JP2021057353A - Vehicular lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting device capable of inhibiting unevenness in luminance from occurring in a joint part between linearly-arranged light guide members.SOLUTION: One surface 3a on the tip side of a first light guide member 3, and the other surface 5b on the base end side of a second light guide member 5 are arranged in the state of facing each other. Thus, first and second luminous bodies 4 and 6 are provided in a linearly-arranged state so that a joint part T between first and second light-emitting surfaces can form a continuous light-emitting surface. The joint part T has a shape in which a mutually-opposed interval C between the one surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the other surface 5b of the second light guide member 5 is set constant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

Conventionally, as a vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, a combination of a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a long light guide member (light guide body) has been known (for example, the following patent documents). See 1.).

In vehicle lighting equipment, the light emitted from the light source is incident from the base end side of the light guide member, and while being repeatedly reflected inside the light guide member, the light is guided toward the tip side of the light guide member, and at the same time. By emitting the light reflected by the plurality of reflection cuts provided on one surface of the light guide member from the other surface of the light guide member, the light emitting surface provided on the other surface side of the light guide member is emitted in a line shape. .. Such vehicle lamps are used, for example, in daytime running lamps (DRL) (hereinafter referred to as DRL) and tail lamps.

Further, in the vehicle lighting equipment described in Patent Document 1 below, a part of the rod-shaped second light guide body is arranged so as to overlap with each other in the exit direction of the emission surface of a part of the rod-shaped first light guide body. Further, a diffusion step for diffusing the light from a part of the first light guide body is formed on the emission surface of a part of the second light guide body that overlaps with a part of the first light guide body.

As a result, the light emission width of the portion (seam portion) where the first light guide body and the second light guide body overlap can be expanded, and it is possible to obtain a light emission width similar to or close to that of the other parts. ing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-204275

By the way, in the vehicle lighting equipment described in Patent Document 1 described above, the cross-sectional shapes (cross-sectional shapes orthogonal to the axial direction) of the first light guide body and the second light guide body are circular at the joint portion. It has become.

In this case, at the joint portion between the first light guide body and the second light guide body, the surfaces facing each other become convex surfaces. Therefore, light leaks from the central portion (topmost portion) of these convex surfaces without being diffused. On the other hand, between the convex surfaces facing each other, the distance between the convex surfaces changes from the central portion to the outer side. Therefore, there is a problem that uneven brightness occurs at the joint portion between the first light guide body and the second light guide body.

