern with the additional light distribution pattern. The low beam light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 12C is a light distribution pattern that is emitted when the preceding vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, and is formed by turning on the LED 11.

  Next, the shape of the optical element 2 when an overhead sign (OHS) is irradiated from the lamp unit 10 to irradiate a traffic sign or the like installed above the road surface in front of the vehicle will be described. In the optical element 2 in the present embodiment, for example, a part of the emission surface of the additional light distribution forming unit 21 is set so that a part of the light guided through the additional light distribution forming unit 21 is incident upward on the projection lens 3. Alternatively, a reflector or the like may be disposed on the lower surface of the optical element 2 so that the light emitted by processing a part of the bottom surface of the additional light distribution forming portion 21 is reflected upward.

  As described above, in this embodiment, in the vehicle headlamp device 100 in which the optical element 2 is arranged in the lamp unit 10, a plurality of light distribution patterns including a high beam, a low beam, and a partial high beam are provided as one optical element 2. In addition, the partial high-beam light distribution pattern can be formed with high contrast, while the low-beam light distribution pattern can form a smooth distribution, which improves the driver's forward visibility. Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, another configuration example of the lamp unit 10 will be described.

  FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the lamp unit 10 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 13A, functions similar to those in FIGS. 1 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 13A, hatching indicates the heat radiating component 4 and the structural component 5. The structural component 5 is a lamp housing, a lens holder, an optical element holder, or the like, which may also serve as the heat dissipation component 4. The heat dissipating component 4 and the structural component 5 may be black anodized to prevent stray light generation, or may be coated with aluminum or the like to improve light utilization efficiency and design. The plurality of LEDs 11 and 12 are mounted on the same LED substrate 6 and have a heat radiation component 4 such as a heat sink or a fan on the back surface of the substrate or below the optical element. Regardless of the location of the heat dissipating component 4, it is connected to the LED substrate 6 with a physical structure, and a double-sided tape, a heat dissipating sheet, heat dissipating grease, or the like having high thermal conductivity may be used for the connection. Moreover, you may arrange | position the thermal radiation component 4 using the space between the low beam formation part 20 and the additional light distribution formation part 21, as shown in FIG.13 (B).

  In the present embodiment, still another configuration example of the lamp unit 10 will be described.

  FIGS. 14A and 14B are examples in which the heat radiation component 4 is disposed in the space between the plurality of light guide portions of the low beam forming portion 20 and the additional light distribution forming portion 21 in this embodiment. By disposing the heat dissipating component 4 in this way, the lamp unit 10 can be miniaturized and the design can be improved.

  In this embodiment, operation cooperation between the irradiation control unit of the headlamp unit and the vehicle control unit on the vehicle side will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram for explaining the operation cooperation between the irradiation control unit 300 of the headlamp unit 110 and the vehicle control unit 200 on the vehicle side in the present embodiment. As described above, since the configuration of the left headlight unit 110L and the right headlight unit 110R is basically the same, only the headlamp unit 110L side will be described, and the headlamp unit 110R side will be described. Description of is omitted.

  In FIG. 15, the irradiation control unit 300 of the headlamp unit 110 </ b> L controls the light source driving circuit 201 based on the information obtained from the vehicle control unit 200 and performs the lighting control of the LED 1. Further, the irradiation control unit 300 controls the swivel control unit 310 and the leveling control unit 312 based on information obtained from the vehicle control unit 200. The swivel control unit 310 controls the swivel actuator 311 to adjust the optical axis of the lamp unit 10 in the vehicle width direction. For example, the light axis of the lamp unit 10 is directed in the direction of traveling from now on during turning such as traveling on a curved road or turning left and right. Further, the leveling control unit 312 controls the leveling actuator 313 to adjust the optical axis of the lamp unit 10 in the vehicle vertical direction. For example, the reach of the front irradiation light is optimally adjusted by adjusting the posture of the lamp unit 10 according to the forward and backward tilts of the vehicle posture during acceleration / deceleration.

  Further, the headlamp unit 110 of the present embodiment is automatically controlled so as to form an optimal light distribution pattern according to the vehicle surroundings detected by various sensors. For example, when it is detected that a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle is present in front of the host vehicle, the irradiation control unit 300 should prevent glare in the area based on information obtained from the vehicle control unit 200. And the light source drive circuit 201 is controlled to form a partial high beam light distribution pattern or a low beam light distribution pattern, which is an optimal light distribution pattern in accordance with the existing situation such as the distance of the vehicle ahead. . On the other hand, when it is detected that there is no preceding vehicle or oncoming vehicle in front of the host vehicle, the irradiation control unit 300 determines that the driver's forward visibility should be improved, and the light source driving circuit 201 is turned on. A high beam light distribution pattern can be formed by control.

