JP2024078526A - Vehicular lighting fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture which can reduce discomfort when a light emission state changes.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 1 includes; a first lighting fixture unit 10 which can emit light in two or more states including an eye-opening state in which light is emitted in an annular shape; and a light emission control section 32 which controls a light emission state of the first lighting fixture unit 10. The first lighting fixture unit 10 can further emit light in a blink state in which light is emitted with a narrow width on a center side in an annular height direction and in a height direction as compared with the eye-opening state. The light emission control section 32 interposes the blink state between the two light emission states when the light emission state is changed from one specific state to another state of the two or more states.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

Conventionally, vehicle lamps have been proposed that display information to pedestrians and the like outside the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). These vehicle lamps are configured with a pair of light-emitting elements on the left and right, and each light-emitting element is capable of emitting light in a pattern that resembles the eyes of a living creature. In particular, these light-emitting elements are capable of emitting light in four light-emitting states corresponding to the expressions of normal eyes, half-closed eyes, winking, and blinking, making it possible to communicate in a variety of ways to pedestrians and the like.

JP 2021-54118 A

However, the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 simply changes the light emission state when changing from one light emission state to another, which makes it seem unnatural as a vehicle lamp that mimics eyes.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle lamp that can reduce the sense of discomfort felt when the light emission state changes.

The vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure includes a light-emitting unit capable of emitting light in two or more states including a first light-emitting state in which light is emitted in a ring shape, and a light-emitting control unit that controls the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit, the light-emitting unit further capable of emitting light in a second light-emitting state in which light is emitted from the center of the height direction of the ring shape and in a width narrower in the height direction than the first light-emitting state, and the light-emitting control unit executes control to interpose the second light-emitting state between two light-emitting states when changing the light-emitting state from a specific state to another state among the two or more states.

This disclosure makes it possible to reduce the sense of discomfort felt when the light emission state changes.

1 is a front view of a vehicle showing a mounted state of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of the first lamp unit shown in FIG. 1 . 2A to 2D are first front views showing examples of the light-emitting states of the first lamp unit shown in FIG. 1, where (a) shows an open-eye state, (b) shows a danger state, (c) shows a smile state, and (d) shows a standby state. 1A to 1D are second front views showing examples of the light-emitting states of the first lamp unit shown in FIG. 1, where (a) shows a left gaze state, (b) shows a downward gaze state, (c) shows a right gaze state, and (d) shows a wink state. 11A to 11D are front views showing examples of light emission states in blinking states, where (a) shows an open-eye state, (b) shows a first blinking state, (c) shows a second blinking state, and (d) shows a dangerous state. 1 is a first flowchart showing a light emission control method for a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure. 4 is a second flowchart showing the light emission control method for a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a front view of a first lamp unit according to a first modified example. FIG. 11 is a front view of a first lamp unit according to a second modified example. FIG. 13 is a front view of a first lamp unit according to a third modified example;

The present invention will be described below in accordance with a preferred embodiment. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiment described below, some configurations are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are used as appropriate for the details of the omitted technologies, within the scope of not causing any contradiction with the contents described below.

Figure 1 is a front view of a vehicle showing the mounting state of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. The vehicle lamp 1 shown in Figure 2 comprises a first lamp unit (light emitting section) 10, a second lamp unit 20, and a control unit 30. As shown in Figure 1, the first lamp units 10 are provided in pairs near both ends in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle. As described below, the first lamp unit 10 has multiple lenses (see reference numerals 11 to 13 in Figure 3) and multiple light emitting elements (not shown) such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). The first lamp unit 10 is capable of emitting light in two or more patterns (light emitting states) that imitate the eyes of living creatures.

The second lamp unit 20 is disposed between the first lamp units 10, which are provided in pairs near both ends in the vehicle width direction. The second lamp unit 20 is composed of LEDs, micro LEDs, LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays), organic LEDs, etc. The second lamp unit 20 is capable of emitting light in a more detailed and diverse display state than the first lamp unit 10. Therefore, the second lamp unit 20 is also capable of displaying text.

