WO2022158300A1

WO2022158300A1 - Vehicle lamp

Info

Publication number: WO2022158300A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/000203
Authority: WO
Inventors: 浩哉小泉; 昭則松本
Original assignee: 株式会社小糸製作所
Priority date: 2021-01-19
Filing date: 2022-01-06
Publication date: 2022-07-28
Also published as: JP2022110905A

Abstract

This vehicle lamp, in which a headlight unit is accommodated in a lamp compartment, increases visibility of targets of the headlight unit without hindering the light distribution function thereof. The present invention is configured such that a plate-like light guide body (50) is arranged at a position at which light irradiated from a headlight unit (10) can transmit therethrough, a light source (52) is arranged at a position at which light therefrom is incident on the plate-like light guide body (50), and a plurality of reflective elements (50s) are arranged spaced apart from each other on the rear surface (50b) of the plate-like light guide body (50). In this configuration, the area of the rear surface (50b) of the plate-like light guide body (50) that is occupied by the reflective elements (50s) is set to 0.1 mm2 or less, and the reflective elements (50s) have a surface shape such that all of the light from the light source (52) incident on the plate-like light guide body (50) is reflected forward of the vehicle. This configuration enables the plate-like light guide body (50) to be lighted in a scattered manner by the lighting from the light source (52) when the headlight unit (10) is in a non-lighting state, without having a negative impact on the light distribution function of the headlight unit (10).

Description

vehicle lamp

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp in which a headlamp unit is housed in a lamp chamber.

Conventionally, as a structure of a vehicle lamp, for example, as described in "Patent Document 1", a headlamp that irradiates light toward the front of a vehicle in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a translucent cover. It is known to house a lighting unit.

Further, in "Patent Document 2", in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a translucent cover, a plate-shaped light guide and a light source arranged at a position where light can enter the plate-shaped light guide are provided. A housed vehicle lamp is described.

In this vehicular lamp, the light from the light source incident on the plate-like light guide is totally reflected by each of the plurality of reflecting elements formed on the rear surface, and then emitted forward from the front surface of the lamp. is configured as

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-103012 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-77601

In a vehicle lamp having a headlamp unit housed in a lamp chamber, if a plate-shaped light guide is arranged in the lamp chamber, the light source is turned on when the headlamp unit is in a non-lighting state. It is possible to improve the visibility of the vehicle lamp by allowing the plate-like light guide to shine.

However, in the case where the vehicle lamp has a configuration in which a plate-shaped light guide is arranged in the optical path of the light emitted from the headlight unit, the presence of the plate-shaped light guide may cause the headlight unit to There is a risk that the light distribution function will be impaired, and for this reason, there is a risk that the desired light distribution pattern cannot be formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular lamp capable of enhancing its visibility.

The present invention is intended to achieve the above object by devising the configuration of the plate-shaped light guide.

That is, the vehicle lamp according to the present invention is
A vehicle lamp in which a headlamp unit that emits light toward the front of a vehicle is accommodated in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a translucent cover,
A plate-shaped light guide and a light source are arranged in the lamp chamber,
The plate-shaped light guide is arranged at a position where the light emitted from the headlight unit can be transmitted,
The light source is arranged at a position where light can be incident on the plate-shaped light guide,
A plurality of reflective elements are formed on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide,
The plurality of reflective elements are spaced apart from each other,
each of the reflecting elements has an area occupied by the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide set to a value of 0.1 square mm or less,
Each of the reflecting elements has a surface shape that totally reflects the light from the light source incident on the plate-shaped light guide toward the front of the vehicle.

The type and specific configuration of the above "headlight unit" are not particularly limited.

The type of the above "light source" is not particularly limited, and for example, light emitting diodes, incandescent bulbs, etc. can be adopted.

The above "plate-shaped light guide" is not particularly limited in its specific external shape, surface shape, etc., as long as it is arranged at a position that allows the light emitted from the headlight unit to pass therethrough.

As long as the "plurality of reflective elements" are arranged at intervals, the specific arrangement and formation range thereof are not particularly limited.

