JP2021068513A - Lighting device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent generation of a dark region in an illumination region, in a projection type lighting device using a plurality of lighting emitting elements.SOLUTION: A lighting device for a vehicle comprises: a light source 21 in which a plurality of light emitting elements (multi-division LED arrays) 24 (241 to 244) are mounted on a light source substrate 23, and a projection lens 22 that performs illumination with each light of the light emitting elements 24 projected as a divided illumination area. In the projection lens 22, a first projection unit PR1 and a second projection unit PR2 for illuminating the plurality of divided illumination areas are integrally formed and these projection units PR1, PR2 perform projection so that adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions (P1 to P4) are in contact with each other, and the plurality of divided illumination regions are combined to form an illumination region of a required pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device such as an automobile headlight, and more particularly to a projection type lighting device including a plurality of light emitting elements.

In vehicles such as automobiles, ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) light distribution control has been proposed as a technique for controlling the light distribution of automobile headlamps (headlights). In this ADB light distribution control, for example, a camera arranged in the vehicle captures the front region of the vehicle, and other vehicles such as an oncoming vehicle and a preceding vehicle existing in the front region are detected from the captured image. Then, it is a technique for quenching a part of the high beam light distribution region of the headlamp so as not to dazzle other vehicles such as the detected oncoming vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

There is Patent Document 1 as such a technique. This Patent Document 1 aims to solve a problem when a camera is mounted in a headlamp. However, as a configuration of a headlamp that controls ADB light distribution, a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) are provided by an optical system. It is configured to project and illuminate, and is configured to selectively emit and extinguish these plurality of LEDs. That is, the illumination area for performing ADB light distribution control is divided into a plurality of divisional illumination areas, and each of these divisional illumination areas is illuminated by one LED.

JP-A-2018-86913

In the headlamp described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of LEDs use light emitting chips on the order of mm, and one light emitting chip constitutes one divided illumination area. Further, when a plurality of light emitting chips are mounted on the substrate, adjacent light emitting chips are arranged without gaps so that the plurality of divided illumination regions are in contact with each other.

In recent years, as a light emitting element, a multi-division light emitting element (multi-division LED array) in which a light emitting chip of several thousand divisions in which minute LEDs (pixels) on the order of μm are arranged in a matrix is used as a light emitting body has been provided. It is being considered to use an LED array as a light source for ADB light distribution control. By using this multi-segment LED array, one unit illumination area can be projected by one pixel, so that the area of the unit illumination area can be reduced and highly accurate ADB control can be realized.

However, in this multi-segment LED array, it is necessary to house the light emitting chip in a package provided with a large number of electrodes in order to make an electrical connection to each of a large number of pixels. Therefore, when trying to mount a plurality of multi-segment LED arrays on a substrate, even if each multi-segment LED array is arranged without a gap, adjacent light emission is caused by the difference in each size (external dimensions) of the package and the light emitting chip. There will be a gap between the chips. When illumination is performed by the multi-segment LED array arranged in this way, a dark region is generated between each projected illumination region due to the gap generated between the light emitting chips, and illumination with a suitable light distribution pattern or suitable. ADB light distribution control becomes impossible.

As described above, in the configuration in which the light emitting chips of the plurality of multi-segment LED arrays are spaced apart from each other, it is difficult to illuminate the one projection optical system so as not to generate the above-mentioned dark region. In this case, it is conceivable to arrange individual projection optical systems for each of a plurality of multi-division LED arrays, but this requires a number of projection optical systems corresponding to the multi-division LED arrays, and the lighting device has a large size. It becomes a factor of conversion and high cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lighting device capable of illuminating a lighting area in which a dark area does not occur in a lighting device using a plurality of light emitting elements.

The present invention includes a plurality of light emitting elements and a projection optical system that projects the light of the plurality of light emitting elements to form a plurality of compartmentalized illumination regions in an array state, and is required by synthesizing the plurality of compartmentalized illumination regions. A vehicle lighting device that forms a light distribution pattern. The projection optical system integrally has a plurality of projection units that illuminate a plurality of compartmentalized illumination regions, and the plurality of light emitting elements are in contact with adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions. It is configured to be arranged at a position where it is in a state of being

Further, the present invention includes a plurality of light emitting elements and a projection optical system that projects the light of the plurality of light emitting elements to form a plurality of divided illumination regions in an array state, and is required to synthesize the plurality of divided illumination regions. A vehicle lighting device that forms a light distribution pattern, the projection optical system integrally has a plurality of projection units that illuminate a plurality of compartmentalized lighting regions, and the plurality of light emitting elements are one of adjacent compartmentalized lighting regions. The portions are arranged at positions where they overlap each other.