The control unit 30 shown in FIG. 2 controls the entire vehicle lamp 1. In particular, in this embodiment, the control unit 30 controls the light emission state of the first lamp unit 10 and the second lamp unit 20. The control unit 30 inputs external information of the vehicle lamp 1. The external information corresponds to information on captured images from a camera (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, and operation information when an operation is performed to change the lighting state of the vehicle lamp 1. The external information also corresponds to weather information, and vehicle information including the vehicle speed and steering direction.

The control unit 30 includes an information processing unit 31 and a light emission control unit 32. The information processing unit 31 determines the light emission state of the first lighting unit 10 and the second lighting unit 20 based on the input external information. The light emission control unit 32 controls the first lighting unit 10 and the second lighting unit 20 so that the light emission state determined by the information processing unit 31 is achieved. Here, the control unit 30 according to this embodiment causes the first lighting unit 10 and the second lighting unit 20 to emit light in conjunction with each other. For example, when the first lighting unit 10 displays an image that resembles an eye, the control unit 30 causes the second lighting unit 20 to display an image that resembles a mouth. Note that the control unit 30 may cause the first lighting unit 10 and the second lighting unit 20 to emit light independently.

Figure 3 is a front view of the first lamp unit 10 shown in Figure 1. Note that in Figure 3, up and down refer to the vertical direction of the vehicle, and left and right refer to the left and right as seen by a viewer when viewing the vehicle from the front.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first lamp unit 10 has an annular lens 11 that can emit light in an annular shape (a perfect circle in the example shown in FIG. 3) and a cross lens 12 that can emit light in a cross shape (a cross shape in the example shown in FIG. 3). Each lens 11, 12 has a light-emitting element on the back surface, and lights up when the light-emitting element is turned on.

When viewed from the front, the annular lens 11 includes an upper annular lens 11a on the upper side, a right annular lens 11b on the right side, a lower annular lens 11c on the lower side, and a left annular lens 11d on the left side. Each of these annular lenses 11a to 11d is arc-shaped. The annular lens 11 also includes first to fourth connecting lenses 11e to 11h that are approximately square-shaped. Each connecting lens 11e to 11h is arranged so that its apex faces up, down, left, and right. Of these connecting lenses 11e to 11h, the first connecting lens 11e is arranged between the upper annular lens 11a and the right annular lens 11b. The second connecting lens 11f is arranged between the right annular lens 11b and the lower annular lens 11c. The third connecting lens 11g is arranged between the lower annular lens 11c and the left annular lens 11d. The fourth connecting lens 11h is arranged between the left annular lens 11d and the upper annular lens 11a.

The crossed lens 12 comprises a central lens 12a, radial lenses 12b to 12e, and semicircular lenses 12f to 12i. The crossed lens 12 also includes the connection lenses 11e to 11h described above. Therefore, the connection lenses 11e to 11h form part of the annular lens 11 and also form part of the crossed lens 12, and are used for both.

The central lens 12a is provided at a position that is the center of intersection. The position that is the center of intersection is also the center position of the circular annular lens 11. The central lens 12a is approximately square-shaped. The central lens 12a is arranged with its apex facing in the up, down, left and right directions.

The radiating lenses 12b to 12e are provided at positions that radiate from the central lens 12a. The radiating lenses 12b to 12e are generally rectangular. The radiating lenses 12b to 12e are arranged with their vertices facing the up, down, left and right directions. The first radiating lens 12b is formed to extend in a direction of 45 degrees to the upper right of the central lens 12a, and its outer tip faces the first connecting lens 11e. The second radiating lens 12c is formed to extend in a direction of 45 degrees to the lower right of the central lens 12a, and its outer tip faces the second connecting lens 11f. The third radiating lens 12d is formed to extend in a direction of 45 degrees to the lower left of the central lens 12a, and its outer tip faces the third connecting lens 11g. The fourth radiating lens 12e is formed to extend in a direction of 45 degrees to the upper left of the central lens 12a, and its outer tip faces the fourth connecting lens 11h.