The above-mentioned "each reflective element" is not particularly limited in its specific external shape as long as the area occupied on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide is set to a value of 0.1 square mm or less. The specific surface shape is not particularly limited as long as it has a surface shape that totally reflects the light from the light source incident on the plate-like light guide toward the front of the vehicle.

The vehicle lamp according to the present invention has a configuration in which the headlamp unit is accommodated in the lamp chamber formed by the lamp body and the translucent cover. A plate-shaped light guide is arranged at a position where irradiation light can be transmitted, and a light source is arranged at a position where light can be incident on the plate-shaped light guide. A plurality of reflective elements are arranged on the rear surface at intervals, and each reflective element occupies an area of 0.1 square mm or less on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide, and Since the plate-like light guide has a surface shape that totally reflects the light from the light source incident on the plate-like light guide toward the front of the vehicle, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, each of the plurality of reflective elements formed on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide has an area occupied by the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide set to an extremely small value of 0.1 square mm or less, and Since the light guides are spaced apart from each other, the light emitted from the headlight unit is guided in the plate shape even though the plate light guide is arranged in the optical path of the light emitted from the headlight unit. It is possible to prevent the light distribution function of the headlamp unit from being impaired due to the transmission of the light body. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the formation of the light distribution pattern by the light emitted from the headlamp unit from being adversely affected.

Further, each of the plurality of reflective elements arranged at intervals has a surface shape that totally reflects the light from the light source incident on the plate-shaped light guide toward the front of the vehicle. When the headlight unit is in a non-lighting state, the plate-shaped light guide can be illuminated in a scattered manner by lighting of the light source, thereby improving visibility as a vehicle lamp.

Moreover, the plate-shaped light guide looks like a simple transparent plate when the light source is not turned on, but when the light source is turned on, a plurality of reflection elements are formed in the reflective element forming area (that is, the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide). Since the area where the light is present appears to shine, it is possible to add unexpectedness to the change in design that accompanies switching between on and off.

As described above, according to the present invention, in a vehicle lamp in which a headlight unit is housed in a lamp chamber, the light distribution function of the headlight unit is prevented from being impaired, and the visibility is improved. can be enhanced. As a result, it is possible to enhance safety while the vehicle is running.

In the above configuration, if the plurality of reflecting elements are arranged such that the distance between the adjacent reflecting elements is 0.1 to 0.5 mm, when the light source is turned on, the plate-shaped light guide While the rear surface of the body can be made to appear to glow substantially uniformly, the plate-like light guide can have a sense of transparency due to the existence of the transparent portions between the reflecting elements when the light source is not turned on. Thus, the design of the vehicle lamp when the headlamp unit is in the off state can be enhanced both when the light source is on and off.

In the above configuration, if the ratio of the area occupied by the plurality of reflective elements to the area of the reflective element forming region on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide is set to a value of 1 to 10%, the light source is turned on. It is possible to easily achieve both the brightness at the time of lighting and the transparency at the time of non-lighting.

In the above configuration, if a plurality of reflective elements are arranged in a regular triangular lattice pattern on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide, the intervals between the mutually adjacent reflective elements are constant. The uniform light emission function when lit and the transparency when not lit can be maximized.

In the above configuration, the reflective element forming regions are further arranged discretely at a plurality of locations on the rear surface of the plate-like light guide, and the light sources are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective reflective element forming regions at the plurality of locations. In addition, if a configuration is adopted in which these light sources can be selectively turned on, the vehicle lighting device can be equipped with a welcome lamp (i.e., a lighting device that lights up when the driver approaches or leaves the parked vehicle). ), etc., can be easily exhibited.

In the above configuration, at least some of the plurality of reflecting elements are configured to totally reflect upward the irradiation light from the headlight unit that has entered the plate-shaped light guide. For example, the upwardly totally reflected light can form a light distribution pattern for illuminating an overhead sign installed above the road surface in front of the vehicle, thereby enhancing the light distribution function of the vehicle lamp.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional side view showing a vehicle lamp having a headlamp unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; View from the direction of arrow II in Fig. 1 Detailed view of part III in Fig. 1 Figure 3 IV direction arrow view (a) is a perspective view showing an enlarged part of FIG. 4, and (b) to (d) are views similar to (a) showing first to third modifications of the first embodiment. A diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed by light emitted from the headlight unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the operation of the first embodiment; A view similar to FIG. 3 showing the third modification A view similar to FIG. 6 showing the action of the third modification 2, showing a fourth modification of the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the second embodiment; A view similar to FIG. 12 showing the operation of the second embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a vehicle lamp 100 including a headlamp unit 10 according to this embodiment. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1. FIG.