According to the present invention, by using a projection optical system in which a plurality of projection units are integrally formed, it is possible to bring the compartmentalized illumination regions illuminated by the plurality of light emitting elements into contact with at least adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions. it can. As a result, even in a lighting device using a multi-segment light emitting element, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a dark region in the lighting region, and high-precision light distribution control, particularly high-precision, without impairing visibility in the own vehicle. ADB control can be realized.

A horizontal sectional view of an automobile headlamp to which the present invention is applied. The perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the projection lens and the light source of Embodiment 1. FIG. Schematic horizontal sectional view of the lamp unit. A perspective view of an example of an LED array. The layout drawing which shows the positional relationship between the projection lens of Embodiment 1 and the LED array. The figure which shows the light distribution pattern combined with the 1st to 4th division illumination regions. Block configuration diagram including a vehicle detection unit and a lighting control unit. The light distribution diagram which shows each light distribution pattern of the light distribution control in a lamp unit. The layout drawing which shows the positional relationship between the projection lens of Embodiment 2 and the LED array. The timing diagram of the light distribution unevenness control in Embodiment 2. The layout drawing which shows the positional relationship between the projection lens of Embodiment 3 and the LED array. The figure which shows the synthesized light distribution pattern of an embodiment. The layout drawing which shows the positional relationship between the projection lens of Embodiment 4 and the LED array.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a horizontal step view in which the present invention is applied to an automobile headlamp, and of the left headlamp and the right headlamp attached to the left and right front parts of the automobile body (not shown), the right headlamp HL It is a cross-sectional view of. The left headlamp has a symmetrical configuration.

The right headlamp HL of FIG. 1 has an ADB lamp unit (hereinafter, simply referred to as a lamp unit) 2 capable of ADB control in the lamp housing 1. The lamp housing 1 is composed of a container-shaped lamp body 11 having an opening in the front region, and a translucent cover 12 fixed so as to cover the opening of the lamp body 11.

The lamp unit 2 is composed of a projector type lamp, and includes a light source 21 mounted on a heat sink 20 and a projection lens 22 as a projection optical system for projecting the light of the light source 21 to the front of an automobile. As will be described later, the light source 21 has a plurality of light emitting elements 24 mounted on the front surface of the light source substrate 23.

Further, in the lamp housing 1, an imaging device 3 for imaging a front region of an automobile is installed. The image pickup device 3 is configured as a camera including a CCD image pickup device and a CMOS image pickup device, and can image a front region of an automobile. A vehicle detection unit 4 that detects a vehicle in front from the captured image is connected to the image pickup device 3, and a lighting control unit 5 controls lighting of the lamp unit 2 based on the output of the vehicle detection unit 4. The vehicle detection unit 4 and the lighting control unit 5 may be configured separately from the headlamp HL.

Further, a clearance lamp 6 is arranged as an auxiliary lamp unit in the lamp housing 1. Since this clearance lamp 6 has little relevance to the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the conceptual configuration of the light source 21 and the projection lens 22 in the lamp unit 2 of the first embodiment. The surface of the light source substrate 23 is directed toward the front of the lamp, and a plurality of light emitting elements 24, here, four multi-segment LED arrays (hereinafter, abbreviated as LED arrays) 241 to 244 are mounted on the surface. Has been done. Further, the projection lens 22 is arranged to face the front side of each of the LED arrays 241 to 244, and the lens optical axis Lx is directed in the front-rear direction of the lamp unit 2.

The four LED arrays 241 to 244 constituting the light source 21 have the same structure, and as shown in FIG. 3, the vertical and horizontal dimensions are generally smaller than those inside the rectangular package PA. An array chip C is mounted as a light emitter having a square light emitting surface. The array chip C is composed of a large number of minute light emitters, each of which is independently controlled to emit light, that is, a multi-division light emitting chip in which minute LEDs (pixels) are arranged in a matrix, and the vertical and horizontal dimensions Lc of the light emitting surface are It is slightly smaller than the external dimension Lp of the package PA. The LED arrays 241 to 244 are mounted on the light source substrate 23 with the light emitting surface of the array chip C facing forward of the lamp unit 2.

