JPWO2020080134A1 - Vehicle lighting fixtures and rotating reflectors - Google Patents

Abstract

In a vehicle lamp equipped with an optical unit, the optical unit includes a rotating reflector that rotates in one direction around a rotation axis while reflecting light emitted from a light source, and a plurality of rotating reflectors arranged in a line in the horizontal direction. It includes a light source composed of a light emitting element. The rotary reflector has a reflecting surface that is twisted so that the light of the light source reflected while rotating scans forward to form a desired light distribution pattern. The plurality of light emitting elements are arranged so that the vertical position of the LED 20a1 that emits the light reflected inside the reflecting surface is lower than the vertical position of the LED 20a3 that emits the light reflected on the outside of the reflecting surface.

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp equipped with an optical unit. The present invention also relates to a component of an optical unit, for example, a rotary reflector that rotates about a rotation axis while reflecting light emitted from a light source.

Conventionally, an optical unit including a rotation reflector that rotates in one direction about a rotation axis while reflecting light emitted from a light source has been devised (see Patent Document 1). The rotary reflector included in this optical unit is provided with a reflecting surface so that the light of the light source reflected while rotating forms a desired light distribution pattern.

Further, the rotary reflector included in this optical unit is provided with a plurality of blades provided with a reflecting surface on which the reflected light forms a desired light distribution pattern in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft. Such an optical unit can form a desired light distribution pattern by rotating the rotary reflector in one direction.

Further, in the above optical unit, when light is incident on both adjacent blades at the same time, two irradiation beams appear in different directions at the same time, so that both ends of the light distribution pattern are illuminated at the same time. In such a case, it is difficult to independently control the irradiation state at both ends of the light distribution pattern. Therefore, when light is incident on the reflective surface of one adjacent blade from the light source, a part of the blade is cut out so that the light from the light source is not incident on the reflective surface of the other adjacent blade. (See Patent Document 2).

International Publication No. 11/129105 JP 2015-5428

However, the reflecting surface of the rotating reflector is not always flat, and even if the light of the light source reflected while rotating is used to scan the front of the vehicle, the light distribution pattern may not have a neat shape in the horizontal direction.

Further, if a part of the blade is cut out, the rigidity of the blade is reduced. On the other hand, if a connecting surface for connecting the blades is provided in order to increase the rigidity of the blades, the light reflected by the connecting surface may cause glare.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and one of its exemplary purposes is to provide a new technique for obtaining a light distribution pattern having a desired shape. Further, one of the exemplary purposes is to provide a new technique for suppressing glare without reducing the rigidity of the blade.

In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle lighting fixture of an embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle lighting fixture provided with an optical unit. The optical unit includes a rotary reflector that rotates in one direction about a rotation axis while reflecting light emitted from the light source, and a light source composed of a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a line in the horizontal direction. The rotary reflector has a reflecting surface that is twisted so that the light of the light source reflected while rotating scans forward to form a desired light distribution pattern. The plurality of light emitting elements are arranged so that the vertical position of the inner light emitting element that emits the light reflected inside the reflecting surface is lower than the vertical position of the outer light emitting element that emits the light reflected on the outside of the reflecting surface. Has been done.

According to this aspect, the vertical positions of some of the light emitting elements are adjusted in consideration of the deviation of the image of the light source reflected by the uneven and twisted reflecting surface of the rotating reflector. Thereby, a light distribution pattern having a desired shape can be formed.

Compared to the case where the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a straight line in the horizontal direction, the partial distribution formed by scanning the front of each light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements reflected by the rotary reflector. The light patterns may be arranged in a line in the horizontal direction so that the light patterns overlap more. As a result, the overlapping of the partially distributed light patterns increases, and a bright light distribution pattern can be obtained. Here, the line shape does not necessarily mean that all the light emitting elements are aligned in a straight line, and the vertical positions of the plurality of light emitting elements may be gradually (stepwise) changed. Further, the vertical positions of some of the plurality of elements may be the same.