The present invention has been proposed in view of such conventional circumstances, and provides a vehicle lamp capable of suppressing the occurrence of uneven brightness at a joint portion of light guide members arranged in a line. The purpose is.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
[1] A first light emitter including a first light source and a long first light guide member, and
A second light source and a second light emitter including a long second light guide member are housed in the second light source.
The tip end side of the first light guide member is of the second light emitter so that the light emitting surface of the first light guide member and the light emitting surface of the second light guide member form a continuous light emitting surface. It is a vehicle lighting fixture that is located in the front and has a seam that is provided so as to overlap.
The first light guide member includes a base end side on which light emitted from the first light source is incident, a tip end side which is an end portion different from the base end side, and a base end side and the tip end side. A first light emitting surface provided on the front surface side and a plurality of reflection cuts provided on the back surface side are provided between the two.
The first light guide member other than the seam portion has a light emitting surface formed on the surface side thereof, which is a convex surface whose arc shape is flattened from the base end side toward the seam portion side.
On the back surface side, at least in the region on the base end side, a pair of concave surfaces are formed on both sides of the back surface on which the reflection cut is formed.
The first light guide member of the seam portion has a shape in which the distance between the back surface and the front surface gradually narrows from the base end side toward the front end side.
In the second light guide member, the light emitted from the second light source is incident on the proximal end side, and the light incident from the proximal end side guides the inside of the second light guide member. A second light emitting surface provided on the front surface side and a plurality of reflection cuts provided on the back surface side between the base end side and the tip end side are provided.
The seam portion includes a back surface of the first light guide member and a front surface of the second light guide member so that the first light emitting surface and the second light emitting surface form a continuous light emitting surface. A vehicle lamp that is provided so as to face each other.
[2] The seam portion is characterized in that the distance between the back surface of the first light guide member and the front surface of the second light guide member facing each other is arranged at a constant distance in the cross section. The vehicle lighting equipment according to the above [1].
[3] The seam portion, wherein the back surface of the first light guide member and the front surface of the second light guide member forming an interval of a certain distance are flat or arcuate surfaces with respect to each other. The vehicle lighting equipment according to [2].
[4] The first light guide member and at least one light guide member of the second light guide member are branched in a region other than the seam portion, the above [1] to [3]. ] For vehicle lamps according to any one of the items.
[5] The vehicle lamp according to any one of the above [1] to [4], wherein the first light guide member has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape at the seam portion.
[6] At the seam portion, the plurality of reflection cuts are also formed on the back surface side of the first light guide member, and the width of the reflection cut formed at the seam portion is adjacent to the seam portion. The vehicle lamp according to any one of the above [1] to [5], which is wider than the reflection cut corresponding to each of the first light emitting surface and the second light emitting surface.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can suppress the occurrence of uneven brightness at the joint portion of the light guide members arranged in a line.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the lighting fixture for a vehicle which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a joint portion between a first light guide member and a second light guide member included in the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. It is a top view of the seam portion shown in FIG. It is a side view of the seam portion shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view which cut | cut the seam part shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the modification of the seam part shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, in order to make each component easier to see, the scale of the dimensions may be different depending on the component, and the dimensional ratio of each component is not always the same as the actual one. Absent.

First, as an embodiment of the present invention, for example, the vehicle lamp 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 will be described. Note that FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a joint portion T between the first light guide member 3 and the second light guide member 5 included in the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 3 is a top view of the seam portion T shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the seam portion T shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the seam portion T shown in FIG. 2 cut.

Further, in the drawings shown below, the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set, and the X-axis direction is the front-rear direction (length direction) of the vehicle lighting equipment, the Y-axis direction is the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle lighting equipment, and the Z-axis direction. Is shown as the vertical direction (height direction) of the vehicle lighting tool 1.

The vehicle lighting fixture 1 of the present embodiment is, for example, a DRL mounted on both corner portions on the front end side of a vehicle (not shown) (corners on the right front end side in the present embodiment) to which the present invention is applied. Is. In the following explanation, the descriptions "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", and "bottom" are used when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front (front of the vehicle) unless otherwise specified. It shall mean each direction of.

Specifically, the vehicle lamp 1 includes a first light source 2a, a first light emitting body 4 including a long first light guide member 3, a second light source 2b, and a long first light source. A second light emitting body 6 including the light guide member 5 of 2 is roughly provided. The first light emitting body 4 and the second light emitting body 6 are housed inside a lamp body (not shown) constituting the vehicle lighting tool 1, and are housed in a corner portion on the right front end side of the vehicle. Have been placed.

The first light source 2a and the second light source 2b include, for example, a chip LED (SMD LED) that emits white light (hereinafter, simply referred to as light). Further, as the chip LED, a high output (high brightness) type for vehicle lighting is used. The first and second light sources 2a and 2b emit light L radially toward the first and second light guide members 3 and 5.

The first light guide member 3 and the second light guide member 5 are formed from rod-shaped light guides arranged in front of the first light source 2a and the second light source 2b as inner lenses of the vehicle lamp 1. Become. For the first light guide member 3 and the second light guide member 5, a material having a refractive index higher than that of air, such as transparent resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic or glass, can be used.

