JP7137381B2 - vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp used in a vehicle such as an automobile.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a vehicle lamp that emits light from a light source forwardly of the lamp via a light guide. For example, in Patent Document 1, light is incident on a plate-shaped light guide from the side surface, reflected by a reflective element such as a step provided on the main surface inside the lamp, and then emitted from the main surface outside the lamp to the front of the lamp. A vehicle lamp having a structure for emitting light is disclosed.

JP 2014-116142 A

As a result of earnestly studying the above-described conventional vehicle lamp, the inventors of the present invention have come to recognize that there is still room for improving the light utilization efficiency of the conventional vehicle lamp.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for increasing the light utilization efficiency of a vehicle lamp.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lamp. The vehicle lamp includes a light source, a rod-shaped portion, and a light guide having a plate-shaped portion containing a light diffusing material therein. In the light guide, the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped portion is connected to the side surface of the plate-shaped portion, and the connection position between the peripheral surface and the side surface is a predetermined first portion and a second portion farther from the light source than the first portion. It has a shape shifted in the direction around the axis of the rod-shaped portion. The light from the light source enters the rod-shaped portion from the end of the rod-shaped portion, enters the plate-shaped portion from the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped portion, and is emitted from the main surface of the plate-shaped portion by the light diffusing material. According to this aspect, the light emission of the light guide can be visually recognized from more directions.

In the above aspect, the connection position may continuously shift from the first part to the second part. In any of the above aspects, the first portion may include one end of the plate-like portion, and the second portion may include the other end of the plate-like portion. Moreover, in the above aspect, the connection position may be shifted in the same direction around the axis.

Any combination of the above constituent elements, and conversion of expressions of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the light utilization efficiency of a vehicle lamp.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a front view showing an internal structure of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2; FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of measuring the light output efficiency of the plate-like portion. It is a front view of a light source and a light guide. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the light source and light guide; It is a left side view of a light source and a light guide. It is a right side view of a light source and a light guide. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative rather than limiting the invention, and not all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. The same or equivalent constituent elements, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplication of description will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the scale and shape of each part shown in each drawing are set for convenience in order to facilitate the explanation, and should not be construed as limiting unless otherwise mentioned. In addition, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification or claims, unless otherwise specified, these terms do not represent any order or degree of importance. and other configurations. Also, in each drawing, some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the vehicle lamp according to the embodiment. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2. FIG. The vehicle lamp 1 is, for example, a rear combination lamp arranged at the rear of the vehicle. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the front-rear direction of the lamp and the front-rear direction of the vehicle body on which the vehicle lamp 1 is mounted are assumed to be the same direction, and the left-right direction of the lamp is assumed to be the same direction as the width direction of the vehicle body. Also, the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the outside in the vehicle width direction.

A vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp body 2 and a translucent outer cover (not shown) that covers the lamp body 2 on the front side of the lamp. A light source 4 and a light guide 6 are accommodated in a lamp chamber formed by the lamp body 2 and the outer cover. A light source 4 and a light guide 6 are each fixed to the lamp body 2 .

The light source 4 is, for example, an LED (light emitting diode). The light source 4 may be an LD (laser diode), an organic or inorganic EL (electroluminescence) or other semiconductor light-emitting element, an incandescent bulb, a halogen lamp, a discharge bulb, or the like. In this embodiment, one light guide 6 is provided with two light sources 4a and 4b. Hereinafter, the light source 4a and the light source 4b are collectively referred to as the light source 4 when there is no need to distinguish between them.

The light guide 6 is a translucent resin member. Examples of resins used for the light guide 6 include transparent thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins such as polycarbonate resins and acrylic resins. In this embodiment, a plurality of light guides 6 are arranged in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the plurality of light guides 6 are arranged so that the outer side in the vehicle width direction is shifted toward the rear side of the lamp.

Each light guide 6 has a bar-shaped portion 8 and a plate-shaped portion 10 . The bar-shaped portion 8 is a long portion extending in any one direction. The rod-shaped portion 8 of the present embodiment has a columnar shape and extends approximately in the vertical direction. However, the rod-shaped portion 8 of the light guide 6 is laid more obliquely as it is arranged on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the front surfaces of the plurality of light guides 6 gradually face the lateral side of the vehicle body as they go outward in the vehicle width direction. That is, each light guide 6 is oriented so as to gradually rotate about the extension axis (central axis in the extension direction) of the rod-shaped portion 8 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

A light source 4 is arranged at the end of the bar-shaped portion 8 . In this embodiment, the light source 4a is arranged on one end side of the bar-shaped portion 8, and the light source 4b is arranged on the other end side. Each light source 4 is arranged so that its light emitting surface faces the end surface of the bar-shaped portion 8 . Therefore, light from each light source 4 enters the light guide 6 from the end surface of the rod-shaped portion 8 . An end surface is a surface extending in a direction intersecting the extension axis at the end of the rod-shaped member.