The plurality of light emitting elements may have the first to nth light emitting elements in order from the end. The first to nth light emitting elements may satisfy the following equation (1) in the _{amount of displacement d 1 to d n} from the vertical position to the bottom of the reference.
d ₁ ≤ d ₂ ≤ d ₃ ≤ ... ≤ d _n-1 ≤ d _n (1) (However, except for the case of d ₁ = d ₂ = d ₃ ... = d _n-1 = d _n )

A projection lens that projects the light reflected by the rotary reflector in the light irradiation direction of the optical unit is further provided, and the rotary reflector is arranged so that the rotation axis extends diagonally and horizontally with respect to the light irradiation direction. The light source may be arranged so that the light emitting surfaces of the plurality of light emitting elements are oblique to the reflecting surface.

The reflecting surface may have a twisted shape so that the angle formed by the optical axis and the reflecting surface changes toward the circumferential direction centered on the rotation axis.

The rotary reflector of another aspect of the present invention is a rotary reflector having a rotary portion and a plurality of blades provided around the rotary portion and separated from each other, wherein the blades emit light emitted from a light source. Of these, the reflecting part that reflects the light that contributes to the formation of the light distribution pattern and the connecting part that is connected to other blades that are separated so that the light emitted from the light source is not reflected in the direction of glare. And have.

According to this aspect, the decrease in rigidity is suppressed by connecting the blades with each other by the connecting portion. On the other hand, even if the light emitted from the light source is reflected by the connection portion, it is not reflected in the direction of glare, so that the occurrence of glare can be suppressed.

The reflecting portion may have a surface shape configured such that light that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern is incident on a predetermined optical member. The connecting portion may have a surface shape configured so that the light emitted from the light source does not direct to the optical member. As a result, even if the light emitted from the light source is reflected by the connecting portion, it does not face the optical member, so that glare is less likely to occur.

The connecting portion may be provided around the rotating portion. As a result, for example, when the region that reflects the light emitted from the light source is a region close to the outer peripheral portion of the blade away from the rotating portion, the light of the light source incident on the connection portion is reduced, and the occurrence of glare is suppressed. NS.

At least a part of the connecting portion may be arranged on the same circumference as the reflecting portion with the rotating portion as the center.

The angle of the connecting portion formed with the rotating shaft of the rotating portion may be 70 ° or less.

The surface of the connecting portion may be textured.

It should be noted that any combination of the above components and the conversion of the expression of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

According to the present invention, a light distribution pattern having a desired shape can be obtained. Alternatively, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rotation reflector having high rotation accuracy.

It is a horizontal sectional schematic diagram of the headlight for a vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. It is a front view of the headlight for a vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the main part of the optical unit which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the rotary reflector which concerns on this embodiment. It is a front view of the rotary reflector which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side view of the rotary reflector shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the A direction. 7 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line BB of the rotary reflector shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of the rotary reflector shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 (c) is shown in FIG. It is a DD sectional view of the rotary reflector shown. It is a front view of the rotary reflector for demonstrating the shape of a reflective surface. 9 (a) is a schematic diagram of a light source having an array of light emitting elements according to a reference example, and FIG. 9 (b) is a schematic diagram of a light distribution pattern formed by the light source shown in FIG. 9 (a). FIG. 10A is a top view schematically showing an optical unit according to a reference example, and FIG. 10B is a schematic view for explaining the movement of virtual images of a plurality of LEDs. 11 (a) is a schematic diagram of a light source having an array of light emitting elements according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 11 (b) is a schematic diagram of a light distribution pattern formed by the light source shown in FIG. 11 (a). be. It is a schematic diagram of the light source which has the arrangement of the light emitting element which concerns on the modification of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on the embodiments. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings shall be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. Further, the embodiment is not limited to the invention but is an example, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.

The optical unit having the support component according to the present embodiment can be used for various vehicle lighting fixtures. First, an outline of a vehicle headlight on which an optical unit according to an embodiment described later can be mounted will be described.