The semicircular lenses 12f to 12i are provided protruding outward from the outer sides of the connecting lenses 11e to 11h, i.e., from the outer side of the annular lens 11. The semicircular lenses 12f to 12i are substantially semicircular in shape, and are arranged with the arcs of the semicircles facing outward. The first semicircular lens 12f is arranged outside the first connecting lens 11e. The second semicircular lens 12g is arranged outside the second connecting lens 11f. The third semicircular lens 12h is arranged outside the third connecting lens 11g. The fourth semicircular lens 12i is arranged outside the fourth connecting lens 11h.

Furthermore, the first lamp unit 10 includes a fan lens 13. The fan lens 13 is provided so as to fill the area inside the annular lens 11 where the cross lens 12 is not arranged. The fan lens 13 includes an upper fan lens 13a, a right fan lens 13b, a lower fan lens 13c, and a left fan lens 13d. Each of the fan lenses 13a to 13d is fan-shaped with a central angle of approximately 90 degrees. Each of the fan lenses 13a to 13d is arranged with the central angle side facing the central lens 12a. The upper fan lens 13a is arranged in the upper part of the annular lens 11, that is, in the area sandwiched between the upper annular lens 11a, the fourth radiating lens 12e, and the first radiating lens 12b. The right fan lens 13b is arranged in the right part of the annular lens 11, that is, in the area sandwiched between the right annular lens 11b, the first radiating lens 12b, and the second radiating lens 12c. The lower sector lens 13c is disposed in the lower part of the annular lens 11, i.e., in the area between the lower annular lens 11c, the second radiation lens 12c, and the third radiation lens 12d. The left sector lens 13d is disposed in the left part of the annular lens 11, i.e., in the area between the left annular lens 11d, the third radiation lens 12d, and the fourth radiation lens 12e.

4 and 5 are front views showing examples of the light-emitting state of the first lamp unit 10 shown in FIG. 1. The light-emitting control unit 32 can make the first lamp unit 10 emit light in a plurality of display states. First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the light-emitting control unit 32 makes the light-emitting element on the rear side of the annular lens 11 emit light to make the annular lens 11 shine (hereinafter, it is expressed that the lens emits light because the viewer sees the lens illuminated by the light-emitting element as if it is emitting light). As a result, the light-emitting control unit 32 makes the first lamp unit 10 emit light in a ring shape. Since the first lamp unit 10 imitates the eyes of a living creature, in this embodiment, the state in which the first lamp unit 10 emits light in a ring shape (first light-emitting state) is a state showing the eyes being open (hereinafter, referred to as the eyes-open state). By making the light-emitting state the eyes-open state, the vehicle lamp 1 notifies pedestrians outside that the vehicle is in a normal driving state, for example.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the light emission control unit 32 causes the cross lens 12 to emit light. This causes the light emission control unit 32 to cause the first lamp unit 10 to emit light in a cross shape. By emitting light in a cross shape, the first lamp unit 10 can express a dejected expression or an expression indicating some bad condition. This type of light emission state is called a dangerous state. By setting the light emission state to a dangerous state, the vehicle lamp 1 notifies pedestrians outside that there is a possibility of a danger such as a collision.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the light emission control unit 32 causes only the upper annular lens 11a and the first and fourth connecting lenses 11e, 11h to emit light. In this case, the first lamp unit 10 can be made to appear as if the eyes are forming an upwardly convex arc. This light emission state is called the smile state. By changing the light emission state to the smile state, the vehicle lamp 1 notifies pedestrians outside of the vehicle of gratitude, for example, when someone gives way to the vehicle.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4(d), the light emission control unit 32 causes only the lower annular lens 11c and the second and third connecting lenses 11f, 11g to emit light. In this case, the first lamp unit 10 can be expressed as an eye drawing a convex arc downward. This light emission state is called a standby state. By setting the light emission state to a standby state, the vehicle lamp 1 notifies pedestrians outside, for example, that the vehicle has been stopped for a long time.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the light emission control unit 32 causes the annular lens 11 and the left sector lens 13d to emit light. In this case, the first lamp unit 10 can make the eyes appear to be facing left. This light emission state is called a left gaze state. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5(b), when the light emission control unit 32 causes the annular lens 11 and the lower sector lens 13c to emit light, the first lamp unit 10 can make the eyes appear to be facing downward. This light emission state is called a downward gaze state. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5(c), when the light emission control unit 32 causes the annular lens 11 and the right sector lens 13b to emit light, the first lamp unit 10 can make the eyes appear to be facing right. This light emission state is called a right gaze state. For example, while crossing the road, the vehicle lamp 1 changes the light emission state to a left gaze state, a downward gaze state, and a right gaze state in accordance with the movement of the pedestrian, etc., to notify pedestrians, etc., outside, that the pedestrian, etc. is aware of the pedestrian, etc.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the light emission control unit 32 causes only the annular lens 11 on one side of the first lamp unit 10 to emit light. Furthermore, the light emission control unit 32 causes the first and second connecting lenses 11e, 11f, the central lens 12a, the first and second radiating lenses 12b, 12c, and the first and second semicircular lenses 12f, 12g on the other side to emit light. In this case, the first lamp unit 10 can be expressed as if its eyes are winking. This light emission state is called a wink state. By changing the light emission state to the wink state, the vehicle lamp 1 notifies pedestrians outside, for example, that it has said hello.