  Thus, in order to detect objects, such as a preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle, the vehicle control part 200 is connected with the camera 400, such as a stereo camera. The image photographed by the camera 400 is subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 401 and provided to the vehicle control unit 200, and at least detection processing of the forward vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is executed by the vehicle control unit 200. And the vehicle control part 200 provides the result of the detection process of a front vehicle to the irradiation control part 300. FIG. The irradiation control unit 300 provides information to each control unit so as to form an optimal light distribution pattern in consideration of the preceding vehicle based on data regarding the preceding vehicle detected by the vehicle control unit 200.

  In addition, the vehicle control unit 200 can also acquire information from the steering sensor 402, the vehicle speed sensor 403, and the like that are normally mounted on the vehicle, whereby the irradiation control unit 300 is formed according to the running state and running posture of the vehicle. The light distribution pattern to be selected can be selected, or the direction of the optical axis can be changed to easily change the light distribution pattern. For example, when the vehicle control unit 200 determines that the vehicle is turning based on information from the steering sensor 402, the irradiation control unit 300 that has received information from the vehicle control unit 200 controls the light source drive circuit 201. An optimal light distribution pattern can be formed. Alternatively, the swivel control unit 310 may control the swivel actuator 311 without changing the light on / off state of the light source to improve the field of view by turning the optical axis of the lamp unit 10 in the turning direction.

  The vehicle control unit 200 can also acquire road shape information, road sign installation information, and the like from the navigation system 404. By acquiring these pieces of information in advance, the irradiation controller 300 can control the swivel actuator 311, the leveling actuator 313, and the like to smoothly form a light distribution pattern suitable for the traveling road.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the light distribution pattern formed by the headlamp unit 110 can be switched not only according to the automatic control as described above but also according to the operation content of the light switch 405 by the driver. . In this case, the irradiation control unit 300 controls the light source driving circuit 201 in accordance with the operation of the light switch 405 to form a desired light distribution pattern.

  In the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the plurality of LEDs 1 are mainly used as the light source and the turning on / off control is performed corresponding to the area obtained by dividing the projection range in front of the host vehicle has been described. It is also possible to use a method in which laser light is scanned with a two-dimensional mirror such as MEMS, and the light emission state of the laser is switched in synchronization with the scanning angle, or the light emitted from the light source corresponds to the region of the projection range. It may be configured to be incident on a matrix-like micromirror such as a DMD, and may be a system that controls the direction of each mirror surface. All of these controls are performed by the irradiation controller 300.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

  Each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function by the processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function can be stored in a memory, a hard disk, a recording device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

  Further, the control lines and information lines indicate what is considered necessary for the explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. Actually, it may be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other.

1, 11, 12: LED, 2: Optical element, 3: Projection lens, 4: Thermal radiation component, 5: Structural component, 10: Lamp unit, 20: Low beam forming part, 21: Additional light distribution forming part, 24: Guide Light part, 25: Light mixing part, 26: Intensity gradient forming part, 27: Light emitting part, 28: Cut-off line forming part, 29: Fresnel lens part, 100: Vehicle headlamp device, 200: Vehicle control part, 201: light source drive circuit, 300: irradiation control unit, 310: swivel control unit, 311: swivel actuator, 312: leveling control unit, 313: leveling actuator, 400: camera, 401: image processing unit, 402: steering sensor, 403 : Vehicle speed sensor, 404: Navigation system, 405: Light switch

Claims (11)

A plurality of light sources, optical elements, and projection lenses;
The optical element includes a plurality of light guide portions for propagating light from a plurality of light sources, a light mixing portion in which the light guide portions are integrated, and
A vehicle headlamp device comprising: The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1,
The vehicular headlamp device is characterized in that the light guide portion has a divergent shape in which the width and / or height are widened from the side closer to the light source toward the far side. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1,
The vehicular headlamp device characterized in that the light mixing section spreads and mixes each of the light emitted from the plurality of light guide sections in the horizontal direction. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 2,
The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the light mixing unit includes an intensity gradient forming unit that densely forms gradation in an intensity distribution of light propagating through the light mixing unit. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 4,
The vehicle headlamp device, wherein the intensity gradient forming unit provides gradation in an intensity distribution in a vertical direction of light propagating through the light mixing unit. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 4,
The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the light mixing section includes a light emitting section, and the light emitting section is curved. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 4,
The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the light mixing unit includes a light emitting unit, and the light emitting unit includes a cut-off line forming unit for forming a cut-off line of the low beam light distribution pattern. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 7,
The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting portion includes a Fresnel lens portion in which a Fresnel lens is formed in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional shape. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 8,
The vehicle headlamp device characterized in that the light emitting portion is curved. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 4,
The vehicular headlamp apparatus, wherein the optical element includes a low beam forming unit and an additional light distribution forming unit. The vehicle headlamp device according to claim 10,
The additional light distribution forming unit includes a plurality of light guide units and a light emitting unit for propagating light from a plurality of light sources, and the light emitting unit is curved. .

Images