(Vehicle headlights)
FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional schematic view of a vehicle headlight according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle headlight according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, some parts are omitted.

The vehicle headlight 10 according to the present embodiment is a right-side headlight mounted on the right side of the front end of the automobile, and has the same structure as the headlight mounted on the left side, except that it is symmetrical. .. Therefore, in the following, the vehicle headlight 10 on the right side will be described in detail, and the description of the vehicle headlight on the left side will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle headlight 10 includes a lamp body 12 having a recess that opens toward the front. The lamp body 12 has a lamp chamber 16 formed by covering the front opening of the lamp body 12 with a transparent front cover 14. The light room 16 functions as a space in which one optical unit 18 is housed. The optical unit 18 is a lamp unit configured to be able to irradiate a variable high beam. The variable high beam means one that is controlled so as to change the shape of the light distribution pattern for the high beam, and for example, a non-irradiation region (light-shielding portion) can be generated in a part of the light distribution pattern.

The optical unit 18 according to the present embodiment is a primary optical system that changes the optical paths of the first light source 20 and the first light L1 emitted from the first light source 20 so as to be directed to the blade 22a of the rotary reflector 22. An optical unit includes a condensing lens 24 as an (optical member), a rotary reflector 22 that rotates about a rotation axis R while reflecting the first light L1, and a first light L1 reflected by the rotary reflector 22. Light emitted from a convex lens 26 as a projection lens projected in the light irradiation direction (right direction in FIG. 1), a second light source 28 arranged between the first light source 20 and the convex lens 26, and a second light source 28. A diffusion lens 30 as a primary optical system (optical member) that changes the optical path of the second light L2 to direct the convex lens 26, and a heat sink 32 equipped with a first light source 20 and a second light source 28. , Equipped with.

Semiconductor light emitting elements such as LEDs, ELs, and LDs are used as each light source. In the first light source 20 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of LEDs 20a are arranged in an array on the circuit board 33. Each LED 20a is individually configured to be turned on and off.

In the second light source 28 according to the present embodiment, two LEDs 28a are arranged side by side in an array in the horizontal direction, and each LED 28a is individually configured to be able to be turned on and off. Further, the second light source 28 is arranged so that the second light L2 is not reflected by the rotary reflector 22 and is incident on the convex lens 26. As a result, the optical characteristics of the second light L2 emitted from the second light source 28 can be selected without considering that the second light L2 is reflected by the rotary reflector 22. Therefore, for example, by diffusing the light emitted from the second light source 28 with the diffusion lens 30 and then incidenting it on the convex lens 26, a wider range can be irradiated, so that the second light source 28 can be applied to the region outside the vehicle. It can be used as a light source to irradiate.

The rotation reflector 22 is rotated in one direction about the rotation axis R by a drive source such as a motor 34. Further, in the rotary reflector 22, two blades 22a having the same shape are provided around the tubular rotating portion 22b. The blade 22a functions as a reflecting surface configured to form a desired light distribution pattern by scanning the front with the light reflected while rotating the light emitted from the first light source 20.

The rotation axis R of the rotation reflector 22 is oblique to the optical axis Ax, and is provided in a plane including the optical axis Ax and the first light source 20. In other words, the rotation axis R is provided substantially parallel to the scanning plane of the light (irradiation beam) of the LED 20a that scans in the left-right direction by rotation. As a result, the optical unit can be made thinner. Here, the scanning plane can be regarded as, for example, a fan-shaped plane formed by continuously connecting the trajectories of the light of the LED 20a which is the scanning light.

The shape of the convex lens 26 may be appropriately selected according to the required light distribution pattern, illuminance distribution, and other light distribution characteristics, but an aspherical lens or a free-curved lens can also be used. For example, in the convex lens 26 according to the present embodiment, by devising the arrangement of each light source and the rotary reflector 22, it is possible to form a notched portion 26a in which a part of the outer circumference is notched in the vertical direction. ing. Therefore, the size of the optical unit 18 in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed.

