JP6221589B2 - Vehicle lighting - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp including a light guide member.

  This type of vehicular lamp is conventionally known (for example, Patent Document 1). Hereinafter, a conventional vehicle lamp will be described. A conventional vehicular lamp includes a housing and an outer lens that define a lamp chamber, and a light source and a rod-shaped light guide lens that are housed in the lamp chamber. Light from the light source enters the light guide lens from the incident surface of one end surface of the light guide lens, and the incident light repeats total reflection in the light guide lens and is guided to the other end side. The light exits from one exit surface. Light emitted from the exit surface of the light guide lens passes through the outer lens and is irradiated to the outside.

JP 2013-45671 A

  In such a vehicular lamp, there may be a problem in appearance because the light source can be seen from the outside through the outer lens. For this reason, the light source may be blinded by a blinding member such as an inner panel or an emblem. However, in this case, since a blindfold member is required, the number of parts increases and the manufacturing cost increases. In addition, there is a case where a blindfold member cannot be provided due to the structure of the vehicular lamp. In this case, there is a problem in appearance because the light source is visible.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in the case of a conventional vehicular lamp, if a blindfold member is provided, the manufacturing cost becomes high, or if the blindfold member cannot be provided, the light source is visible and there is a problem in appearance. It is in that there is.

The present invention (invention according to claim 1) includes a lamp housing and a lamp lens that define a lamp chamber, and a light source disposed in the lamp chamber and a light guide member having a rod shape. an incident surface of the one end face through which light enters from a light source, an exit surface of the one side to emit light incident from the incident surface, and an extension portion extending from the side of one end of the incident surface side, and possess The extension portion is composed of a joint portion that is joined to the side surface of one end on the incident surface side, and a bent portion that is bent with respect to the joint portion, and the joint portion is formed on the center line of the light guide member. On the other hand, it is inclined at an angle that exceeds the critical angle of at least some of the light that has entered from the incident surface and leaked into the joint, and the bent portion is totally reflected at the joint. A diffusing element for diffusing the emitted light is provided .

  In the present invention (the invention according to claim 2), the light source and the incident surface are disposed on the end side in the lamp chamber, and the extension portion is close to at least one of the lamp housing and the lamp lens. It is characterized by that.

  This invention (the invention according to claim 3) is an angle formed by the center line of the light guide member and the emission direction of the emitted light from the emission surface, and the angle on the incident surface side forms an obtuse angle. To do.

  In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, the light source can be hidden by the extension portion. Therefore, even if the lamp chamber is viewed from the outside through the lamp lens, the light source cannot be seen by the extension portion and there is no problem in appearance. Moreover, since the extension portion is integrally provided from the light guide member, it is not necessary to provide a separate blindfold member, and the manufacturing cost is not increased accordingly.

FIG. 1 is a front view (viewed from the rear side of the vehicle) showing Embodiment 1 of the vehicular lamp according to the present invention. 2 is a sectional view (partially enlarged sectional view) taken along line II-II in FIG. 3 is a view (plan view) taken along the arrow III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the light source and the light guide member. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a light source and a light guide member not provided with an extension. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged plan view of a light source and a light guide member showing Embodiment 2 of the vehicular lamp according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, two examples of an embodiment (example) of a vehicular lamp according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Description of Configuration of Embodiment 1)
1 to 4 show Embodiment 1 of a vehicular lamp according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicular lamp according to the first embodiment will be described. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicular lamp according to the first embodiment. Reference numeral 100 denotes an adjacent vehicle lamp provided adjacent to the vehicle lamp 1.

  The vehicular lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicular lamp 100 constitute a rear combination lamp and are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the rear portion of the vehicle (not shown). The illustrated vehicular lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicular lamp 100 are mounted on the right side of the rear portion of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the right vehicle lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 will be described. Note that the vehicular lamp and the adjacent vehicle lamp mounted on the left side of the rear part of the vehicle are opposite to the vehicular lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicular lamp 100, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The planar shape of the rear part of the vehicle (the shape seen from the plane (upper side of the vehicle)) is curved from the rear side of the vehicle to the front side from the inner side (left side in the figure) to the outer side (right side in the figure). It is slanted. Therefore, the planar shapes of the vehicle lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 are curved and slanted (slant) following the planar shape of the rear part of the vehicle, as shown in FIG.

