JPH035001B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a lens used in an automobile lamp.

<Conventional technology> Automotive lamps for Europe must satisfy light distribution standards not only in the front direction but also in the 80° lateral direction. The outer lens 2 with a diffused lens step and the inner lens 3 with a Fresnel lens step are installed in parallel, and a side reflector 4 is installed inside the lamp body 1 to satisfy the light distribution standard in the 80° horizontal direction. I was trying to let him do it. For this reason, when constructing an automobile lamp, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps are increased, resulting in a problem of high cost. Furthermore, when the lamp is viewed from the front, the step pattern of the Fresnel lens step formed on the inner lens is clearly visible, which has the problem of detracting from the external appearance of the lamp.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and when incorporated into a lamp, it is possible to satisfy the light distribution in the front direction, and also to achieve an exceptional It is possible to sufficiently distribute the light from the light source (bulb) in the lateral direction without using a side reflector or outer lens, thus creating an automotive lamp that satisfies the 80° lateral light distribution standard. When manufacturing,
It is possible to reduce the number of parts and assembly man-hours compared to conventional products, and to reduce costs.Moreover, when it is assembled into a lamp and viewed from the front, the step pattern of the internal Fresnel lens step is not visible, which improves the external appearance of the lamp. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lens for an automobile lamp that can improve the appearance.

<Means for Solving the Problem> The lens of the automotive lamp of the present invention that achieves the above object is a Fresnel lens that controls the light from the light source so that it is parallel to the optical axis on the entire inner surface facing the light source. A step is formed, and on the entire outer surface opposite to the Fresnel lens step, a plurality of lens elements are formed in continuous straight or curved convex or concave lines for laterally refracting or diffusing light. It is characterized by being formed parallel to each other with a certain interval between them.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of implementing the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

The lamp body 1 houses and installs a bulb 5 serving as a light source inside thereof, and a lens 6 according to the present invention is installed on the front side, and an outer lens 2 is installed at an appropriate interval outside the lens 6 as necessary. do. still,
As with the conventional product, the outer lens 2 has a lens 6.
A lens step 2a is formed to appropriately diffuse or refract the light that has passed through the lens.

The lens 6 has a Fresnel lens step 6a formed on the entire inner surface facing the light source (bulb) 5 to control the direct light beams A, B, and C of the light source (bulb) 5 so that they are parallel to the optical axis l. On the entire outer surface opposite to the Fresnel lens step 6a, an appropriate number of striped lens elements 6b are arranged in parallel in order to laterally refract or diffuse part of the light that has passed through the Fresnel lens step 6a. are formed in parallel.

Fresnel lens step 6a is a light source (bulb)
It controls the direct light beams A, B, and C from 5 so that they are parallel to the optical axis l, and as is well known, it is made up of a number of concentrically protruding lens steps, and the central part 6a' is Depending on the need, it may be formed like a convex lens or a concave lens, or it may be formed into a non-step shape that does not have a lens function.

The lens element 6b is a Fresnel lens step 6a.
A part of the light that has passed through A and C is further transversely (e.g.
It is for refraction or diffusion in the 80° lateral direction), and is formed in the form of straight or curved lines, that is, continuous straight or curved lines of protrusions or grooves, and covers the entire outer surface of the lens 6. They are formed parallel to each other with a constant interval 6c between them. Further, this lens element 6b has a protruding cross-sectional shape in the shape of a triangular prism (examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 3).
Or, form a protrusion approximately in the shape of a warhead (example in Figure 4).
Or, conversely, it is hollowed out into a roughly warhead shape (example in Figure 5), and part of the light that has passed through the Fresnel lens step 6a is refracted laterally (examples in Figures 2 and 3). Or diffuse (examples in Figures 4 and 5).

Furthermore, the spacing portion 6c formed between each lens element 6b may be formed in a non-step shape having no lens function as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, or may be formed in a non-step shape as shown in FIG. The Fresnel lens step 6a can be formed as a convex lens as in the embodiment, or as a concave lens as in the embodiment shown in FIG.
Most of the controlled light passes through the spacer 6c and is distributed to the front of the lamp body 1.

In addition, in the above explanation, direct light from the bulb 5,
Although we have described an example of controlling B and C, it will be easily understood that the reflected light from the reflector can also be controlled using a reflector.

<Effects of the Invention> In this way, the lens of the automotive lamp of the present invention has a Fresnel lens step formed on the entire inner surface facing the light source to control the light from the light source so that it is parallel to the optical axis, and a Fresnel lens step on the outer surface. A plurality of lens elements formed in continuous straight or curved convex or concave stripes for refracting or diffusing light in the lateral direction are formed parallel to each other at regular intervals on the entire surface of the lens. Therefore, when incorporated into a lamp, most of the light from the light source is controlled by the Fresnel lens step, and then distributed in the front direction of the lamp through the space between each striped lens element, and the light incident on each lens element is Light is now distributed horizontally on the lamp. Therefore, by using the lens of the present invention, not only can the light distribution in the front direction be satisfied, but also the light from the light source ( Direct light from the bulb or reflected light from the reflector) can be sufficiently distributed in the lateral direction of the lamp to satisfy the 80° lateral light distribution standard. In order to manufacture an automotive lamp that satisfies the light distribution standards of 2008, fewer parts and fewer assembly steps are required than conventional products, and costs can therefore be reduced.

Moreover, even though each lens element distributes light in the horizontal direction, the light incident on each striped lens element is controlled in advance to be parallel to the optical axis by a Fresnel lens step, so Control becomes easier, and optical design of each lens element becomes easier.

Furthermore, since the striped lens elements are formed parallel to each other at regular intervals on the entire outer surface of the lens, when assembled into a lamp and viewed from the front, the Fresnel lens steps formed on the inner surface are visible. The step pattern becomes almost invisible, and the external appearance of the lamp can be improved.

Therefore, the intended purpose can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional example, Figures 2 to 5
The figures show one embodiment of the lens of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the lens assembled into a lamp, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same lens, and Fig. 4 is a main part of the lens showing another embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a lens showing still another embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a lamp body, 5 is a light source, 6 is a lens, 6a
is a Fresnel lens step, 6b is a lens element,
6c is a spacing section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A Fresnel lens step that controls the light from the light source so that it is parallel to the optical axis is formed on the entire inner surface facing the light source, and a Fresnel lens step that controls the light from the light source so that it is parallel to the optical axis is formed on the entire outer surface opposite to the Fresnel lens step. An automobile lamp characterized in that a plurality of lens elements formed in straight or curved continuous convex or concave lines for refraction or diffusion are arranged in parallel with each other at a certain interval. lens.