Further, the presence of the notch 26a makes it difficult for the blade 22a of the rotary reflector 22 to interfere with the convex lens 26, so that the convex lens 26 and the rotary reflector 22 can be brought close to each other. Further, when the vehicle headlight 10 is viewed from the front, a non-circular (straight line) portion is formed on the outer periphery of the convex lens 26, so that the outer shape is a combination of a curved line and a straight line when viewed from the front of the vehicle. It is possible to realize a vehicle headlight with a novel design that has a lens.

(Optical unit)
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of the optical unit according to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 3 mainly shows the first light source 20, the rotary reflector 22, and the convex lens 26 among the parts constituting the optical unit 18, and some parts are omitted for convenience of explanation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical unit 18 reflects the light emitted from the first light source 20 and the light emitted from the first light source 20 by the rotary reflector 22 and the first light source 20 composed of a plurality of LEDs 20a arranged in a line in the horizontal direction. It is provided with a convex lens 26 that projects the emitted light in the light irradiation direction (optical axis Ax) of the optical unit. The rotation reflector 22 is arranged so that the rotation axis R extends obliquely and horizontally with respect to the light irradiation direction (optical axis Ax). Further, the first light source 20 is arranged so that the light emitting surfaces of the plurality of LEDs 20a are oblique to the reflecting surface.

The reflecting surface 22d of the blade 22a has a twisted shape so that the angle formed by the optical axis Ax and the reflecting surface changes as it goes in the circumferential direction about the rotation axis R. A more detailed shape of the reflective surface will be described later.

(Rotating reflector)
Next, the details of the structure of the rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rotary reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a front view of the rotary reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view of the rotary reflector shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the A direction. 7 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line BB of the rotary reflector shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of the rotary reflector shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 (c) is shown in FIG. It is a DD sectional view of the rotary reflector shown.

The rotary reflector 22 is a resin component having a rotating portion 22b and a plurality of (two) blades 22a provided around the rotating portion 22b and functioning as reflecting surfaces. The blade 22a has an arc shape, and the outer peripheral portions of adjacent blades 22a are connected by a connecting portion 22c to form an annular shape. As a result, even if the rotary reflector 22 rotates at high speed (for example, 50 to 240 revolutions / s), the rotary reflector 22 is less likely to bend.

At the center of the rotating portion 22b, a cylindrical sleeve 36 having a hole 36a into which the rotating shaft of the rotating reflector 22 is inserted and fitted is formed, and is fixed by insert molding. Further, in the annular groove 38 formed inside the blade 22a, which is the outer peripheral portion of the rotating portion 22b, two recesses 40 are formed as traces corresponding to the gate position of the mold.

The rotary reflector 22 shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is used for the vehicle headlight 10 for the right headlight, and rotates counterclockwise in the front view of the reflecting surface 22d. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the height of the outer peripheral portion of the reflecting surface 22d of the blade 22a in the axial direction (thickness direction of the blade) is gradually increased in the counterclockwise direction in the front view. It is configured. On the contrary, the reflecting surface 22d is configured such that the height of the inner peripheral portion close to the rotating portion 22b in the axial direction gradually decreases in the counterclockwise direction.

Further, the reflecting surface 22d is configured so as to gradually increase from the end portion 22e of the outer peripheral portion having a lower height in the axial direction toward the center (rotating portion 22b). On the contrary, the reflecting surface 22d is configured so as to gradually decrease from the end portion 22f of the outer peripheral portion having a higher height in the axial direction toward the center.

The normal vector of the reflecting surface 22d having a different inclination in each portion will be described. FIG. 8 is a front view of a rotary reflector for explaining the shape of the reflecting surface. Dotted lines L3 shown in FIG. 8, the axial height of the reflecting surface 22d is at substantially obtained by connecting a fixed portion, only the normal vector of the reflecting surface 22d at a point F ₀ on the dotted line L3 is rotating reflector 22 It becomes parallel to the axis of rotation.