In these figures, the direction indicated by X is the "front of the unit", the direction indicated by Y is the "left direction" perpendicular to the "front of the unit" ("right direction" when viewed from the front of the unit), and the direction indicated by Z. is the "upward direction". The same applies to figures other than these.

A vehicle lamp 100 is a headlamp provided at the front end of a vehicle, and is configured such that a headlamp unit 10 is accommodated in a lamp chamber 20 formed by a lamp body 102 and a translucent cover 104 . ing. At that time, the translucent cover 104 is arranged in a state of being inclined toward the rear side of the unit. Further, the headlight unit 10 is arranged in a state in which the optical axis is adjusted so that the front-rear direction (that is, the unit front-rear direction) substantially coincides with the vehicle front-rear direction.

The headlamp unit 10 is a so-called projector-type lamp unit, and includes a projection lens 12, a light-emitting element 14 arranged behind the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12, and light emitted from the light-emitting element 14. and a movable shade 22 arranged between the light emitting element 14 and the projection lens 12 .

The projection lens 12 is a biconvex aspherical lens whose rear surface has a smaller curvature than that of its front surface, and has an optical axis Ax extending in the front-rear direction of the unit. The projection lens 12 projects the light source image formed on the rear focal plane, which is the focal plane including the rear focal point F, as an inverted image onto the virtual vertical screen in front of the unit (that is, in the direction of the vehicle). It has become.

The projection lens 12 has a horizontally long outer shape when viewed from the front of the unit, and is supported by a lens holder 18 at its outer peripheral portion. The lens holder 18 has a pair of left and right arms 18a extending rearward of the unit, and is supported by a heat sink 30 at its rear end.

The light emitting element 14 is a white light emitting diode and has a horizontally long rectangular light emitting surface 14a. The light-emitting element 14 is arranged below the optical axis Ax of the projection lens 12 with the light-emitting surface 14a inclined toward the rear side of the unit with respect to the vertically upward direction, and is positioned by the light source holder 32. is supported by the heat sink 30 at .

The reflector 16 is arranged so as to cover the light emitting element 14 from above, and is supported by the heat sink 30 at its lower edge.

The reflecting surface 16a of the reflector 16 is formed of a substantially ellipsoidal curved surface with the light emission center of the light emitting element 14 as the first focus. The reflecting surface 16a has an elliptical shape whose second focus is a point slightly forward of the rear focal point F in the vertical cross section along the optical axis Ax. It is set to gradually increase toward As a result, the reflector 16 causes the light from the light emitting element 14 to substantially converge on a point slightly forward of the rear focal point F in the vertical plane, and move the convergence position considerably forward in the horizontal plane. It has become.

The movable shade 22 is formed so that its upper edge 22a passes through the rear focal point F and extends in the horizontal direction in a staggered manner.

The movable shade 22 is rotatably supported by a shade holder 28 at both left and right ends of the rotating shaft 24 while being fixedly supported by the rotating shaft 24 extending in the left-right direction (that is, in the vehicle width direction). This shade holder 28 is supported by a heat sink 30 .

By driving an actuator 40 supported by a heat sink 30, the movable shade 22 is moved to a first position indicated by a solid line in FIG. A second rotated position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line) can be adopted.

When the movable shade 22 is at the first position, the upper edge 22a of the movable shade 22 is arranged so as to pass through the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12, thereby part of the light from the light emitting element 14 reflected by the reflector 16 is While shielding light, when it moves to the second position, the upper edge 22a is displaced below the optical axis Ax of the projection lens 12 to release the light shielding.