Referring again to FIG. 2. The vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment selects an appropriate light emission state based on external information, and controls the first lamp unit 10 to be in the selected light emission state. For example, when the vehicle lamp 1 determines that the vehicle is in a normal driving state based on external information, it sets the first lamp unit 10 to an open state. Furthermore, when the vehicle lamp 1 determines that there is a possibility of danger based on external information, it sets the first lamp unit 10 to a danger state.

Here, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment, for example, when the light emission state changes from an open eye state to a dangerous state, if the light emission state simply changes suddenly from the state in FIG. 4(a) to the state in FIG. 4(b), it will be depicted as if the eyes have suddenly changed, which will create a strong sense of incongruity for a vehicle lamp 1 that mimics eyes.

Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment, when the light emission control unit 32 changes the light emission state from one specific state to another state, it inserts a blinking state (second light emission state) between the two light emission states.

6 is a front view showing an example of the light emission state in the blinking state, where (a) shows the open-eye state, (b) shows the first blinking state, (c) shows the second blinking state, and (d) shows the danger state. As shown in Fig. 6(b) and Fig. 6(c), the blinking state is a state in which light is emitted from the center of the height direction of the ring (the vertical direction shown in Fig. 3) and with a narrower width in the height direction than the open-eye state. In the first lamp unit 10 of the example shown in Fig. 3, the blinking state satisfies, for example, at least the following conditions. The first condition is that the center lens 12a, the right fan lens 13b, and the left fan lens 13d are emitting light. The second condition is that the upper annular lens 11a, the lower annular lens 11c, the connecting lenses 11e to 11h, and the semicircular lenses 12f to 12i are not emitting light. The third condition is that light is emitted symmetrically from top to bottom. Note that these conditions are just examples, and as long as the light is not biased to one side in the height direction and is emitted from the center of the ring in the height direction, it is not necessary to meet all of these conditions.

The first blinking state shown in FIG. 6(b) is the half-open state. In this state, the light emission control unit 32 turns off the upper annular lens 11a, the lower annular lens 11c, the connecting lenses 11e-11h, and the semicircular lenses 12f-12i, and causes the others to emit light. As a result, the light emission control unit 32 emits light of a predetermined width in the height direction at the center of the height direction of the annular lens, expressing the half-open state.

The second blinking state shown in FIG. 6(c) is the closed-eye state. The closed-eye state is a state in which light is emitted at a width narrower than the predetermined width at the center side in the height direction. In this state, the light emission control unit 32 causes only the central lens 12a, the right sector lens 13b, and the left sector lens 13d to emit light. In this way, the light emission control unit 32 causes light to be emitted at a narrower width to represent the closed-eye state.