The plate-like portion 10 protrudes from the peripheral surface of the rod-like portion 8 . A peripheral surface is a surface that extends along the elongation axis of the rod-shaped member. The plate-shaped portion 10 is connected to the rod-shaped portion 8 at an intermediate portion of the rod-shaped portion 8 excluding both ends thereof. Both ends of the rod-shaped portion 8 and the light source 4 arranged close to each end are hidden from the outside of the lamp by the lamp body 2 . Further, the rod-shaped portion 8 is inserted through a through hole 2 a provided in the lamp body 2 . An intermediate portion connecting both ends of the rod-shaped portion 8 and the plate-shaped portion 10 are exposed to the outside of the lamp body 2 .

The plate-like portion 10 has a first main surface 10a and a second main surface 10b facing each other. Moreover, the plate-like portion 10 has a plurality of side surfaces connecting the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b. The shape of the light guide 6 will be described later in detail.

As shown in the enlarged view of the dashed line region R in FIG. 3, the plate-like portion 10 contains the light diffusing material 11 inside. As the light diffusing material 11, metal oxide particles such as titanium dioxide particles can be used. The average particle diameter of titanium dioxide particles is, for example, 150 to 500 nm, preferably 160 to 450 nm, more preferably 170 to 450 nm, even more preferably 200 to 400 nm, particularly preferably 220 to 400 nm. The content of the light diffusing material 11 is, for example, 0.1 to 100 ppm by mass, preferably 0.1 to 50 ppm by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 10 ppm by mass with respect to the total mass of the plate-like portion 10. .

The titanium dioxide particles have a rutile transformation ratio of, for example, 50% by mass or more, preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, and still more preferably 90% by mass or more. The plate-shaped portion 10 contains other monomers copolymerizable with the main monomers of the resin used, antistatic agents, antioxidants, release agents, flame retardants, lubricants, fluidity improvers, fillers, light Common additives such as stabilizers may be included. The content of the light diffusing material 11 in the rod-shaped portion 8 is less than the content in the plate-shaped portion 10 , and the rod-shaped portion 8 of the present embodiment does not contain the light diffusing material 11 .

The material forming the plate-like portion 10 has a haze value of more than 7% and not more than 30% in at least a portion thereof in the thickness direction when measured as a flat plate with a thickness of 4 mm. The material forming the rod-shaped portion 8 has a haze value of 7% or less when measured under the same conditions. In addition, when measured as a flat plate with a thickness of 4 mm, the material constituting the plate-like portion 10 has a visible light transmittance in the plate thickness direction at least in part ( ratio of the amount of light emitted in all directions from the other main surface to the amount of light incident from the main surface) is 60% or more and 92% or less.

The haze values of the plate-shaped portion 10 and the bar-shaped portion 8 can be measured according to JIS K7136 using a haze meter HZ-2 (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.). The visible light transmittance of the plate-like portion 10 can be measured according to JIS K7361-1 using a haze meter HZ-2 (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.).

In addition, the flat plate member made of the material constituting the plate-shaped portion 10 (hereinafter, for convenience, this flat plate member is referred to as the plate-shaped portion 10) has two main surfaces, and the light incident from the side surface connecting the two main surfaces is emitted from the main surface. The following conditions are satisfied for the output efficiency at the time. FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of measuring the light output efficiency of the plate-like portion. FIG. 4A shows the dimensions of the plate-like portion 10 and the arrangement of the LEDs. FIG. 4B shows the plate-like portion 10 to which the fixing frame B is attached as viewed from the light exit surface C side.