As shown in FIG. 4 showing a horizontal cross-sectional structure at the lens optical axis Lx position, the projection lens 22 has a lens barrel 25 in order to improve lens aberration and improve the resolution and focus of the array chip C to be projected. It is configured as a triplet lens in which three lenses, a first convex lens L1, a concave lens L2, and a second convex lens L3, which are built in the lens, are combined. Since the triplet lens has a structure that is already known, the details thereof will be omitted here.

The projection lens 22 has a surface region on the right side arranged in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front direction of the lens optical axis Lx by forming a required curved surface on each of the three lenses L1, L2, and L3. Projection sections are formed in each of the left surface regions. That is, the first projection unit PR1 is configured in the right side region, and the second projection unit PR2 is configured in the left side region. Each of the projection portions PR1 and PR2 is formed of a spherical surface having a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front, and both are formed in a spectacle shape in which a part thereof is connected in an overlapping manner. The focal lengths of the first projection unit PR1 and the second projection unit PR2 are the same. Further, the projected optical axis Px1 of the first projection unit PR1 and the projected optical axis Px2 of the second projection unit PR2 are parallel to the lens optical axis Lx and are spaced apart in the horizontal direction.

FIG. 5 is a layout view of the lamp unit 2 viewed from the front in order to show the positional relationship between the projection lens 22 and the LED array 24. Of the four LED arrays 241 to 244, the first LED array 241 and the third LED array 243 are arranged horizontally side by side in the right side region of the surface of the light source substrate 23, and the second LED array 242 and the fourth LED array 244 are arranged in the horizontal direction. It is arranged in the left side region of the surface of the light source substrate 23 side by side.

Furthermore, the first LED array 241 and the third LED array 243 are arranged on the left and right sides of the projection optical axis Px1 of the first projection unit PR1 in the horizontal direction. The left side of the array chip C of the third LED array 243 is installed at the position of the projected optical axis Px1 of the first projection unit PR1. Further, the horizontal distance Δ between the first LED array 241 and the third LED array 243 is arranged so as to be the vertical and horizontal dimension Lc of the array chip C.

Similarly, the second LED array 242 and the fourth LED array 244 are arranged on the left and right sides of the projection optical axis Px2 of the second projection unit PR2 in the horizontal direction. The right side of the array chip C of the second LED array 242 is installed at the position of the projected optical axis Px1 of the second projection unit PR2. Further, the horizontal distance Δ between the second LED array 242 and the 43LED array 244 is arranged so as to be the vertical and horizontal dimension Lc of the array chip C.

In the lamp unit 2 having the above configuration, when the light source 21 emits light, the lamp unit 2 is illuminated with the light distribution pattern shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 6 shows a light distribution pattern when the front region is viewed from the automobile, and the optical axis Lx of the projection lens 22 is directed to the intersection of the horizontal line H and the vertical line V. That is, when the first and third LED arrays 241,243 emit light, as shown in FIG. 6A, the array chips C of each LED array 241,243 are focused on the front region by the first projection unit PR1. The first and third compartmentalized illumination areas P1 and P3 are illuminated by being projected onto the state. The third compartmentalized illumination region P3 is a region on the right side of the lens optical axis Lx, and the first compartmentalized illumination region P1 is a region on the left side away from the lens optical axis Lx.

Further, when the second and fourth LED arrays 242 and 244 emit light, as shown in FIG. 6B, the array chips C of the LED arrays 242 and 244 are aligned with the front region by the second projection unit PR2. The second and fourth compartmentalized illumination areas P2 and P4 are illuminated by being projected in a focused state. The second compartmentalized illumination region P2 is a region on the left side of the lens optical axis Lx, and the fourth compartmentalized illumination region P4 is a region on the right side away from the lens optical axis Lx.