When the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment changes the light emission state from one specific state to another state, a blinking state is inserted between the two light emission states. That is, when the light emission state is changed from an open-eye state to a dangerous state as in the example shown in FIG. 6, the light emission control unit 32 does not change the state of FIG. 6(a) to the state of FIG. 6(d), but inserts the states of FIG. 6(b) and FIG. 6(c). As a result, the light emission state changes in the order of FIG. 6(a), FIG. 6(b), FIG. 6(c), and FIG. 6(d). In this way, the eyes do not suddenly change from an open-eye state to a dangerous state, but a blink is inserted, reducing the sense of discomfort when the light emission state changes.

Next, a method for controlling the emission of the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the method for controlling the emission of the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the control unit 30 inputs external information (S1). Next, the information processing unit 31 determines whether the vehicle has stopped based on the external information input in step S1 (S2). If the vehicle has not stopped (S2: NO), the information processing unit 31 determines the emission state based on the external information input in step S1 (S3).

Then, the information processing unit 31 judges whether the light emission state determined in step S3 is different from the current light emission state (S4). If the determined light emission state is different from the current light emission state (S4: YES), the light emission control unit 32 sets the light emission state of the first lamp unit 10 to the blinking state (S5). At this time, the light emission control unit 32 first sets the light emission state to the half-eyes state shown in FIG. 6(b), and then sets it to the closed-eyes state shown in FIG. 6(c).

Next, the light emission control unit 32 sets the light emission state of the first lamp unit 10 to the light emission state determined in step S3 (S6). The process then proceeds to step S1. In this way, the light emission control unit 32 reduces the discomfort felt when the light emission state changes by inserting a blinking state as shown in step S5 between the current light emission state and when the light emission state is changed in step S6. Note that, although the light emission control unit 32 inserts both the half-eyes state and the closed-eyes state in step S5, this is not limited to the above, and only one of the half-eyes state and the closed-eyes state may be inserted.

Also, if the light emission state determined in step S3 is not different from the current light emission state (S4: NO), i.e., if there is no change in the light emission state, the light emission control unit 32 determines whether the current light emission state is the eye-open state (S7). If the current light emission state is not the eye-open state (S7: NO), the process proceeds to step S1.

If the current light emission state is the eye-open state (S7: YES), the light emission control unit 32 determines whether the eye-open state has continued for a specified time or more (S8). If the eye-open state has not continued for a specified time or more (S8: NO), the process proceeds to step S1.

If the open-eye state continues for a specified time or longer (S8: YES), the light emission control unit 32 changes the light emission state of the first lighting unit 10 to a blinking state (S9), as in step S5. At this time, the light emission control unit 32 changes the light emission state to the half-eye state and then to the closed-eye state, but it may be to the half-eye state only or to the closed-eye state only. The light emission control unit 32 then returns the light emission state to the open-eye state (S10). In this way, if the open-eye state continues for a long time, the light emission control unit 32 intervenes in a blinking state, similar to the way living creatures blink.

Next, the light emission control unit 32 determines whether to insert another blinking state (S11). At this time, the light emission control unit 32 may randomly determine whether to insert another blinking state, or may determine to insert one blinking state each time the process of step S11 is executed a predetermined number of times. When the light emission control unit 32 determines not to insert another blinking state (S11: NO), the process proceeds to step S1.

When the light emission control unit 32 determines that another blinking state should be inserted (S11: YES), it sets the light emission state to the blinking state again within a predetermined time from the blinking state insertion in step S9 (S12). The light emission control unit 32 then returns the light emission state to the open-eye state (S13). Then, the process proceeds to step S1. In this way, the light emission control unit 32 may cause the blinking state to occur multiple times in succession. Generally, living creatures may blink multiple times in succession, so the sense of discomfort is further reduced by performing consecutive blinks.

Note that the specified time in step S8 may be a fixed time that has been determined in advance, but is not limited to this, and is preferably a time that changes randomly. In other words, if blinking occurs intermittently, it is preferable that the blinking intervals be indefinite. This is because it is possible to further reduce the sense of discomfort, in the same way that living creatures do not blink at fixed intervals.

If the vehicle is stopped (S2: YES), the process proceeds to step S14 in FIG. 8, and steps S14 to S20 are executed. Steps S14 to S20 are substantially the same as steps S7 to S13 shown in FIG. 7. If step S18 returns "NO", the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the light emission control unit 32 determines whether a specific time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped (S21). If the specific time has not elapsed (S21: NO), the process proceeds to step S1 in FIG. 7.

