JP7029234B2 - Light guide device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a light guide device that guides light from a light source to a second light guide with a first light guide inside the lamp and causes the second light guide to emit light.

Conventionally, in vehicle lamps such as headlights and rear combination lamps, a rod-shaped first light guide and a plate-shaped second light guide are integrally formed, and the light from the LED light source is used as the first light guide. There is known a light guide device that causes a second light guide to emit surface light by incident light and guiding the first light guide to the second light guide.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a rod-shaped light guide is provided on one side of a plate-shaped light guide, and light from an LED light source is guided to the plate-shaped light guide by the rod-shaped light source to form the plate-shaped light guide. A light guide device for surface-emitting a plate-shaped light guide by a large number of steps has been described (paragraph 0052).

In Patent Document 2, rod-shaped light guides are provided on two opposite sides of a plate-shaped light guide, separate LED light sources are arranged at the ends of the two rod-shaped light guides, and different colors generated by each light source are provided. A technique of guiding the light of the above to a plate-shaped light guide with a rod-shaped light guide to cause the plate-shaped light source to emit light in a plurality of colors (FIG. 4).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-190762 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-116142

According to the conventional light guide device, since the rod-shaped light guide body and the plate-shaped light guide body are combined, there is an advantage that the light from the light source can be distributed over a wide range inside the lamp. However, there is a problem that the degree of freedom in the light distribution pattern and layout is reduced, for example, the light distribution pattern of the plate-shaped light guide is limited to surface emission, and the shape and position of the rod-shaped light guide are limited due to this. there were.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a light guide device capable of increasing the degree of freedom in the light distribution pattern and layout of the light guide body and improving the appearance of the lamp when it is turned on and off.

In order to solve the above problems, the light guide device of the present invention has a first light guide body that guides the light incident from the first light source and a second light guide that guides the light incident from the first light guide body inside the lamp. A light guide body is provided, the first light guide body is arranged closer to the light fixture outline than the second light guide body, and the second light guide body is closer to the light fixture outline than the first light guide body. It is characterized by being arranged at a position distant from the inside and having a plurality of design steps for causing the second light guide to emit light.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first light guide includes a rod-shaped light guide extending substantially in an annular shape along the outer line of the lamp, and the second light guide extends from the rod-shaped light guide to the inside of the lamp. Including light body. Here, the rod-shaped and plate-shaped light guides can be integrally molded or can be molded separately and arranged at positions close to each other.

The design step of the second light guide is not limited to a specific shape and configuration, and can be appropriately selected in consideration of the light distribution pattern when the lamp is lit or the appearance when the lamp is turned off. For example, a reflective surface that reflects the incident light of the second light guide to the front of the lamp is provided in a plurality of design steps, and the area of the reflective surface (surface area of the design step) is separated from the outer line of the lamp to the inside of the lamp. The step of the position can be set smaller. Further, the distribution of the design steps can be roughly set as compared with the surface emission so that the second light guide emits light in a spotted or discrete manner as a whole.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of design steps are formed on the back surface of the second light guide body facing the rear of the lamp in order to make the second light guide body emit light in a good manner when the lamp is lit. The back surface of the light guide and each design step are covered with a reflective film. Further, in order to improve the appearance when the lamp is turned off, the end face of the second light guide is covered with a black light-shielding portion at the position farthest from the first light guide to the inside of the lamp, and the end face is designed when the light is turned off. It can be configured to be visible black through the step.

In carrying out the present invention, the first light guide may or may not emit light. When emitting light, a light distribution step for reflecting a part of the light incident from the first light source toward the front of the lamp and another part of the light incident from the first light source are attached to the first light guide body. A decorative step that reflects toward the second light guide is provided. When not emitting light, the light guide device further includes a third light guide body that guides the light incident from the second light source near the outer line of the lamp. Then, the third light guide body is provided with a light distribution step that reflects the light incident from the second light source toward the front of the lamp, and the first light guide body is provided with the light incident from the first light source. A decorative step that reflects toward the light guide is provided.

According to the light guide device of the present invention, the first light guide is arranged near the outer line of the lamp, the second light guide is arranged at a position away from the outer line to the inside of the lamp, and the second light guide is arranged. Since a plurality of design steps for causing the light guide to emit light are provided in the light guide, for example, the first light guide may be formed in an annular shape along the outline of the lamp, or the second light guide may be formed into spots. It has the effect of increasing the degree of freedom in the light distribution pattern and layout of the light guide, such as making it emit light, and making the appearance of the lamp look good when it is turned on and off.

It is a front view of the lamp for a vehicle which shows the embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 showing the light guide device of the first embodiment. It is an enlarged view of part B of FIG. 1 which shows the light guide apparatus of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 3 showing the light guide device of the first embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the lamp for vehicle which shows the light guide device of Example 2. FIG. It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the light guide apparatus of Example 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification example of the 2nd light guide body. It is sectional drawing which shows the other modification example of the 2nd light guide body.