As shown in FIG. 4A, a rectangular parallelepiped plate portion 10 having a length of 100 mm in the vertical direction, a length of 190 mm in the horizontal direction, and a thickness of 3.2 mm is prepared. The side surface A of the plate-like portion 10 is used as the incident surface of light from the light source. Then, the LEDs are arranged in the normal direction of the side surface A. The LEDs are arranged such that the focal point P faces the side A and the distance from the focal point P to the side A is 1.85 mm. Light is diffused in a range of 180° from the light emitting surface of the LED.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the prepared plate-like portion 10 is covered with a fixed frame B. As shown in FIG. When covered with the fixed frame B, the light emitting surface C of the plate-like portion 10 has a vertical length of 90 mm and a horizontal length of 160 mm. The fixed frame B does not reflect light on both the front and back surfaces. Further, a light receiving surface (not shown) is arranged at a distance of √10 from the light emitting surface C in the normal direction of the light emitting surface C.

In this state, light is emitted from the LED. Then, the luminous flux of light irradiated to a rectangular area of 15° vertically and 25° horizontally on the light receiving surface is measured, centering on the intersection of the normal line passing through the center of the light emitting surface C and the light receiving surface. In the case of the plate-like portion 10, the luminous flux of the light irradiated to the rectangular area is 0.3% or more when the luminous flux of the light emitted from the LED is set to 1.

In addition, when light is incident on the side surface of the plate-like portion 10, the amount of light emitted per unit area from the main surface is greater than the amount of emitted light per unit area from the side surface facing the side surface on which the light is incident. It has an optical characteristic that when light is incident from one main surface, the amount of light emitted per unit area from the other main surface is greater than the amount of light emitted per unit area from the side surface.

That is, regardless of whether the light is incident from the side surface or the main surface of the plate-like portion 10, a proportion of the light emitted from the main surface is emitted from the side surface. Higher than light rate. However, the plate-like portion 10 also emits a predetermined amount of light from the side surfaces. Therefore, when any one side surface of the plate-like portion 10 is used as a light incident surface, the two main surfaces and the other side surface are visible as a light emitting portion.

Next, the shape of the light guide 6 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a front view of the light source and light guide. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the light source and light guide. FIG. 7 is a left side view of the light source and light guide. FIG. 8 is a right side view of the light source and light guide. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

The bar-shaped portion 8 has a first end face 8a located on the upper side in the vertical direction, a second end face 8b located on the lower side in the vertical direction, and a peripheral surface 8c connecting the first end face 8a and the second end face 8b. A light source 4a is arranged at a position facing the first end face 8a, and a light source 4b is arranged at a position facing the second end face 8b. Also, connecting portions 8 d for fixing the rod-shaped portion 8 to the lamp body 2 are provided at both ends of the rod-shaped portion 8 .

The plate-like portion 10 includes a first main surface 10a and a second main surface 10b facing back to each other, a first side surface 10c connecting the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b, and a side surface different from the first side surface 10c. and have In the present embodiment, the side surfaces different from the first side surface 10c include a second side surface 10d, a third side surface 10e and a fourth side surface 10f. The first side surface 10c contacts the second side surface 10d and the fourth side surface 10f. The second side 10d contacts the first side 10c and the third side 10e. The third side surface 10e contacts the second side surface 10d and the fourth side surface 10f. The fourth side surface 10f contacts the third side surface 10e and the first side surface 10c. Two sides that are in contact with each other are separated by a ridge line.

The light guide 6 has a structure in which the peripheral surface 8c of the bar-shaped portion 8 is connected to the first side surface 10c of the plate-shaped portion 10 . The first side surface 10c extends along the extending direction of the bar-shaped portion 8 and is connected entirely to the peripheral surface 8c. The second side 10d is a side facing approximately vertically upward, the third side 10e is a surface facing approximately forward of the lamp, and the fourth side 10f is a surface facing approximately vertically downward.

In the present embodiment, the diameter of rod-shaped portion 8 is greater than the thickness of plate-shaped portion 10 . Moreover, the bar-shaped portion 8 and the plate-shaped portion 10 are integrally molded. The integrally molded product can be manufactured by conventionally known two-color molding or the like using a resin material not mixed with the light diffusion material 11 and a resin material mixed with the light diffusion material 11 .

Moreover, the plate-like portion 10 has a twisted shape so that two main surfaces, that is, the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b can be seen at the same time when viewed from a predetermined first direction. In other words, the plate-like portion 10 has one end side (second side surface 10d) and the other end side (fourth 10f) are rotated about the virtual axis X in directions opposite to each other. Thereby, the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b can be viewed simultaneously from the same direction.