If the specific time has elapsed (S21: YES), the light emission control unit 32 sets the light emission state to a standby state (S22). After that, the information processing unit 31 determines whether a vehicle start signal has been received (S23). If the information processing unit 31 has not received a start signal (S23: NO), the process proceeds to step S22.

On the other hand, if the information processing unit 31 receives a departure signal (S23: YES), the light emission control unit 32 returns the light emission state to the open eye state (S24). Then, the process proceeds to step S1.

In this way, in the initial stage of stopping (until a specific time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped), the light emission control unit 32 basically keeps the first lamp unit 10 in an open state with an intermittent blinking state, as shown in the processing of steps S14 to S20. On the other hand, if the vehicle continues to be stopped beyond the initial stage of stopping (when a specific time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped), the light emission control unit 32 will control the light emission state to a predetermined standby state.

In addition, if the vehicle has been stopped for a specific period of time and the light emission state is in standby mode, the light emission control unit 32 returns the light emission state to the eyes-open state when it is confirmed that the vehicle is about to move. This prevents the vehicle from running in standby mode, and prevents an unnatural state such as a living creature moving without opening its eyes.

In this way, with the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment, when the light emission state is changed from one specific state out of two or more states including the eye-open state to another state, a blinking state is interposed between the two light emission states. As a result, the vehicle lamp 1 does not suddenly change from a specific light emission state to another light emission state, but rather the blinking state is interposed, suppressing the sense of discomfort when the change occurs. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the sense of discomfort when the light emission state changes.

In addition, when the light emission control unit 32 controls the first lamp unit 10 to be in an open-eye state, it intermittently causes the blinking state to be inserted. As a result, the light emission control unit 32 does not continue to display the unnatural state of the eyes remaining open. Therefore, the blinking effect can be used to further reduce discomfort.

Furthermore, as shown in steps S12 and S19, the light emission control unit 32 causes a blinking state to be inserted again within a predetermined time after the blinking state has been inserted. This makes it possible to express continuous blinking depending on the setting of the predetermined time. This makes it possible to express a living creature blinking continuously, further reducing the sense of incongruity.

The light emission control unit 32 also intermittently inserts a blinking state during the initial period of vehicle stop as shown in steps S14 to S20, and controls the light emission state to a predetermined standby light emission state (standby state) once the initial period of stop has passed as shown in steps S21 and S22. Therefore, when the need to communicate with pedestrians outside the vehicle decreases as the vehicle is stopped for a relatively long period of time, the light emission control unit 32 can suppress the execution of unnecessary light emission control by switching the light emission state to the standby state.

In addition, when the light emission state is in a standby state and the vehicle starts moving, the light emission control unit 32 changes the light emission state to an open state. Therefore, when the vehicle starts moving and there is an increased need to communicate with pedestrians outside the vehicle again, the light emission control unit 32 can cancel the standby state, thereby reducing the sense of discomfort.

The blinking state includes a half-eyes state where a predetermined width of light is emitted at the center of the height direction of the ring, and a closed-eyes state where a width of light is emitted narrower than the predetermined width at the center. This allows the blinking state to be expressed as half-eyes and closed eyes, further reducing the sense of discomfort.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made or known technologies may be combined without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the first lamp unit 10 may be as shown in Figures 9 to 11. Figure 9 is a front view of the first lamp unit 10a according to the first modified example. Compared to the one shown in Figure 3, the first lamp unit (light-emitting section) 10a according to the first modified example is configured without semicircular lenses 12f to 12i. Even with this configuration, it is possible to emit light in two or more states, including an open-eye state in which light is emitted in a ring shape, and it is also possible to express a blinking state.