Further, each arrow shown in FIG. 8 indicates an inclination direction in the region, and the direction of the arrow is drawn so that the height of the reflection surface 22d goes from the higher side to the lower side. As shown in FIG. 8, the reflective surface 22d according to the present embodiment has its circumferential or radial inclination reversed in the adjacent region sandwiching the dotted line L3. For example, the light incident on the region R1 from the front surface of the reflecting surface 22d is reflected obliquely upward to the left in the state shown in FIG. Similarly, the light incident on the region R2 is reflected diagonally downward to the left, the light incident on the region R3 is reflected diagonally upward to the right, and the light incident on the region R4 is reflected diagonally downward to the right.

As described above, since the reflection surface 22d of the rotary reflector 22 is configured so that the reflection direction of the incident light changes depending on the region, the reflection direction of the incident light changes periodically by rotating the rotary reflector 22. .. By utilizing this property, the rotary reflector 22 scans the front with the reflected light while rotating the light emitted from the first light source 20, and forms a light distribution pattern.

By the way, using the rotary reflector 22 having the above-mentioned reflecting surface 22d, the light emitted from the plurality of LEDs 20a arranged in a line shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is reflected while rotating, and the reflected light scans the front. In some cases, the desired light distribution pattern may not be obtained.

9 (a) is a schematic diagram of a light source having an array of light emitting elements according to a reference example, and FIG. 9 (b) is a schematic diagram of a light distribution pattern formed by the light source shown in FIG. 9 (a). As shown in FIG. 9A, the light source according to the reference example has three LEDs 20a1, 20a2, 20a3 arranged on a straight line parallel to the optical axis Ax. In this case, the partially distributed light patterns PH1 to PH3 formed by the light emitted from the LEDs 20a1, 20a2, and 20a3 are superimposed in a state of being obliquely displaced from each other. As a result, the maximum luminous intensity of the light distribution pattern PH does not increase.

The reason why the partial distribution light pattern is slanted and does not become horizontal will be described. FIG. 10A is a top view schematically showing an optical unit according to a reference example, and FIG. 10B is a schematic view for explaining the movement of virtual images of a plurality of LEDs. The imaginary image shown in FIG. 10B shows the arrangement of the front view from the front of the vehicle. Further, in the following, for the sake of simplification of the explanation, it is assumed that the number of LEDs is three. Further, the layout of each configuration assumes the case of the vehicle headlight 10 which is the right headlight.

First, the partially distributed light pattern PH2 formed by the light emitted by the LED 20a2 located at the center (second from the front side of the vehicle) of the three LEDs will be described. Light LED20a2 emitted is reflected by the central region _{R c} of the left reflection area of the rotating reflector 22 shown in FIG. Specifically, in front of the light emitting surface of the LED 20a2, when the blade 22a passes through the rotating positions P1, P2, and P3 in this order while rotating, the real image I2 is projected on the reflecting surface 22d. In this case, the secondary light source (virtual image position by the rotating reflector) is the virtual image I2'at the position of the mirror image sandwiching the reflecting surface 22d, as shown in FIG. 10A. Further, the virtual image I2'moves left and right near the focal point f of the convex lens 26. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the scanning pattern P'H2 by the virtual image I2'is formed. Then, the scanning pattern P'H2 formed in the vicinity of the focal point f of the convex lens 26 is projected to the front of the vehicle to form the partially distributed light pattern PH2 shown in FIG. 9B.

Further, light emitted by the LED20a1 which is located most vehicle front side is reflected by the inner area R _in the left reflection area of the rotating reflector 22 shown in FIG. Specifically, when the blade 22a passes through the rotation positions P1, P2, and P3 in this order while rotating in front of the light emitting surface of the LED 20a1, the real image I1 is projected on the reflecting surface 22d. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10A, the secondary light source is the virtual image I1'at the position of the mirror image sandwiching the reflecting surface 22d. Further, the virtual image I1'moves left and right near the focal point f of the convex lens 26. However, the inner region R _in of the reflecting surface 22d is always a surface inclined downward. Therefore, the virtual image I1'moves to the left and right above the virtual image I2'. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the scanning pattern P'H1 by the virtual image I1'is formed. Then, the scanning pattern P'H1 formed in the vicinity of the focal point f of the convex lens 26 is projected to the front of the vehicle to form the partially distributed light pattern PH1 shown in FIG. 9B.