Further, the plate-like portion 10 of the present embodiment has a twisted shape so that the first main surface 10a, the second main surface 10b, the second side surface 10d and the third side surface 10e can be seen at the same time when viewed from the first direction. have. In the present embodiment, when viewed from the front of the light guide 6 as an example of the first direction, the first main surface 10a, the second main surface 10b, the second side surface 10d and the third side surface 10e can be viewed simultaneously. (see also Figure 1).

Further, as described above, the front faces of the plurality of light guides 6 gradually face the lateral side of the vehicle body as they go outward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, when the vehicle lamp 1 is observed from the front of the lamp, two main surfaces and two side surfaces of at least one light guide 6 can be viewed simultaneously over a wide angular range in the vehicle width direction.

Light from each light source 4 enters the light guide 6 from the first end face 8a and the second end face 8b of the rod-shaped portion 8 . The rod-shaped portion 8 internally guides light from the light source 4 incident from one end toward the other end. In this process, the light from the light source 4 is emitted from the peripheral surface 8c to the plate-like portion 10. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the light from the light source 4a incident from the first end surface 8a travels through the rod-shaped portion 8 while being internally reflected toward the second end surface 8b on the opposite side. In this process, the light from the light source 4a leaks from the peripheral surface 8c to the plate-shaped portion 10 at the connecting portion between the peripheral surface 8c of the rod-shaped portion 8 and the first side surface 10c of the plate-shaped portion 10, and enters the plate-shaped portion 10. do. The same applies to the light from the light source 4b entering from the second end surface 8b.

Light from light source 4 incident on plate-like portion 10 from first side surface 10 c is emitted from first main surface 10 a and second main surface 10 b by light diffusion material 11 dispersed inside plate-like portion 10 . As a result, the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b as a whole emit uniform surface light. Part of the light incident on the plate-like portion 10 is also emitted from the second side surface 10d, the third side surface 10e, and the fourth side surface 10f. The plate-like portion 10 has a twisted shape so that the first main surface 10a, the second main surface 10b, the second side surface 10d and the third side surface 10e can be seen at the same time when viewed from a predetermined direction. Light emission from four surfaces of the portion 10 can be visually recognized at once.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9A and 9B, in the light guide 6 of the present embodiment, the connecting position M between the peripheral surface 8c and the first side surface 10c is a predetermined first A portion and a second portion, which is farther from the light source 4 than the first portion, have a shape shifted in the direction Y around the axis of the rod-shaped portion 8 .

Considering the first end surface 8a side as a reference, when viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction Z of the rod-shaped portion 8, the connection position Mb at the first portion at the position of the BB line cross section, The connection position Mc is shifted clockwise from the connection position Mb relative to the connection position Mc at the second section, which is located on the CC line cross section farther from the light source 4a than the first section.

Considering the second end face 8b side as a reference, when viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction Z of the rod-shaped portion 8, the connection position Mc at the first portion at the position of the CC line cross section, The connection position Mb is shifted in the counterclockwise direction from the connection position Mc with respect to the connection position Mb at the second section, which is located on the BB line cross section farther from the light source 4b than the first section.

Moreover, as is clear from FIGS. 5 and 8, the connection position M is continuously shifted from the first portion to the second portion. Also, the first portion includes one end of the plate-like portion 10, that is, the second side surface 10d, and the second portion includes the other end of the plate-like portion 10, that is, the fourth side surface 10f. That is, the connection position M of the plate-like portion 10 is continuously shifted in the axial direction Y from the second side surface 10d to the fourth side surface 10f. Furthermore, the connection positions M are offset in the same direction around the axis. That is, the first side surface 10c of the plate-like portion 10 is spirally twisted around the rod-like portion 8. As shown in FIG. The rotation range of the first side surface 10c, in other words, the deviation amount in the axial direction Y is, for example, 1/4 to 3/4 of the entire circumference of the peripheral surface 8c.

The vehicle lamp 1 functions as, for example, a stop lamp, a tail lamp, a turn signal lamp, a clearance lamp, a daytime running lamp, etc., by emitting light from the plate-like portion 10 by lighting the light source 4a and/or the light source 4b. can be done. Further, the vehicle lamp 100 can also exhibit the first lamp function by lighting the light source 4a and the second lamp function by lighting the light source 4b. In addition, the vehicle lamp 1 can realize so-called sequential light emission by causing the plurality of light guides 6 to emit light sequentially.