Figure 10 is a front view of the first lamp unit 10b according to the second modification. The first lamp unit (light-emitting portion) 10b according to the second modification does not have a central lens 12a, as compared to the one shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, the first lamp unit 10b according to the second modification has a different shape of the radiating lenses 112b to 112e compared to the one shown in Figure 3. The radiating lenses 112b to 112e according to the second modification are substantially pentagonal in shape with a triangular shape added to the substantially rectangular shape. The triangular portion is added to the side of the rectangle facing the center of the ring. As a result, the radiating lenses 112b to 112e have a pointed shape toward the center of the ring, and the radiating lenses 112b to 112e express the appearance of spreading from the center. Even with this configuration, like the first modification, it is possible to emit light in two or more states, including an open-eye state in which light is emitted in a ring shape, and it is also possible to express a blinking state.

Figure 11 is a front view of the first lamp unit 10c according to the third modified example. Compared to the first lamp unit (light-emitting section) 10c shown in Figure 10, the first lamp unit (light-emitting section) according to the third modified example does not have the semicircular lenses 12f-12i. Even with this configuration, it is possible to emit light in two or more states, including an open-eye state in which light is emitted in a ring shape, and it is also possible to express a blinking state.

As described above, the first lamp unit 10 can emit light in two or more states, including an open-eye state in which light is emitted in a circular pattern, and can be modified in various ways as long as it is possible to express a blinking state.

In addition, in this embodiment, the light emission control unit 32 causes the first lamp unit 10 to emit light in the light emission state shown in Figures 4 and 5, but this is not limited to this and various other expressions are possible.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example of a vehicle lamp 1 provided at the front of the vehicle has been described, but the vehicle lamp 1 may be provided at the rear or side of the vehicle, not limited to the front, and may emit light from inside the vehicle toward the outside.

Furthermore, the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment may also function as an existing lamp such as a headlamp, or may be provided separately from the existing lamp.

In addition, the blinking state is not limited to that shown in Fig. 6(b) and Fig. 6(c) as long as the light emitted is narrower in the height direction than the open-eye state at the center of the annular height direction. Therefore, for example, the blinking state may be a state in which only the central lens 12a and the radiating lenses 12b to 12d are radiating light, or a state in which only the central lens 12a, the first radiating lens 12b, and the second radiating lens 12c are radiating light.

In addition, in this embodiment, the open eye state emits light in a perfect circular shape, but the shape is not limited to a perfect circle, and may be an ellipse, diamond, or other annular shape as long as it does not interfere with the eye-like shape. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 4(a), the open eye state is when the annular lens 11 emits light, and the inside is not illuminated. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the inside may also emit light.

1: Vehicle lamp 10, 10a, 10b, 10c: First lamp unit (light-emitting portion)
11: Annular lens 20: Second lamp unit 30: Control unit 31: Information processing unit 32: Light emission control unit

Claims (6)

a light-emitting unit capable of emitting light in two or more states including a first light-emitting state in which light is emitted in an annular shape;
A light emission control unit that controls a light emission state of the light emitting unit,
The light emitting portion is further capable of emitting light in a second light emitting state in which the light emitting portion emits light at a center side in a height direction of the annular shape and in a width narrower in the height direction than the first light emitting state,
the light emission control unit, when changing the light emission state from a specific state to another state among the two or more states, executes control to interpose the second light emission state between the two light emission states. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the light emission control unit, when controlling the light emitter to be in the first light emission state, causes the light emitter to be in the second light emission state intermittently. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2 , wherein the light emission control unit causes the second light emission state to be interposed again within a predetermined time after the second light emission state is interposed. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein, when the light emission control unit controls the light emission unit to the first light emission state when the vehicle is stopped, the light emission control unit intermittently switches the light emission unit to the second light emission state in an initial stage of stopping the vehicle and, when the vehicle continues to be stopped beyond the initial stage of stopping, controls the light emission unit to a predetermined standby light emission state. The vehicular lamp according to claim 4, wherein the light emission control unit controls the light emission state to the first light emission state when the vehicle starts moving while the light emission control unit controls the light emission state to the standby light emission state. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the second light-emitting state has a half-light state in which light is emitted at a center side of the height direction of the annular shape and at a predetermined width narrower in the height direction than the first light-emitting state, and a closed-light state in which light is emitted at a center side of the height direction of the annular shape and at a width narrower than the predetermined width.

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