The first light emitting body 4 incidents the light emitted from the first light source 2a from the proximal end side of the first light guide member 3, and repeatedly reflects the light inside the first light guide member 3 to obtain the first light emitting body 4. The light is guided toward the tip end side of the light guide member 3, and the light reflected by the plurality of reflection cuts 7a provided on the back surface (one surface) 3a of the first light guide member 3 is used as the first light guide member 3. By emitting light from the surface (other surface) 3b of the light guide member 3, the first light emitting surface S1 provided on the surface 3b side of the first light guide member 3 is made to emit light in a line shape.

Similarly, the second light emitting body 6 incidents the light emitted from the second light source 2b from the proximal end side of the second light guide member 5, and repeatedly reflects the light inside the second light guide member 5. However, the light is guided toward the tip end side of the second light guide member 5, and the light reflected by the plurality of reflection cuts 7b provided on the back surface (one surface) 5a of the second light guide member 5 is transmitted. By emitting light from the surface (other surface) 5b of the second light guide member 5, the second light emitting surface S2 provided on the surface 5b side of the second light guide member 5 is made to emit light in a line shape.

The plurality of reflection cuts 7a and 7b allow the light incident on the back surfaces 3a and 5a of the first light guide member 3 and the second light guide member 5 to be transmitted to the first light guide member 3 and the second light guide member 3. It suffices as long as it reflects light at an angle less than the critical angle with respect to the surfaces 3b and 5b of 5, and the shape, size, number and the like thereof are not particularly limited. For example, in the reflection cuts 7a and 7b of the present embodiment, the grooves having a substantially triangular cross section extend in the width direction and are lined up in the axial direction (length direction) of the first and second light guide members 3 and 5. It is composed of.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the back surface 3a on the front end side of the first light guide member 3 and the surface 5b on the base end side of the second light guide member are arranged so as to face each other. When the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front side, the first light emitting body 4 and the first light emitting surface S1 and the second light emitting surface S2 form a continuous light emitting surface so that the joint portion T between the first light emitting surface S1 and the second light emitting surface S2 forms a continuous light emitting surface. The second light emitters 6 are provided side by side in a line.

Further, the first light guide member 3 and the second light guide member 5 face each other at the seam portion T between the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the front surface 5b of the second light guide member 5. It has a cross-sectional shape in which the interval C is constant.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first light guide member 3 has a substantially cylindrical cross-sectional shape, and the seam portion T has a rectangular cross-sectional shape toward the seam portion T. It has a shape in which the shape changes continuously. That is, the first light guide member 3 has a shape in which the shape is continuously changed between the convex surface forming the surface 3b and the flat surface so that the convex surface forming the surface 3b becomes a flat surface at the joint portion T. Have.

Further, the first light guide member 3 has a flat surface forming the back surface 3a and a pair of concave surfaces 8a located on both sides of the flat surface in a portion other than the seam portion T to form the back surface 3a. It has a shape in which the plane to be formed is narrower than the surface 3b. The reflection cut 7a is provided on the plane forming the back surface 3a, and reflects (totally) the light incident on the back surface 3a toward the surface 3b (first light emitting surface S1).

In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the first light guide member 3 adopts such a shape on the back surface 3a side, so that the first light guide member 3 is directed from the base end side to the tip end side. The light to be guided can be guided to the front end side, and the light incident on the back surface 3a can be more efficiently reflected toward the surface 3b (first light emitting surface S1).

The upper surface 3c and the lower surface 3d of the first light guide member 3 form a plane parallel to each other. Further, the first light guide member 3 has a shape in which the distance (thickness) between the back surface 3a and the front surface 3b gradually narrows from the base end side to the front end side.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the second light guide member 5 has a substantially cylindrical cross-sectional shape, and the shape toward the seam portion T is such that the cross-sectional shape of the seam portion T is rectangular. It has a continuously changed shape. That is, the second light guide member 5 has a shape in which the shape is continuously changed between the convex surface forming the surface 5b and the flat surface so that the convex surface forming the surface 5b becomes a flat surface at the joint portion T. Have.