The plate-like portion 10 has high transparency. Further, the plate-like portion 10 is transparent, and can uniformly emit light incident from the first side surface 10c from the first main surface 10a and the main surface 118a. Light is also emitted from the second side surface 10d to the fourth side surface 10f. That is, when the light source 4 is not lit, the plate-like portion 10 looks transparent. On the other hand, when the light source 4 is turned on, the entire plate-like portion 10 appears to emit light.

As described above, the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment includes the light source 4 and the light guide 6 having the rod-shaped portion 8 and the plate-shaped portion 10 containing the light diffusing material 11 therein. In the light guide 6, the peripheral surface 8c of the rod-shaped portion 8 is connected to the first side surface 10c of the plate-shaped portion 10, and the connection position M between the peripheral surface 8c and the first side surface 10c is a predetermined first portion and the first side surface 10c. The second portion, which is farther from the light source 4 than the first portion, has a shape shifted in the direction around the axis of the rod-shaped portion 8 . Light from the light source 4 enters the rod-shaped portion 8 from the end portion of the rod-shaped portion 8 , enters the plate-shaped portion 10 from the peripheral surface 8 c of the rod-shaped portion 8 , and is emitted from the main surface of the plate-shaped portion 10 by the light diffusing material 11 . be done.

When the connection position M between the peripheral surface 8c of the rod-shaped portion 8 and the first side surface 10c of the plate-shaped portion 10 is not deviated in the direction around the axis of the rod-shaped portion 8, that is, the first side surface 10c is aligned with the extension axis of the rod-shaped portion 8. In the case of extending parallel to the rod-shaped portion 8 , the light that is internally reflected in the same direction in the rod-shaped portion 8 is mainly incident on the plate-shaped portion 10 . Therefore, it is difficult to make the light in the bar-shaped portion 8 enter the plate-shaped portion 10 efficiently. On the other hand, by gradually changing the connection position M in the direction around the axis of the rod-shaped portion 8 , more light in the rod-shaped portion 8 can be made incident on the plate-shaped portion 10 . As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of light remaining in the rod-shaped portion 8 and not emitted from the plate-shaped portion 10 . Therefore, the light utilization efficiency of the vehicle lamp 1 can be enhanced.

Further, the connection position M of the present embodiment is continuously deviated from the first portion to the second portion. Thereby, the utilization efficiency of light can be improved more. Also, the first portion includes one end of the plate-like portion 10 , and the second portion includes the other end of the plate-like portion 10 . As a result, the entire connecting position M between the bar-shaped portion 8 and the plate-shaped portion 10 can be shifted in the direction around the axis. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the light utilization efficiency. Also, the connection position M is shifted in the same direction around the axis. Thereby, the utilization efficiency of light can be improved more.

Further, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment includes the light source 4 and the light diffusion material 11 inside, so that the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b can be seen at the same time when viewed from a predetermined first direction. and a light guide 6 having a plate-like portion 10 having a twisted shape. The light guide 6 emits the light from the light source 4 incident from the first side surface 10 c connecting the two main surfaces of the plate-like portion 10 through the two main surfaces by the light diffusing material 11 .

By emitting light from the twisted main surface of the light guide in this way, the emitted light from the light guide can be viewed from more directions than when light is emitted from the flat main surface of the light guide. be able to. Therefore, the visibility of the vehicle lamp 1 can be improved. Further, it is possible to achieve three-dimensional light emission, and to improve the design and appearance of the vehicle lamp 100 .

Further, the plate-like portion 10 causes the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b to emit light by the light diffusing material 11 . Therefore, compared to a light guide that reflects the light incident from the side surface by reflecting elements such as steps provided on the inner main surface of the lamp and emits it from the outer main surface of the lamp, surface light can be emitted more uniformly. can. In addition, since the uniformity of light emission on the surface of the light guide can be improved, pedestrians, drivers of other vehicles, etc. can more reliably see the light emission of the vehicle lamp 1 . Therefore, the visibility of the vehicle lamp 1 can be further improved.

In addition, in a structure in which light is emitted from a light guide by a reflective element such as a step, it is difficult to make the light guide into a complicated three-dimensional shape due to restrictions such as the direction in which the mold is pulled out when molding the light guide. Met. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, light is emitted from the plate-like portion 10 by the light diffusing material 11, so that the plate-like portion 10 having a complicated three-dimensional shape can be easily manufactured by injection molding or the like. As a result, the angle range in which the light emitted from the light guide 6 can be visually recognized can be expanded more easily.