Here, the projected optical axes Px1 and Px2 of the first projection unit PR1 and the second projection unit PR2 are separated in the horizontal direction, but since both projected optical axes Px1 and Px2 are parallel, each section distribution optical region P1 When ~ P4 is projected at a position at infinity, the projected optical axes Px1 and Px2 of both projection units PR1 and PR2 coincide with the lens optical axis Lx. Further, since the first and second projection units PR1 and PR2 have the same focal length, the sizes of the first to fourth division illumination regions P1 to P4 to be illuminated are the same.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, the first to fourth division lighting regions P1 to P4 are positioned side by side from left to right in the horizontal direction when viewed from the automobile. That is, the second division illumination area P2 is located between the first and third division illumination areas P1 and P3, and the fourth division illumination area P4 is located on the right side of the third division illumination area P3. Further, the adjacent division illumination areas P1 to P4 are positioned in a state of being in contact with each other in the horizontal direction. As a result, the light distribution pattern PC in which the first to fourth compartmentalized illumination regions P1 to P4 are combined is illuminated.

In an actual automobile, a light distribution pattern is projected onto a screen arranged at a predetermined distance in front of the automobile to adjust the light distribution. That is, since the projection distance is a finite distance, the projection optical axes Px1 and Px2 of the first projection unit PR1 and the second projection unit PR2 are displaced on the screen, but the first projection unit PR1 and the second projection unit PR2 Since the deviation dimension of the projected optical axes Px1 and Px2 of is extremely small compared to the projected distance with respect to the screen, this can be ignored.

Here, since each LED array 24 has a larger dimensional Lp of the package PA than the dimensional Lc of the array chip C, when a plurality of LED arrays 24 are arranged side by side, between the array chips C of the adjacent LED arrays 24. There is an interval of 2 × (Lp-Lc). Therefore, when projection is performed by a single projection optical system, a dark region is generated between the divided illumination regions P1 to P4 depending on the interval. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the LED arrays corresponding to the adjacent divided illumination regions are arranged separately in the first and second projection units PR1 and PR2, and each array of the LED arrays 24 in each projection unit PR1 and PR2. Since the distance between the chips C is set to Lc, it is possible to prevent a dark region from being generated between adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions.

Further, since each of the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 is illuminated by the light emitting surface of each light emitting body of the LED array 24, that is, the array chip C, each of the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 is divided into a matrix shape (square pattern). It is composed of a unit illumination area B having a small area. That is, the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 are formed by the set of the unit illumination areas B, and the illumination area of the light distribution pattern PC is further formed.

As described above, the projection lens 22 has a triplet structure composed of three lenses L1 to L3 and has excellent lens aberration characteristics. Therefore, a large number of pixels constituting the array chip C of the LED array 24 can be displayed with high resolution. Moreover, the unit illumination region B can be formed by projecting in the focused state. As a result, high-resolution segmented illumination regions P1 to P4 composed of minute unit illumination regions B are formed.

Since the configuration described above is the same for the left and right headlamps, the illumination area of the left headlamp lamp unit substantially coincides with the illumination area of the right headlamp lamp unit. Therefore, the first to fourth division illumination regions P1 to P4 constituting the illumination regions of both headlamps are superimposed on each other. Further, each unit illumination area B constituting each division illumination area P1 to P4 is also superimposed in a substantially coincident state. In order to match the left and right illumination areas, aiming adjustment may be performed so that the lens optical axes Lx of the left and right lamp units 3 match.

FIG. 7 is a block configuration diagram of the image pickup device 3, the vehicle detection unit 4, and the lighting control unit 5 described above. The vehicle detection unit 4 analyzes the image captured by the image pickup device 3, detects the vehicle in the image by a required algorithm, and further determines whether the detected vehicle is an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle. The unit 41 is provided. Further, the position of the determined vehicle, here, whether or not the determined vehicle exists in the illumination area illuminated by the lamp unit 2, that is, corresponds to any of a large number of unit illumination areas B constituting the light distribution pattern. It is provided with a position determining unit 42 for determining whether or not it is a position.

Further, the lighting control unit 5 controls the light emission of the light source 21 of the lamp unit 2, that is, the four LED arrays 241 to 243, based on the outputs from the vehicle determination unit 41 and the position determination unit 42 of the vehicle detection unit 4. The LED array light emission control unit 51 is provided. The LED array light emission control unit 51 is configured to be capable of individually emitting and extinguishing a large number of minute LEDs (pixels) constituting each array chip C of each LED array 241 to 244.