Further, the second light guide member 5 has a plane forming the back surface 5a and a pair of concave surfaces 8b located on both sides of the plane, and the plane forming the back surface 5a is wider than the surface 5b. It has a narrow shape. The reflection cut 7b is provided on the plane forming the back surface 5a, and reflects (totally) the light incident on the back surface 5a toward the surface 5b (second light emitting surface S2).

In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the second light guide member 5 adopts such a shape on the back surface 5a side, so that the second light guide member 5 is directed from the base end side to the tip end side. The light to be guided can be guided to the front end side, and the light incident on the back surface 5a can be more efficiently reflected toward the surface 5b (second light emitting surface S2).

The upper surface 5c and the lower surface 5d of the second light guide member 5 form a plane parallel to each other. Further, the second light guide member 5 has a shape in which the distance (thickness) between the back surface 5a and the front surface 5b gradually narrows from the base end side to the front end side. Further, the second light guide member 5 has a shape in which the base end side of the joint portion T is curved in a direction away from the first light guide member 3 (the back side of the vehicle lamp 1). ing.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment having the above configuration, the first light emitting surface S1 (first light guide member 3) and the second light emitting surface S2 (first light guide member 3) described above are At the seam portion T, the plane forming the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the plane forming the front surface 5b of the second light guide member 5 have a shape of substantially the same width and parallel to each other. ing.

In this case, at the seam portion T, the distance C between the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the surface 5b of the second light guide member 5 facing each other is constant. This makes it possible to prevent light from leaking unevenly between the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the surface 5b of the second light guide member 5.

As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of luminance unevenness at the joint portion T between the first light emitting surface S1 and the second light emitting surface S2. Further, by forming a continuous light emitting surface at the seam portion T between the first light emitting surface S1 and the second light emitting surface S2, it is possible to perform good-looking line-shaped light emission.

The present invention is not necessarily limited to that of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Specifically, in the above embodiment, in the above-mentioned seam portion T, the surface 3b of the first light guide member 3 is formed by a flat surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the surface 3b is formed by a flat surface. At the seam portion T, it is also possible to form the surface 3b of the first light guide member 3 with a convex surface.

Further, in the above embodiment, in the seam portion T described above, the plane forming the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the plane forming the surface 5b of the second light guide member 5 are parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 6B, for example, in the seam portion T, a concave surface forming the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and a second light guide member The convex surfaces forming the surface 5b of 5 may have a shape concentrically arcuate with each other.

Further, the second light guide member 5 has a circular cross-sectional shape, so that the back surface 5a has a convex surface. On the other hand, although not shown, the first light guide member 3 may also have a shape in which the back surface 3a is a convex surface in a portion other than the seam portion T.

Also in this case, the distance C between the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the surface 5b of the second light guide member 5 facing each other is constant. This makes it possible to prevent light from leaking unevenly between the back surface 3a of the first light guide member 3 and the surface 5b of the second light guide member 5.

Therefore, even when such a shape is adopted, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of luminance unevenness at the joint portion T between the first light emitting surface S1 and the second light emitting surface S2, as in the case of the vehicle lighting tool 1. It is possible. Further, by forming a continuous light emitting surface at the seam portion T between the first light emitting surface S1 and the second light emitting surface S2, it is possible to perform good-looking line-shaped light emission.

In the above embodiment, the above-mentioned LEDs are used as the first and second light sources 2a and 2b, but a light emitting element such as a laser diode (LD) may be used in addition to the LEDs. Can be done. Further, the number of the first and second light sources 2a and 2b to be arranged is not particularly limited, and is not limited to the configuration in which the above-mentioned LEDs are arranged one by one, and the first and second light sources 2a, A plurality of LEDs may be arranged every 2b.

Further, the color of the light emitted by the first and second light sources 2a and 2b is not limited to the white light described above, but is used for the first and second light sources 2a and 2b such as red light and orange light. It can be changed as appropriate.