(Description of vehicle lamp 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicular lamp 1 includes a lamp housing 2, a lamp lens (for example, a transparent outer cover, an outer lens, etc.) 3, a light source 4, and a light guide member 5. It is to be prepared. In this example, the vehicular lamp 1 is mounted on a back door of a vehicle. That is, the vehicular lamp 1 is a movable lamp.

  The lamp housing 2 is made of, for example, a light impermeable member, for example, a resin member. The lamp housing 2 has a hollow shape in which one (rear) is open and the other (front) is closed. The lamp lens 3 is made of, for example, a light transmissive member such as a transparent resin member or a glass member. The lamp lens 3 has a hollow shape in which one (front) is open and the other (rear) is closed. The planar shape of the lamp lens 3 is slanted along the planar shape of the rear part of the vehicle from the inner side of the vehicle to the outer side of the vehicle and from the rear side to the front side of the vehicle. The peripheral edge of the opening of the lamp lens 3 and the peripheral edge of the opening of the lamp housing 2 are fixed in a watertight manner. A lamp chamber 6 is defined by the lamp housing 2 and the lamp lens 3.

  In the lamp chamber 6, the light source 4 and the light guide member 5 are arranged. In this example, the light source 4 and the light guide member 5 constitute a tail lamp. In the lamp chamber 6, in addition to the light source 4 and the tail lamp of the light guide member 5, a stop lamp, a backup lamp, a turn signal lamp, a clearance lamp, a license plate lamp, etc., an inner housing, an inner lens, etc. May be arranged.

(Description of light source 4)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the light source 4 is a self-luminous semiconductor light source such as an LED, an OEL, or an OLED (organic EL) in this example. The light source 4 includes a light emitting unit 7 and a substrate 8. The light source 4 is disposed at the outer end of the vehicle in the lamp chamber 6. The light source 4 is attached to the lamp housing 2 directly or via another member (not shown).

(Description of the light guide member 5)
The light guide member 5 guides light by utilizing total internal reflection. In this example, the light guide member 5 is made of a transparent resin material such as acrylic resin or PC (polycarbonate). As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the light guide member 5 has a cylindrical shape with a circular cross section that is the same or substantially the same from one end to the other end, that is, a round bar shape.

  As shown in a part of FIG. 2, the planar shape of the light guide member 5 is curved and slanted (slant) following the planar shape of the vehicular lamp 1 and the planar shape of the rear part of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the front shape of the light guide member 5 (the shape seen from the front (rear side of the vehicle)) is a horizontal U shape with the outside of the vehicle opened. The light guide member 5 is attached to the lamp housing 2 directly or via another member (not shown). For example, an attachment piece (not shown) provided integrally with the light guide member 5 is attached to the lamp housing 2 directly or via another member (not shown).

  The light guide member 5 includes an incident surface 9 on one end surface, an exit surface 10 on one side surface (a front surface, that is, a surface facing the lamp lens 3), and an extension portion 11.

  The incident surface 9 faces the light emitting unit 7 of the light source 4. The entrance surface 9 is a flat surface, a curved surface, or a combination of a flat surface and a curved surface. The incident surface 9 allows light emitted from the light emitting unit 7 to enter the light guide member 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the incident surface 9 is disposed along with the light source 4 at the outer end of the vehicle in the lamp chamber 6.

  The exit surface 10 is light (incident light) incident on the light guide member 5 from the entrance surface 9, and the light guided through the light guide member 5 is used as exit light in the light guide member 5. The light is emitted from the outside. As shown in FIG. 4, the angle θ1 between the center line (center axis) O of the light guide member 5 and the emission direction of the emitted light L1 from the emission surface 10 is an angle θ1 on the incident surface 9 side. Make an obtuse angle. In addition, you may provide the reflective surface which reflects light to the said output surface 10 side in the other side surface (back surface, ie, the surface on the opposite side to the said output surface 10) of the said light guide member 5. FIG.

(Explanation of extension 11)
The extension portion 11 is integrally extended from the side surface of one end on the incident surface 9 side. The extension 11 is close to the lamp housing 2. The extension 11 may be close to the lamp lens 3 or close to the lamp housing 2 and the lamp lens 3. The extension portion 11 includes a joint portion 12 that is joined to a side surface at one end on the incident surface 9 side, and a bent portion 13 that is bent with respect to the joint portion 12.