When the headlamp HL of the first embodiment controls the light distribution with a high beam, the lighting control unit 5 sets all the pixels of the array chips C of the first to fourth LED arrays 241 to 244 into a light emitting state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the illumination of the light distribution pattern PC in which the first to fourth compartmentalized illumination regions P1 to P4 are combined is executed. At this time, the unit illumination area B in the peripheral portion of the light distribution pattern PC may be appropriately extinguished.

When performing light distribution control with a low beam, the lighting control unit 5 sets only a predetermined pixel out of all the pixels of each of the array chips C of the first to fourth LED arrays 241 to 244 into a light emitting state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, among the light distribution pattern PCs in which the first to fourth compartmentalized illumination regions P1 to P4 are combined, the region above the horizontal line H on the oncoming lane side, that is, The illumination in the unit illumination area B shown by the broken line in the figure is extinguished. Therefore, illumination of the low beam illumination region having a cut-off COL at the boundary between the extinguished region and the emitted region is performed.

When performing ADB light distribution control, the vehicle detection unit 4 detects the vehicle in front based on the image captured by the image pickup device 3. When the vehicle detection unit 4 does not detect the vehicle in front, the lighting control unit 5 executes lighting in the high beam illumination region described above. On the other hand, when the vehicle in front is detected by the vehicle detection unit 4, the lighting control unit 5 quenchs the pixels of the array chip C of the LED array corresponding to the region where the detected vehicle in front exists.

In the example of FIG. 8C, the pixels corresponding to the region Px in which the oncoming vehicle Co and the preceding vehicle Cf exist are extinguished. As a result, among the light distribution pattern PCs, only the unit illumination area B of Px in which the front vehicles Co and Cf are present is set to the quenching state, and dazzling to these front vehicles Co and Cf is prevented, while the other areas are illuminated. ADB light distribution control with enhanced visibility is executed.

In this way, in the ADB light distribution control, light emission and quenching are controlled not in units of the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 but in units of pixels, that is, in units of unit illumination area B, so that ADB is pinpoint to the vehicle in front. The light distribution control can be executed, the lighting area can be prevented from being unnecessarily limited, and the visibility for the driver of the automobile can be improved.

ADB light distribution control is performed independently in the lamp units of the left and right headlamps. Therefore, even if the ADB light distribution control in one headlamp becomes infeasible, the ADB light distribution control can be ensured by the other headlamp.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the plurality of LED arrays are illuminated by the plurality of projection units, no dark region is generated even when the illumination regions of the respective LED arrays are combined. Further, by independently controlling the light emission of the plurality of LED arrays, it is possible to perform illumination with an arbitrary light distribution pattern with high accuracy, and particularly highly accurate ADB light distribution control can be realized. Further, since the projection lens has a configuration in which a plurality of projection units are integrated, it can be configured in a small size and at low cost.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, since the divided illumination areas of the four LED arrays 24 (241 to 244) are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction to obtain the required light distribution area, there is an error in the arrangement position of the LED array 24. If so, an unlit dark region may occur between the illumination regions P1 to P4 of the adjacent LED array. For example, in FIG. 6C, if an error occurs in the arrangement position of either the first LED array 241 or the second LED array 242, the divided illumination area P1 corresponding to these LED arrays 241,242 A dark region is created between and P2 in the horizontal direction.

In particular, since the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the array cells C constituting the LED array 24, that is, the light emitting surface is small, the influence of the error of the arrangement position when mounting on the light source substrate 23 cannot be ignored. When such a dark region occurs, suitable light distribution control, particularly ADB light distribution control, becomes difficult.

In the second embodiment, the LED arrays are arranged so that adjacent compartmentalized illumination areas are superimposed on each other. FIG. 9 is a diagram similar to FIG. 5 showing the arrangement of the projection lens 22 and the LED array 24. The same reference numerals are given to the portions equivalent to those of the first embodiment. Here, the left side of the array chip C of the third LED array 243 is arranged slightly to the left of the projected optical axis Px1 of the first projection unit PR1. That is, it is arranged so as to include the projected optical axis Px1 in the array chip C of the third LED array 243. Further, the distance dimension Δ of each array chip C of the first LED array 241 and the third LED array 243 is set to be slightly smaller than the vertical and horizontal dimension Lc of the array chip C.