Hereinafter, embodiments in which the present invention is embodied in a light guide device for vehicle headlights will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle headlight 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a lamp body 2 having a circular front surface, a light source valve 3 is arranged in the center of the lamp body 2, and a translucent cover 4 is placed on the front surface of the lamp body 2 to cover the lamp. The light guide device 11 is installed inside the body 2. Next, the configuration and operation of the light guide device 11 will be described in detail based on Examples 1 and 2. In each embodiment, common or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

2 to 4 show the light guide device 11 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide device 11 has a rod-shaped light guide 12 as a first light guide and a plate-shaped light guide 13 as a second light guide inside the lamp body 2. I have. The light guide bodies 12 and 13 are integrally molded with a transparent resin. The rod-shaped light guide 12 is arranged near the outer line of the lamp body 2, extends in an annular shape along the outer line, and functions as a daylight running lamp of the headlight 1. The plate-shaped light guide 13 is arranged at a position farther inside the outline than the rod-shaped light guide 12, and spreads in a conical trapezoidal shape having a smaller diameter toward the rear side of the lamp body 2, and when the daylight running lamp is lit, the plate-shaped light guide 13 is arranged. A light distribution pattern for design is formed between the rod-shaped light guide 12 and the light source valve 3.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a light entering portion 14 is formed so as to project from a part of the rod-shaped light guide body 12, and the first LED light source 16 is formed inside the lamp body 2 so as to face the incident surface 15 at the tip thereof. Is placed. In the connection portion with the light entering portion 14, the rod-shaped light guide body 12 is formed with a splitter 17 for spectroscopy and a knurled portion 18 for hiding the splitter 17 from the outside. Then, the light emitted from the first LED light source 16 is branched in both directions of the rod-shaped light guide 12 by the splitter 17, and the rod-shaped light source 12 guides the light incident from the first LED light source 16 toward the outer periphery of the lamp body 2 to guide the plate. The light body 13 guides the light incident from the rod-shaped light source 12 (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1) to the inside or the center side of the lamp body 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a black extension 5 is arranged inside the lamp body 2 so as to cover the plate-shaped light guide 13 from the rear of the lamp. On the back surface of the plate-shaped light guide body 13 facing the extension 5, a plurality of design steps 20 for causing the light guide body 13 to emit light are formed. The design step 20 is provided with a reflecting surface made of a conical surface that reflects the incident light of the plate-shaped light guide 13 to the front of the lamp. The area of each reflective surface is set to be as small as the design step 20 at a position away from the outer line of the lamp to the inside of the lamp (see FIG. 1). Further, the design step 20 is formed with a predetermined distribution or density in order to cause the entire area of the plate-shaped light guide 13 to emit light in a speckled or discrete manner. The shape of the design step 20 is not limited to a conical shape, and can be arbitrarily changed to a pyramid shape, a cylindrical shape, a prismatic shape, or the like.

On the other hand, on the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide body 12, a light distribution step 21 that reflects a part of the light incident from the first LED light source 16 toward the front of the lamp in order to make the light guide body itself emit light. A large number of decorative steps 22 that reflect another part of the light incident from the first LED light source 16 toward the plate-shaped light guide 13 are formed over the entire length of the light guide 12. The decorative step 22 is covered from the side of the lamp by a shade 7 arranged in the lamp body 2. Further, the inner end surface 13a of the plate-shaped light guide body 13, that is, the end surface 13a located at the position farthest from the rod-shaped light guide body 12 to the inside of the lamp body 2 is from the lamp center side by the black light-shielding portion 6 of the extension 5. It is covered.

According to the light guide device 11 of the first embodiment configured as described above, the rod-shaped light guide 12 is made to emit light in an annular shape along the outer line of the lamp body 2, and the plate-shaped light guide 13 is made to emit light in an annular shape. Inside the 12 can be made to emit light in a speckled manner by the design step 20. In particular, by changing the area of the reflective surface of the design step 20, the plate-shaped light guide 13 can emit light brighter toward the outer peripheral side and darker toward the center side, which is a novel arrangement compared to surface emission. You can create a light pattern. Further, since the inner end surface 13a of the plate-shaped light guide 13 is covered with the black light-shielding portion 6, unnecessary light emission by external light is prevented when the daylight running lamp is turned off, and the inner end surface 13a is extended. It can also be made to look the same black as 5.