  The joint 12 is light incident from the incident surface 9 with respect to the center line O of the light guide member 5 and is at least part of light (leakage light) L2 leaking into the joint 12. Inclined at an angle θ2 exceeding the critical angle of the leaked light L2, in this example, about 60 ° or more in view of the feasibility of the molding die of the light guide member 5.

  The bent portion 13 is provided with a diffusing element 14 that diffuses light (total reflected light) L3 totally reflected by the joint portion 12. The diffusing element 14 is composed of a prism, a texture or the like. The diffusing element 14 may be provided on the entire surface of the bent portion 13 or may be provided on the surface of the bent portion 13 opposite to the surface facing the lamp lens 3.

(Description of adjacent vehicle lamp 100)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 includes a lamp housing 102, a lamp lens (for example, a transparent outer cover, an outer lens, etc.) 103, a light source (not shown), a light guide, and the like. The member 105 is provided. In this example, the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 is mounted on a back fender of a vehicle. That is, the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 is a fixed lamp.

  The lamp housing 102 is made of, for example, a light impermeable member, for example, a resin member. The lamp housing 102 has a hollow shape in which one (rear) is open and the other (front) is closed. The lamp lens 103 is made of, for example, a light transmissive member such as a transparent resin member or a glass member. The lamp lens 103 has a hollow shape in which one (front) is open and the other (rear) is closed. The periphery of the opening of the lamp lens 103 and the periphery of the opening of the lamp housing 102 are fixed in a watertight manner. A lamp chamber 106 is defined by the lamp housing 102 and the lamp lens 103.

  The light source and the light guide member 105 are disposed in the lamp chamber 106. In this example, the light source and the light guide member 105 constitute a tail lamp. In the lamp chamber 106, in addition to the light source and the tail lamp of the light guide member 105, a stop lamp, a backup lamp, a turn signal lamp, a clearance lamp, a license plate lamp, etc., an inner housing, an inner lens, etc. It may be arranged.

  Similar to the light source 2 of the vehicular lamp 1, the light source is a self-luminous semiconductor type light source such as an LED, OEL, or OLED (organic EL). The light source includes a light emitting unit (not shown) and a substrate (not shown). The light source is disposed at an outer end of the vehicle in the lamp chamber 106. The light source is attached to the lamp housing 102 directly or via another member (not shown).

  The light guide member 105 guides light by utilizing total internal reflection. In this example, the light guide member 105 is made of a transparent resin material such as acrylic resin or PC (polycarbonate). The light guide member 105 has an equivalent or substantially equivalent circular cylindrical shape, that is, a round bar shape, from one end to the other end.

  As shown in a part of FIG. 2, the planar shape of the light guide member 105 is curved and slanted following the planar shape of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 and the planar shape of the rear part of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the front shape of the light guide member 105 (the shape seen from the front (rear side of the vehicle)) is a horizontal U shape with the inside of the vehicle opened. The light guide member 105 is attached to the lamp housing 102 directly or via another member (not shown). For example, an attachment piece (not shown) provided integrally with the light guide member 105 is attached to the lamp housing 102 directly or via another member (not shown).

  The light guide member 105 has an incident surface (not shown) on one end surface and an exit surface 110 on one side surface (a front surface, that is, a right surface from a surface facing the lamp lens 103). The incident surface faces the light emitting part of the light source. The entrance surface is a flat surface, a curved surface, or a combination of a flat surface and a curved surface. The incident surface allows light emitted from the light emitting unit to enter the light guide member 105. The entrance surface is disposed at the outer end of the vehicle in the lamp chamber 106 together with the light source.

  The exit surface 110 is light (incident light) incident on the light guide member 105 from the entrance surface, and the light guided through the light guide member 105 is output as light from the light guide member 105. The light is emitted to the outside.

  The other end surface 111 of the light guide member 105 is disposed at the inner end of the vehicle in the lamp chamber 106 and is close to the lamp housing 102. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the extension portion 11 of the light guide member 5 of the vehicle lamp 1 and the other end surface 111 of the light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 are as follows. , Close. Thereby, the said light guide member 5 of the said vehicle lamp 1 and the said light guide member 105 of the said adjacent vehicle lamp 100 make a sense of unity.