On the other hand, the right side of the array chip C of the second LED array 242 is arranged slightly to the right of the projected optical axis Px2 of the second projection unit PR1. That is, it is arranged so as to include the projected optical axis Px2 in the array chip C of the second LED array 242. Further, the distance dimension Δ of each array chip C of the second LED array 242 and the fourth LED array 244 is set to be slightly smaller than the vertical and horizontal dimension Lc of the array chip C.

Further, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the lighting control unit 5, in addition to the LED array lighting control unit 51, causes uneven light distribution in the illumination region based on the image captured by the image pickup device 3. A light distribution unevenness detection unit 52 for detecting is provided. Here, as will be described later, the illumination area PC is scanned in the horizontal direction to detect the luminous intensity (illuminance) for each unit illumination area B. The LED array light emission control unit 51 is configured to control light emission of the four LED arrays 241 to 244 of the lamp unit 2 based on the output from the light distribution unevenness detection unit 52.

In the lamp unit 2 having the above configuration, when the first to fourth LED arrays 241 to 244 emit light, as shown in FIG. 10A, the divided illumination areas P1 to each of the LED arrays 241 to 244. Illumination of the light distribution pattern PC1 in which P4s are arranged in the horizontal direction is executed. At this time, since the first to fourth LED arrays 241 to 244 are arranged in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 9, the light distribution pattern PC1 formed is such that the adjacent division illumination areas P1 to P4 are horizontal. The light distribution pattern is connected in a state where parts of the light are superimposed on each other in the direction.

In this light distribution pattern PC1, the connecting portion of the first and second divided illumination areas P1 and P2, the connecting portion of the second and third divided illumination areas P2 and P3, and the third and fourth divided illumination areas P3. The light distribution pattern is such that the unit illumination regions B are superimposed on each other in the regions B1, B2, and B3 of the connecting portion of P4.

As a result, even if there is an error in the arrangement position of each LED array 241 to 244, if this error is within the normal range, that is, if the generated error is smaller than the dimension of the superimposed region, each division It is possible to prevent a dark region from being generated between the illumination regions P1 to P4. The superposed unit illumination areas B1 to B3 are not limited to the superposition in one horizontal unit illumination area B as shown in FIG. 10A, but in a plurality of horizontal unit illumination areas B. It may be superimposed.

In the second embodiment as well, the high beam, low beam, and ADB light distribution controls can be performed as in the first embodiment. In particular, in the ADB light distribution control, since light emission and quenching are performed not in the divided lighting areas P1 to P4 but in the unit lighting area B unit, pinpoint ADB light distribution control can be executed for the vehicle in front. It is possible to prevent the illumination area from being unnecessarily narrowed, and it is possible to make the visibility extremely high.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the four compartmentalized illumination regions P1 to P4 have the regions B1, B2, and B3 of the connecting portion connected to the adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions superposed on each other. In B2 and B3, the brightness of the unit illumination area B is higher than that of the other areas, and so-called light distribution unevenness may occur. Therefore, the lighting control unit 5 adjusts the luminous intensity of the pixels of the LED arrays 241 to 244 in the superimposed regions B1, B2, and B3 to eliminate the light distribution unevenness in the illumination region P.

That is, the light distribution unevenness detection unit 52 of the lighting control unit 5 scans the image of the light distribution pattern PC1 captured by the image pickup device 4 as shown in FIG. 10A in the horizontal direction as shown by the broken line arrow line, and this scanning is performed. Detect the luminosity distribution along the direction. Here, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 10B, regions having high luminosity are detected in three regions B1, B2, and B3 in which the four compartmentalized illumination regions P1 to P4 are connected. Then, the light distribution unevenness detection unit 52 detects the array chips C of the LED arrays 241 to 244 and their pixels corresponding to the unit illumination areas B1, B2, and B3 having high luminous intensity.

The LED array light emission control unit 51 executes lighting control on the pixels detected by the light distribution unevenness detection unit 52. Since the corresponding pixel is a pixel in the area where the array chips of two adjacent LED arrays overlap, in FIG. 10 (c), the power supply to the overlapping pixels of each LED array 241 to 244 is limited and the respective luminosity is limited. Is reduced to about 1/2. As a result, the luminosity of the unit illumination areas B1 to B3 in which the illumination lights of the superimposed pixels are combined is made to be substantially equal to the luminosity of the other unit illumination areas.