Further, the light emitted by the LED 20a3 located on the rearmost side of the vehicle is _{reflected by the outer region R out} of the reflection region on the left side of the rotary reflector 22 shown in FIG. Specifically, in front of the light emitting surface of the LED 20a3, when the blade 22a passes through the rotating positions P1, P2, and P3 in this order while rotating, the real image I3 is projected on the reflecting surface 22d. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10A, the secondary light source is the virtual image I3'at the position of the mirror image sandwiching the reflecting surface 22d. Further, the virtual image I3'moves left and right near the focal point f of the convex lens 26. However, the outer region R _out of the reflective surface 22d is always an upwardly inclined surface. Therefore, the virtual image I3'moves to the left and right below the virtual image I2'. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the scanning pattern P'H3 by the virtual image I3'is formed. Then, the scanning pattern P'H3 formed in the vicinity of the focal point f of the convex lens 26 is projected to the front of the vehicle to form the partially distributed light pattern PH3 shown in FIG. 9B.

As described above, when the inclination angle of the reflecting surface changes depending on the location as in the rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment, even if the three LEDs 20a1, 20a2, 20a3 are aligned in the horizontal direction, the parts are distributed. It became clear that the light patterns did not line up in a straight line. Therefore, the inventor of the present application has come up with the idea that a desired light distribution pattern can be obtained by adjusting the position of the light emitting element according to the shape of the reflecting surface of the rotating reflector.

11 (a) is a schematic diagram of a light source having an array of light emitting elements according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 11 (b) is a schematic diagram of a light distribution pattern formed by the light source shown in FIG. 11 (a). be.

The rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment has a reflecting surface 22d twisted so that the light of the first light source 20 reflected while rotating scans the front to form a desired light distribution pattern. Then, as shown in FIG. 11A, the LEDs 20a1, 20a2, 20a3, which are the plurality of light emitting elements according to the present embodiment, serve as the outer light emitting elements that emit the light reflected in _{the outer region R out of the reflecting surface 22d.} than the vertical position of LED20a3 the vertical position of LED20a1 as inner light emitting element which emits light reflected by the inner area _{R in} the reflection surface 22d are arranged so as to lower.

According to this aspect, the vertical positions of some of the LEDs 20a1 and 20a3 are adjusted in consideration of the deviation of the image of the first light source 20 reflected by the uneven and twisted reflecting surface 22d of the rotary reflector 22. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, the partially distributed light patterns PH1 to PH3 are superimposed at positions where the vertical deviations are suppressed, so that a rectangular light distribution pattern PH without steps can be formed. ..

Further, as compared with the case where the LEDs 20a1, 20a2, 20a3 are arranged in a straight line in the horizontal direction, the light emitted by the plurality of LEDs 20a1, 20a2, 20a3 reflected by the rotary reflector 22 scans the front. The partially distributed light patterns PH1 to PH3 formed by the above are arranged in a line in the horizontal direction so as to increase the overlap.