(Description of the operation of the first embodiment)
The vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below.

  The light emitting unit 7 of the light source 4 is turned on. Then, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 7 enters the light guide member 5 from the incident surface 9 of the light guide member 5. Incident light that has entered the light guide member 5 is guided through the light guide member 5 from the incident surface 9 at one end to the other end surface while repeating total reflection, and is emitted as the emitted light L1 to the exit surface of the light guide member 5. 10 to the outside. The light emitted to the outside is irradiated to the outside through a lamp lens 3 with a predetermined light distribution pattern.

  In addition, at least a part of the light L2 that is incident from the incident surface 9 of the light guide member 5 and leaks into the joint 12 (leakage light) L2 is totally reflected by the joint 12. The totally reflected light L3 is diffused in the diffusing element 14 of the bent portion 13. The diffused light L4 is diffused from the bent portion 13 and emitted.

  Simultaneously with the lighting of the light source 4 of the vehicular lamp 1, the light source of the adjacent vehicular lamp 100 is turned on, and the light emitted from the light source enters the light guide member 105 from the incident surface of the light guide member 105. Incident light that has entered the light guide member 105 is guided through the light guide member 105 from the incident surface at one end to the other end surface 111 side while repeating total reflection, and is emitted as outgoing light 110 of the light guide member 105. To the outside. The light emitted to the outside is irradiated to the outside through a lamp lens 103 with a predetermined light distribution pattern.

  Here, when viewed from the rear side of the vehicle or from the rear side of the vehicle, as shown by a thick solid line in FIG. 1, the light guide member of the vehicular lamp 1 having a lateral U shape with the outside of the vehicle opened. 5 looks shining. On the other hand, the light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 having a horizontal U shape with an opening inside the vehicle appears to shine. And since the opening end of the light guide member 5 of the vehicle lamp 1 and the opening end of the light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 are close to each other, the light guide member 5 of the vehicle lamp 1 is adjacent to the light guide member 5. The light guide member 105 of the vehicular lamp 100 makes a sense of unity. That is, the light guide member 5 of the vehicular lamp 1 and the light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicular lamp 100 appear to shine in an integral annular shape (ring shape) as shown by a thick solid line in FIG.

(Description of the effect of Embodiment 1)
The vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment is configured and operated as described above, and the effects thereof will be described below.

  In the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, since the light source 4 can be blinded by the extension portion 11, the extension can be achieved even when the inside of the lamp chamber 6 is viewed from the outside (EP in FIG. 4) via the lamp lens 3. The light source 4 cannot be seen by the part 11 and there is no problem in appearance. In addition, since the extension portion 11 is integrally provided from the light guide member 5, it is not necessary to provide a separate blindfold member, and the manufacturing cost is not increased accordingly.

  Here, the light guide member 500 provided with no extension will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. In the case of the light guide member 500 not provided with the extension, the light source 4 is visible when the inside of the lamp chamber 6 is viewed from the outside (EP in FIG. 5) via the lamp lens 3. On the other hand, in the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, the extension portion 11 is provided on the light guide member 5, so that even if the inside of the lamp chamber 6 is viewed from the outside via the lamp lens 3, 4 is not visible.

  In the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, the light source 4 and the incident surface 9 are disposed at the outer end of the vehicle in the lamp chamber 6, and the extension portion 11 is close to the lamp housing 2. For this reason, when the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 is provided adjacent to the vehicle lamp 1, the vehicle lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 can obtain a sense of unity. That is, the extension portion 11 of the light guide member 5 of the vehicle lamp 1 and the other end surface 111 of the light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 are close to each other, so that the light guide member 5 of the vehicle lamp 1 The light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 has a sense of unity. As a result, even if the vehicle lamp 1 and the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 are separate, the light guide member 5 of the vehicle lamp 1 and the light guide member 105 of the adjacent vehicle lamp 100 appear to shine together. A novel light design can be obtained.

  The vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment is an angle formed by the center line O of the light guide member 5 and the emission direction of the emitted light L1 from the emission surface 10, and the angle θ1 on the incident surface 9 side has an obtuse angle. Eggplant. For this reason, the light from the light source 4 can be efficiently guided through the light guide member 5 with less light loss and emitted from the emission surface 10.