By doing so, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10B, the luminosity of the unit illumination areas B1 to B3 corresponding to the superimposed pixels is reduced, and is substantially equal to the luminosity of the other unit illumination areas B. As a result, uneven light distribution is eliminated. The lighting control for the pixels is not limited to this control, and for example, the power supply to the pixels of one LED array may be stopped to turn off the lights.

In this way, by arranging the LED arrays 241 to 244 so that the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 of the plurality of LED arrays 241 to 244 partially overlap each other, darkness is formed between the divided illumination areas P1 to P4. While it is possible to prevent an area from being generated, it is possible to prevent uneven light distribution by controlling the lighting of each of the LED arrays 241 to 244. Further, since the region where the LED arrays 241 to 244 overlap may be appropriate, a margin with respect to the arrangement position when arranging the LED arrays 241 to 244 can be obtained, and the accuracy of the arrangement position required for the LED array can be relaxed. Can be made and easy to manufacture.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first and second embodiments, the horizontal position of the LED array 24 is set so that the vertical line V is positioned at the connecting portion or the overlapping portion of the divided illumination regions P2 and P3. Therefore, in particular, if there is an error in the arrangement position of the LED array 242 or the LED array 243 in the horizontal direction, the brightness of the vicinity region including the lens optical axis Lx may not be stable.

For example, in the first embodiment, when the arrangement interval between the LED arrays 242 and 243 is larger than the design interval due to an error in the arrangement position of the LED arrays 242 and 243, a dark area is formed between the division illumination areas P2 and P3 in the horizontal direction. May occur. Alternatively, if the arrangement interval is smaller than the design interval, the two division illumination regions P2 and P3 are superimposed, and the brightness of the connecting portion becomes higher than that of the other regions. In the second embodiment, the luminous intensity is controlled in the superposed portion, but even in this case, if an error occurs in the superposed unit illumination region, it becomes difficult to control the uniform brightness.

The region in the vicinity including the lens optical axis Lx is a region in the straight-ahead direction of the automobile, and it is preferable to control the brightness to a stable level for safe driving. Therefore, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the projection optical axis of the second projection unit PR2 is in the light emitting surface of the LED array 242, that is, in the array chip C. The arrangement is made so that Px2 is positioned. For example, the projected optical axis Px2 is arranged substantially in the center of the array chip C. Further, along with this arrangement, the arrangement in the horizontal direction is also adjusted for the other LED arrays 241,243,244. In other words, the arrangement position of the LED array 24 shown in FIG. 5 is moved to the right side of the figure by Lc / 2 (Lc: vertical and horizontal dimensions of the array chip C).

According to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the light distribution pattern PC obtained by synthesizing the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 by the four LED arrays 24 classifies the light distribution pattern PC of FIG. 6 (c). The light distribution pattern is moved to the right by 1/2 of the horizontal width dimension of the illumination area. That is, the lens optical axis Lx of the projection lens 22 is located substantially in the center of the compartmentalized illumination region P2, and the region including the intersection of the horizontal line H and the vertical line V in the front region of the automobile is located in the compartmentalized illumination region P2. As a result, an error occurs in the arrangement of the LED array 24, and even if an error occurs in the arrangement of the LED array 242 in the horizontal direction, the vicinity region including the lens optical axis Lx is divided and illuminated as long as it is within the normal error range. The brightness of the region can be kept stable without departing from the region P2.

In the third embodiment, the projected optical axis Px2 is arranged substantially in the center of the light emitting surface (array chip C) of the LED array 242, but the projected optical axis Px2 does not deviate from the light emitting surface due to the above-mentioned normal error. If it is a position, it may be set to a position biased to the right or left from the center. Further, the light distribution pattern PC synthesized in each of the divided illumination areas P1 to P4 may be moved to the left, and in this case, the projection of the first projection unit PR1 inside the array chip C of the LED array 243. The optical axis Px1 may be arranged.

(Embodiment 4)
In the first to third embodiments, four LED arrays are used as the light emitting elements constituting the light source to obtain a light distribution pattern in which four divided illumination areas are combined. However, the number of LED arrays and the number of divided illumination areas are the same. It is not limited to. For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , three LED arrays 241,243,245 and 242,244,246 are arranged in each of the two projection units PR1 and PR2, and six divisions illuminated by each LED array 241 to 246 are provided. The illumination of the light distribution pattern in which the illumination areas are combined may be performed.