As a result, the partially distributed light patterns PH1 to PH3 overlap more often, and a bright light distribution pattern PH can be obtained. Here, the line shape does not necessarily mean that all the LEDs are arranged in a straight line, and the vertical positions of the plurality of LEDs may be gradually (stepwise) changed. Further, the vertical positions of some of the plurality of elements may be the same.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a light source having an array of light emitting elements according to a modified example of the present embodiment. The light source according to the modified example has a plurality of LEDs 20a1 to 20a5 in order from the front end of the vehicle. In the first to fifth LEDs, the amount of displacement d _{1 to d 5} from the vertical position to the bottom of the reference satisfies the following equation (1).
d ₁ ≤ d ₂ ≤ d ₃ ≤ ... ≤ d _n-1 ≤ d _n (1) (where n is an integer of 2 or more, d ₁ = d ₂ = d ₃ ... = d _n-1 = (Except for _{d n)
Alternatively, the amount of displacement d 1 to d 5} from the vertical position of the reference to the bottom may satisfy the following equation (2).
_{d 1 <d 2 <d 3} <··· <d n-1 <d n (2)

Further, the reflecting surface 22d of the rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment is a surface in which the outer region R _out is always inclined upward and the inner region R in is always inclined downward _{in the region where the light from the light source is reflected.} It is a surface. However, the shape of the reflective surface is not limited to this, and when the inner region R _in of the reflective surface is always inclined upward and the outer region R _out is always inclined downward, FIG. 11A shows. If the LEDs 20a1 to 20a3 shown are arranged so that the vertical position of the LED 20a1 that emits the light reflected inside the reflecting surface 22d is higher than the vertical position of the LED 20a3 that emits the light reflected outside the reflecting surface 22d. good.

If this is further developed, it is based on the difference in the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface and the periodic change in each reflection region of the rotating reflector on which the light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source is projected. By adjusting the relative positional relationship of the plurality of light emitting elements, a desired light distribution pattern can be obtained.

As described above, the rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of blades 22a provided around the rotary portion 22b and separated from each other. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the blade 22a is connected to a reflecting surface 22d that reflects light emitted from the LED 20a that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, and another blade that is separated from the blade 22a. It has a connecting portion 22h configured so that the light emitted from the light is not reflected in the direction of glare.

As a result, the connecting portion 22h connects the adjacent blades 22a, so that the decrease in the rigidity of the blades 22a is suppressed. On the other hand, the rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment is configured so that even if the light emitted from the LED 20a is reflected by the connection portion 22h, it is not reflected in the direction of glare, so that the occurrence of glare is suppressed. can.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7C, the reflecting surface 22d is configured such that the light L1 that contributes to the formation of the light distribution pattern is incident on a predetermined optical member (convex lens 26) as the reflected light D1. It has a surface shape. On the other hand, the connecting portion 22h has a surface shape configured so that the light L1'emitted from the LED 20a does not face the convex lens 26 as the reflected light D1'. As a result, even if the light L1'emitted from the LED 20a is reflected by the connecting portion 22h, it does not face the convex lens 26, so that glare is less likely to occur.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the connecting portion 22h is provided around the rotating portion 22b. As a result, for example, when the region that reflects the light emitted from the LED 20a is the region R3 that is close to the outer peripheral portion of the blade 22a away from the rotating portion 22b, the light of the LED 20a that is incident on the connecting portion 22h is reduced and glare occurs. Is suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, at least a part 22h1 of the connecting portion 22h is arranged on the same circumference as the reflecting surface 22d with the rotating portion 22b as the center.

In the rotary reflector 22 according to the present embodiment, the angle α formed by the reflection surface 22d and the rotation axis R is set to 90 ° ± α ₀ (α ₀ is in the range of 5 to 10 °) (FIG. 7). (B), see FIG. 7 (c)). In that case, as shown in FIG. 7C, the connecting portion 22h has a range in which the angle β formed by the rotating shaft R of the rotating portion 22b does not overlap with the angle α formed by the reflecting surface 22d and the rotating shaft R. It is often, for example, 70 ° or less, preferably 60 ° or less, and more preferably 50 ° or less.

Further, the connecting portion 22h according to the present embodiment may have a textured surface whose surface has been textured. The surface of the portion corresponding to the connecting portion 22h of the resin-molded rotary reflector 22 is rougher than the portion corresponding to the reflecting surface 22d, and a metal is deposited on the surface to form a textured surface. .. Normally, the surface shape of the connecting portion 22h is designed so that even if the light emitted from the LED 20a directly reaches the surface of the connecting portion 22h and is reflected, it does not face the projection lens 26.