  In the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, the joint portion 12 of the extension portion 11 is light incident from the incident surface 9 with respect to the center line O of the light guide member 5 and leaks into the joint portion 12. The light (leakage light) L2 is inclined at an angle θ2 that exceeds the critical angle of at least a part of the leakage light L2. For this reason, since the leaked light L2 is totally reflected at the joint portion 12, it does not directly exit from the joint portion 12 to the outside.

  Moreover, in the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, the bent portion 13 of the extension portion 11 is provided with a diffusing element 14 that diffuses light L3 totally reflected by the joint portion 12 (total reflection light) L3. . For this reason, the leaked light L2 is totally reflected by the joint portion 12, the total reflected light L3 is diffused by the diffusion element 14, and the diffused light L4 is diffused and emitted from the bent portion 13 to the outside. Accordingly, when the inside of the lamp chamber 6 is viewed from the outside (EP in FIG. 5) through the lamp lens 3, the bent portion 13 of the extension portion 11 appears to shine over the entire surface. That is, since the bent portion 13 of the extension portion 11 is lit at one point and cannot be seen, there is no problem in appearance.

(Description of the configuration and effect of the second embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows Embodiment 2 of the vehicular lamp according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the vehicular lamp according to the second embodiment will be described. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 denote the same components.

  In the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, the extension portion 11 of the light guide member 5 is inclined at an angle θ2 that exceeds the critical angle, and the bent portion 13 in which the diffusion element 14 is provided. It is comprised from these. On the other hand, in the vehicular lamp according to the second embodiment, the extension 15 of the light guide member 5 is provided in parallel with the incident surface 9.

  Since the vehicular lamp according to the second embodiment is configured as described above, it is possible to achieve substantially the same operational effects as the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment. In the vehicular lamp according to the second embodiment, since the extension 15 of the light guide member 5 is provided in parallel with the incident surface 9, the light incident from the incident surface 9 is leaked into the light extension 15. The light (leakage light) L2 is emitted from the extension portion 15 to the outside. For this reason, when the inside of the lamp chamber 6 is viewed from the outside (EP in FIG. 6) through the lamp lens 3, a part of the extension portion 15 may appear to shine.

(Description of examples other than Embodiments 1 and 2)
In the first and second embodiments, the tail lamp of the rear combination lamp will be described. However, the present invention can be applied to vehicle lamps other than the tail lamp of the rear combination lamp.

  Moreover, in the said Embodiment 1, 2, the extension parts 11 and 15 are used as a blindfold. However, in the present invention, the extension portions 11 and 15 can also be used as attachment portions for attaching the light guide member 5 to the lamp housing 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle lamp 2 Lamp housing 3 Lamp lens 4 Light source 5 Light guide member 6 Lamp chamber 7 Light emission part 8 Board | substrate 9 Incident surface 10 Output surface 11, 15 Extension part 12 Joint part 13 Bending part 14 Diffusion element 100 Adjacent vehicle lamp 102 Lamp housing 103 Lamp lens 105 Light guide member 106 Lamp chamber 110 Emission surface 111 Other end surface L1 Emission light L2 Leakage light L3 Total reflection light L4 Diffused light O Light guide member centerline θ1 angle θ2 angle

Claims (3)

A lamp housing and a lamp lens that partition the lamp chamber;
A light source disposed in the lamp chamber and a light guide member having a bar shape;
With
The light guide member extends from an incident surface of one end surface on which light from the light source is incident, an emission surface of one side surface that emits light incident from the incident surface, and a side surface of one end on the incident surface side. and an extension part is, the possess,
The extension portion is composed of a joint portion that is joined to a side surface of one end on the incident surface side, and a bent portion that is bent with respect to the joint portion,
The joint is inclined at an angle exceeding a critical angle of at least a part of light that is incident from the incident surface and leaks into the joint with respect to a center line of the light guide member. And
The bent portion is provided with a diffusing element that diffuses the light totally reflected at the joint portion,
A vehicular lamp characterized by the above. The light source and the incident surface are disposed on an end side in the lamp chamber,
The extension is close to at least one of the lamp housing or the lamp lens,
The vehicular lamp according to claim 1. An angle formed by the center line of the light guide member and the emission direction of the emitted light from the emission surface, and the angle on the incident surface side forms an obtuse angle,
The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 or 2.

Images