Further, the plate-like portion 10 of the present embodiment rotates one end side and the other end side of the plate-like portion 10 in the direction in which the imaginary axis X parallel to the main surface extends in opposite directions about the imaginary axis X. It has a tapered shape. As a result, the visibility of the vehicle lamp 1 can be more reliably improved. Also, the design and appearance of the vehicle lamp 100 can be improved.

In addition, the plate-like portion 10 has a side surface that connects the two main surfaces and is different from the first side surface 10c, and the plate-like portion 10 can be viewed from the first direction so that the two main surfaces and the different side surfaces can be seen at the same time. It has a twisted shape. Then, the light guide 6 emits the light incident from the first side surface 10c from two main surfaces and the different side surfaces. As a result, the visibility of the vehicle lamp 1 can be more reliably improved. Also, the design and appearance of the vehicle lamp 100 can be improved.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, side surfaces different from the first side surface 10c include a second side surface 10d and a third side surface 10e. Moreover, the plate-like portion 10 has a twisted shape so that two main surfaces, the second side surface 10d and the third side surface 10e, can be seen at the same time when viewed from the first direction. The light guide 6 emits light incident from the first side surface 10c through two main surfaces, the second side surface 10d and the third side surface 10e. As a result, the visibility of the vehicle lamp 1 can be more reliably improved. Also, the design and appearance of the vehicle lamp 100 can be improved. In addition, when there is no ridge line between the second side surface 10d and the third side surface 10e and the two side surfaces are continuously seen as one side surface (for convenience, this side surface is referred to as the second side surface 10d), the plate-like portion It can be understood that 10 has a twisted shape so that the second side 10d and the two main surfaces can be seen at the same time, and light is emitted from the second side 10d and the two main surfaces.

Further, the light guide 6 has a bar-shaped portion 8 with a peripheral surface 8c connected to the first side surface 10c of the plate-shaped portion 10 . Light from the light source 4 is incident on the bar-shaped portion 8 from its end portion, and the light from the light source 4 is guided inside the rod-shaped portion 8 and emitted from the peripheral surface 8 c to the plate-shaped portion 10 . Therefore, the light from the light source 4 travels through the rod-shaped portion 8 while undergoing internal reflection, and in the process, the light leaking from the peripheral surface 8c toward the first side surface 10c enters the plate-shaped portion 10 . That is, the light from the light source 4 gradually enters the plate-like portion 10 while traveling through the rod-like portion 8 . Thereby, the plate-shaped part 10 can be made to emit light more uniformly.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. The above-described embodiments merely show specific examples for carrying out the present invention. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes such as changes, additions, and deletions of constituent elements are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the claims. is possible. A new embodiment to which a design change has been added has the effects of the combined embodiment and modifications. In the above-described embodiments, the content that allows such design changes is emphasized by adding notations such as "in this embodiment" and "in this embodiment". Design changes are allowed even if there is no content. Any combination of the above components is also effective as an aspect of the present invention. The hatching attached to the cross section of the drawing does not limit the material of the hatched object.

The plate-like portion 10 may have a curved shape with a large curvature. Also, the light source 4 may be arranged only on one end side of the bar-shaped portion 8 . Also, the light from the light source 4 may be reflected by a reflector and enter the bar-shaped portion 8 . The number, arrangement and orientation of the light guides 6 are also not limited to those in the embodiment.

Reference Signs List 1 vehicle lamp 4, 4a, 4b light source 6 light guide 8 rod-shaped portion 8c peripheral surface 10 plate-shaped portion 10a first main surface 10b second main surface 10c first side surface 10d second second surface side, 10e third side, 11 light diffusing material;

Claims (2)

a light source;
a light guide having a rod-shaped portion and a plate-shaped portion containing a light diffusing material therein;
with
In the light guide, the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped portion is connected to the side surface of the plate-shaped portion, and the connection position between the peripheral surface and the side surface is a predetermined first portion and is further from the light source than the first portion. having a shape shifted in a direction around the axis of the rod-shaped portion from the distant second portion;
Light from the light source enters the rod-shaped portion from the end of the rod-shaped portion, enters the plate-shaped portion from the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped portion, and is emitted from the main surface of the plate-shaped portion by the light diffusing material. is ,
The rod-shaped portion is cylindrical,
The vehicular lamp , wherein the connection positions are continuously shifted in the same direction around the axis from the first portion to the second portion . The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the first portion includes one end of the plate-like portion, and the second portion includes the other end of the plate-like portion.

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