However, when a part of the light reflected inside the optical unit reaches the surface of the connecting portion 22h, the reflection direction cannot be completely controlled and glare may occur. Therefore, if the surface is a textured surface such as the connection portion 22h according to the present embodiment, the luminous intensity of the reflected light is small even when the unintended light as described above reaches the connection portion 22h. Therefore, even if it is incident on the projection lens 26, the influence of glare can be reduced.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration of the embodiment may be appropriately combined or replaced. It is included in the present invention. Further, it is also possible to appropriately rearrange the combination and the order of processing in the embodiment based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and to add modifications such as various design changes to the embodiment, and such modifications are added. The embodiments described may also be included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used for vehicle lamps.

10 Vehicle headlights, 18 optical units, 20 first light sources, 20a LEDs, 22 rotating reflectors, 22a blades, 22b rotating parts, 22c connecting parts, 22d reflective surfaces, 22h connecting parts, 26 convex lenses, 33 circuit boards.

Claims (11)

A vehicle lamp equipped with an optical unit.
The optical unit is
A rotating reflector that rotates in one direction around the axis of rotation while reflecting the light emitted from the light source,
A light source composed of a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a line in the horizontal direction is provided.
The rotary reflector is
It has a reflective surface that is twisted so that the light of the light source reflected while rotating scans forward to form the desired light distribution pattern.
In the plurality of light emitting elements, the vertical position of the inner light emitting element that emits the light reflected inside the reflecting surface is lower than the vertical position of the outer light emitting element that emits the light reflected outside the reflecting surface. Vehicle lighting fixtures characterized by being arranged in such a manner. The plurality of light emitting elements are formed by scanning the front of each light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements reflected by the rotary reflector as compared with the case where the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a straight line in the horizontal direction. The vehicle lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the light fixtures are arranged in a line in the horizontal direction so that the light patterns are arranged in a line in the horizontal direction so as to increase the overlap of the light patterns. The plurality of light emitting elements have first to nth light emitting elements in order from the end.
In the first to nth light emitting elements, the amount of displacement d _{1 to d n} from the vertical position to the bottom of the reference satisfies the following equation (1).
d ₁ ≤ d ₂ ≤ d ₃ ≤ ... ≤ d _n-1 ≤ d _n (1)
(However, except for the case of d ₁ = d ₂ = d ₃ ... = d _n-1 = d _n )
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2. A projection lens that projects the light reflected by the rotary reflector in the light irradiation direction of the optical unit is further provided.
The rotary reflector is arranged so that the rotation axis extends diagonally and horizontally with respect to the light irradiation direction.
The vehicle use according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light source is arranged so that the light emitting surface of each of the plurality of light emitting elements is oblique with respect to the reflecting surface. Lighting equipment. Claims 1 to 1, wherein the reflecting surface has a twisted shape so that the angle formed by the optical axis and the reflecting surface changes as it goes in the circumferential direction about the rotation axis. The vehicle lighting equipment according to any one of 4. Rotating part and
A rotary reflector having a plurality of blades provided around the rotating portion and separated from each other.
The blade
A reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light source that contributes to the formation of the light distribution pattern,
A connection part that is connected to other blades that are separated so that the light emitted from the light source is not reflected in the direction of glare.
A rotary reflector characterized by having. The reflecting portion has a surface shape configured so that light that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern is incident on a predetermined optical member.
The connection portion has a surface shape configured so that the light emitted from the light source does not direct to the optical member.
The rotary reflector according to claim 6. The rotary reflector according to claim 6, wherein the connecting portion is provided around the rotating portion. The rotary reflector according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein at least a part of the connecting portion is arranged on the same circumference as the reflecting portion with the rotating portion as the center. The rotary reflector according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the connecting portion has an angle formed by the rotating shaft of the rotating portion of 70 ° or less. The rotary reflector according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the connecting portion has a textured surface.

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