Further, although not shown, an illumination area of a light distribution pattern in which one LED array is arranged in each of the two projection units PR1 and PR2 and two divided illumination areas illuminated by a total of two LED arrays are combined is provided. It may be configured.

Further, although not shown, when the horizontal dimensions of the lamp unit are restricted, the two projection parts of the projection lens are arranged in the vertical direction, and a plurality of LED arrays correspond to these projection parts. It may be configured to be arranged in the vertical direction. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of LED arrays are arranged in the horizontal direction in each projection unit.

In the embodiment, the projection lens is configured in a triplet type, but may be configured as a composite lens having a different configuration having two or more lenses. Alternatively, it may be composed of a single lens. In either case, the configuration can be simplified by configuring the first and second projection units, or three or more projection units, as one integrated projection lens.

Further, when the present invention is applied to the lamp units of the left and right headlamps, only a part region of each light distribution pattern of the left and right lamp units may be superimposed. Alternatively, the entire area of the light distribution pattern of the left and right lamp units may not be superimposed.

In the embodiment, an example in which high beam, low beam, and ADB light distribution control is performed by one lamp unit is shown, but low beam light distribution control is performed by another lamp unit, so-called ADB high beam light distribution, that is, high beam and ADB. It may be configured as a lamp unit that only controls the light distribution of.

1 Lamp housing 2 Lamp unit 3 Imaging device 4 Vehicle detection unit 5 Lighting control unit 21 Light source 22 Projection lens (projection optical system)
23 Light source board 24 Light emitting element 41 Vehicle discrimination unit 42 Position discrimination unit 51 LED array light emission control unit 52 Light distribution unevenness detection unit 241-244 Multi-segment LED array (LED array)
PA Package C Array Chip (Multi-split illuminant: illuminant)
PR1, PR2 Projection unit PC illumination area (illumination area of required light distribution pattern)
P1 to P4 Divisional illumination area B Unit illumination area B1 to B3 Overlapping area Lx Lens optical axis Px1, Px2 Projection optical axis

Claims (10)

It is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements and a projection optical system that projects the light of the plurality of light emitting elements to form a plurality of divided illumination regions in an array state, and synthesizes the plurality of divided illumination regions to form a required light distribution pattern. A vehicle lighting device to be formed, the projection optical system integrally has a plurality of projection units for illuminating the plurality of compartmentalized illumination regions, and the plurality of light emitting elements are in contact with adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions. A vehicle lighting device characterized in that it is arranged at a position where it is in a state of being It is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements and a projection optical system that projects the light of the plurality of light emitting elements to form a plurality of divided illumination regions in an array state, and synthesizes the plurality of divided illumination regions to form a required light distribution pattern. A vehicle lighting device to be formed, wherein the projection optical system integrally has a plurality of projection units for illuminating the plurality of compartmentalized illumination regions, and the plurality of light emitting elements are a part of adjacent compartmentalized illumination regions. A vehicle lighting device characterized in that the lights are arranged at positions where they overlap each other. The second aspect of the present invention, wherein the lighting control means for controlling the lighting of the plurality of light emitting elements is provided, and the lighting control means controls the brightness of the superimposed region to be equal to the brightness of the non-superimposed region. Lighting device for vehicles. The light emitting element includes a light emitting body having a light emitting surface having a size smaller than the external dimension, and this light emitting body is configured as a multi-divided light emitting body in which a plurality of minute light emitting bodies that are independently controlled to emit light are arranged. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light emitting surface of the light emitting body is projected to form the divided lighting region. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the minute light emitters emit light individually, and the required light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern in an illumination region where ADB light distribution is controlled. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of projection units have their projected optical axes directed in parallel and each focal length is the same. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the projection optical system includes a lens in which the plurality of projection portions are integrally formed. The projection optical system includes a first projection unit and a second projection unit, and a compartmentalized illumination region formed by the first projection unit and a compartmentalized illumination region formed by the second projection unit are formed adjacent to each other. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 7. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the divided lighting regions formed by the light emitting elements are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 9, wherein any one of the plurality of light emitting elements has an optical axis of a projection unit arranged in the light emitting surface thereof.

Images