5 and 6 show the light guide device 11 of the second embodiment. The light guide device 11 of the second embodiment is provided with a third light guide in addition to the first light guide (rod-shaped light guide 12) and the second light guide (plate-shaped light guide). Different from 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the third light guide body 24 is formed in an annular shape having substantially the same size as the rod-shaped light guide body 12, and has a light-transmitting cover closer to the outer line of the lamp body 2 than the rod-shaped light guide body 12. It is arranged at a position close to 4. Similar to the rod-shaped light guide body 12, a light entering portion 14 is formed so as to protrude from a part of the third light guide body 24, a second LED light source 26 is arranged to face the incident surface 15 thereof, and a splitter 17 is arranged on the light entering portion 14. And a knurled portion 18 is provided.

A light distribution step 21 is provided on the peripheral surface of the third light guide body 24 to reflect the light incident from the second LED light source 26 toward the front of the lamp. The rod-shaped light guide 12 is provided with a decorative step 22 that reflects the light incident from the first LED light source 16 toward the plate-shaped light guide 13. A light-shielding plate 25 for preventing mutual interference of light is interposed between the rod-shaped light guide 12 and the third light guide 24. Then, when the daylight running lamp is lit, the third light guide 24 emits light in a ring shape with the incident light from the second LED light source 26, and the rod-shaped light guide 12 emits the incident light from the first LED light source 16 in a plate-like manner. Guided to the body 13, the plate-shaped light guide 13 is configured to emit light in a spotted manner by a plurality of design steps 20. Therefore, the light guide device 11 of the second embodiment also has the same effect as that of the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments, and as illustrated below, the shape and configuration of each part may be appropriately changed and implemented without departing from the spirit of the invention. Is.
(1) As shown in FIG. 7, the design step 20 is provided on the back surface of the plate-shaped light guide 13 in a convex shape.
(2) As shown in FIG. 7, the extension is omitted from the back of the plate-shaped light guide body 13, and the inner end surface 13a of the plate-shaped light guide body 13 is covered with the black light-shielding component 31.

(3) As shown in FIG. 8, a reflective film 32 is formed by vapor deposition on the entire back surface of the plate-shaped light guide body 13, and the back surface of the plate-shaped light guide body 13 and the design step 20 are covered with the reflective film 32. The plate-shaped light guide 13 is made to emit high-intensity dots or spots by the reflected light from the design step 20.
(4) In Examples 1 and 2, the extension 5 and the light-shielding portion 6 are colored with a color other than black, for example, the same color as the vehicle body to change the appearance of the headlight 1 when the lamp is turned off.
(5) The light guide device 11 of the present invention is applied to vehicle lamps other than headlights or various lamps other than vehicle lamps.

1 Headlight for vehicles 2 Light fixture body 4 Translucent cover 6 Light-shielding part 11 Light guide device 12 Rod-shaped light guide (first light guide)
13 Plate-shaped light guide (second light guide)
16 1st LED light source 20 Design step 21 Light distribution step 22 Decoration step 24 3rd light guide 26 2nd LED light source 31 Light-shielding component 32 Reflective film

Claims (7)

Inside the lamp, a first light guide body that guides the light incident from the first light source and a second light guide body that guides the light incident from the first light guide body are provided.
The first light guide body is arranged closer to the lamp outline than the second light guide body.
The second light guide is arranged at a position farther from the outer line of the lamp to the inside of the lamp than the first light guide, and is provided with a plurality of design steps for causing the second light guide to emit light. ,
A light input portion for incident light from the first light source is formed so as to protrude from a part of the first light guide body, and a splitter for spectroscopy is formed at a connection portion with the light input portion.
A light guide device characterized in that a diffuser portion is formed on the front side of the lamp only at the connection portion . A claim that the first light guide includes a rod-shaped light guide extending substantially in an annular shape along the outline of the lamp, and the second light guide includes a plate-shaped light guide extending from the rod-shaped light guide to the inside of the lamp. 1. The light guide device according to 1. The plurality of design steps are provided with a reflective surface that reflects the incident light of the second light guide to the front of the lamp, and the area of each reflective surface is set as smaller as the design step at a position far from the outer line of the lamp to the inside of the lamp. The light guide device according to claim 1 or 2. Any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of design steps are formed on the back surface of the second light guide body facing the rear of the lamp, and the back surface of the second light guide body and each design step are covered with a reflective film. The light guide device according to item 1. The light guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the end face of the second light guide body is covered with a black light-shielding portion at a position farthest from the first light guide body to the inside of the lamp. .. The first light guide body has a light distribution step in which a part of the light incident from the first light source is reflected toward the front of the lamp, and another part of the light incident from the first light source is the second light guide. The light guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a decorative step that reflects toward the body. A third light guide that guides the light incident from the second light source near the outline of the lamp is further provided, and the third light source reflects the light incident from the second light source toward the front of the lamp for light distribution. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a decorative step including a step, wherein the first light guide reflects light incident from the first light source toward the second light source. Light guide device.

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