Further, in the vehicle lighting tool 1, the shapes of the first and second light guide members 3 and 5 can be appropriately changed according to the actual vehicle design and the like. For example, the first and second light guide members 3 and 5 may have a shape branched from the middle of the light guide members 3 and 5. In this case, the second light guide member 5 is joined to the branched tip side of the first light guide member 3, or the second light guide is joined to the tip side of the first light guide member 3. It is possible to have a structure in which the member 5 is branched. Further, although the vehicle lamp 1 has one seam portion T, it is possible to further increase the number of light guide members (light emitters) to be joined by increasing the seam portion T.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned DRL is illustrated, but when the DRL is configured, the above-mentioned first and second light sources 2a and 2b and the first and second inner lenses are used. In addition to the light guide members 3 and 5, for example, it can be combined with other members such as an extension, an outer lens, and a reflector.

Further, the vehicle lighting equipment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the above-mentioned DRL, and for example, vehicle headlights (headlamps), vehicle side lights (position lamps), auxiliary headlights (sub-headlamps). , Front (rear) fog lamp (fog lamp), tail lamp (tail lamp), lid lamp, brake lamp (stop lamp), back lamp, direction indicator (winker lamp), etc. The present invention can be widely applied to lighting equipment.

1 ... Vehicle lighting equipment 2a ... First light source 2b ... Second light source 3 ... First light guide member 3a ... Back surface (one side) 3b ... Front surface (other surface) 4 ... First light emitter 5 ... Second Light guide member 5a ... Back surface (one surface) 5b ... Front surface (other surface) 6 ... Second light emitting body 7a, 7b ... Reflection cut 8a, 8b ... Concave surface S1 ... First light emitting surface S2 ... Second light emitting surface T ... Seam part C ... Interval

Claims (6)

A first light emitter including a first light source and a long first light guide member,
A second light source and a second light emitter including a long second light guide member are housed in the second light source.
The tip end side of the first light guide member is of the second light emitter so that the light emitting surface of the first light guide member and the light emitting surface of the second light guide member form a continuous light emitting surface. It is a vehicle lighting fixture that is located in the front and has a seam that is provided so as to overlap.
The first light guide member includes a base end side on which light emitted from the first light source is incident, a tip end side which is an end portion different from the base end side, and a base end side and the tip end side. A first light emitting surface provided on the front surface side and a plurality of reflection cuts provided on the back surface side are provided between the two.
The first light guide member other than the seam portion has a light emitting surface formed on the surface side thereof, which is a convex surface whose arc shape is flattened from the base end side toward the seam portion side.
On the back surface side, at least in the region on the base end side, a pair of concave surfaces are formed on both sides of the back surface on which the reflection cut is formed.
The first light guide member of the seam portion has a shape in which the distance between the back surface and the front surface gradually narrows from the base end side toward the front end side.
In the second light guide member, the light emitted from the second light source is incident on the proximal end side, and the light incident from the proximal end side guides the inside of the second light guide member. A second light emitting surface provided on the front surface side and a plurality of reflection cuts provided on the back surface side between the base end side and the tip end side are provided.
The seam portion includes a back surface of the first light guide member and a front surface of the second light guide member so that the first light emitting surface and the second light emitting surface form a continuous light emitting surface. A vehicle lamp that is provided so as to face each other. The claim is characterized in that, in the seam portion, a distance between the back surface of the first light guide member and the front surface of the second light guide member facing each other is arranged at a constant distance in a cross section. The vehicle lighting equipment according to 1. 2. The second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the back surface of the first light guide member and the front surface of the second light guide member forming an interval of a certain distance at the seam portion are flat or arcuate surfaces with respect to each other. The listed vehicle lighting fixtures. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the first light guide member and the second light guide member is branched in a region other than the seam portion. Vehicle lighting fixtures described in. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first light guide member has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape at the seam portion. In the seam portion, the plurality of reflection cuts are also formed on the back surface side of the first light guide member, and the width of the reflection cut formed in the seam portion is the width of the first reflection cut adjacent to the seam portion. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the light emitting surface is wider than the reflection cut corresponding to each of the second light emitting surface.

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