With the above configuration, the headlight unit 10 reflects the light emitted from the light emitting element 14 by the reflector 16, and then irradiates the light toward the front of the vehicle through the projection lens 12. At this time, when the movable shade 22 is at the first position, a low beam light distribution pattern is formed, and when the movable shade 22 is at the second position, a high beam light distribution pattern is formed (this will be described later).

In the lamp chamber 20, a plate-shaped light guide 50 is arranged at a position that allows the light emitted from the headlamp unit 10 to pass therethrough, and a plate-shaped light guide 50 is arranged at a position that allows light to enter the plate-shaped light guide 50. One light source 52 is arranged.

Specifically, the plate-shaped light guide 50 is a horizontally long rectangular flat plate, and is made of a colorless and transparent resin (for example, acrylic resin) member. The plate-shaped light guide 50 is arranged in a state of being inclined to the rear side of the unit by about 10 to 20° (for example, about 15°) with respect to a vertical plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the unit.

Each of the three light sources 52 is a light-emitting element (specifically, a white light-emitting diode). It is arranged in a state facing the upper end surface 50c. The three light sources 52 are supported by a common substrate 54 while being arranged at approximately equal intervals in the horizontal direction.

An extension panel 60 having a substantially oblong rectangular opening 60a is arranged on the unit front side of the plate-shaped light guide 50 in the lamp chamber 20 . The extension panel 60 is supported by the lamp body 102 while being arranged so as to cover the outer peripheral edge of the plate-shaped light guide 50 . The substrate 54 is supported by this extension panel 60 .

　Fig. 3 is a detailed view of part III in Fig. 1. Moreover, FIG. 4 is a IV direction arrow directional view of FIG. Further, FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view showing an enlarged part of FIG.

As shown in these figures, the front surface 50a of the plate-shaped light guide 50 is composed of a smooth surface, while the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 is formed with a plurality of reflecting elements 50s over its entire area. ing.

The plurality of reflective elements 50s are arranged two-dimensionally at regular intervals (that is, at intervals in two mutually intersecting directions). Specifically, the plurality of reflective elements 50s are arranged in an equilateral triangular lattice pattern on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 .

Each reflective element 50s has a concave spherical surface shape of the same size, and the area occupied on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 is set to a value of 0.1 square mm or less. Specifically, each reflecting element 50s is formed in a substantially hemispherical shape, and the radius Rs of the concave spherical surface constituting the surface shape is Rs=R0.01 to 0.1 mm (more preferably R0.1 mm). 03 to 0.05 mm (for example, about R0.04 mm)).

Also, the plurality of reflective elements 50s are arranged such that the interval (that is, the shortest distance) D between the mutually adjacent reflective elements 50s is D=0.1 to 0.5 mm. The ratio of the area occupied by the plurality of reflecting elements 50s to the entire area of the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 is set to a value of 1 to 10% (for example, about 5%).

FIG. 6 is a view perspectively showing a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen arranged at a position 25 m in front of the vehicle by light emitted from the headlight unit 10 toward the front of the vehicle.

The light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 6A is a low beam light distribution pattern PL, and the light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 6B is a high beam light distribution pattern PH. The image of the light emitting element 14 formed on the focal plane including the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12 by the light from the projection lens 12 is projected onto the virtual vertical screen by the projection lens 12 as an inverted projection image. light pattern.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), the low-beam light distribution pattern PL is a left-handed low-beam light distribution pattern, and has cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 that are uneven on the left and right at the upper edge thereof. The cut-off lines CL1 and CL2 extend in the horizontal direction on the left and right sides of the line VV, which passes vertically through the vanishing point HV in the front direction of the lamp. The opposite lane side portion is formed as a lower cutoff line CL1, and the own lane side portion on the left side of the VV line is formed as an upper cutoff line CL2 that rises from the lower cutoff line CL1 via an inclined portion. formed.

In the low-beam light distribution pattern PL, the elbow point E, which is the intersection of the lower cutoff line CL1 and the line VV, is located approximately 0.5 to 0.6° below HV, and its high luminous intensity. Region HZL is located around elbow point E.

In addition, in the low-beam light distribution pattern PL, the positions of the cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 are defined by the height position of the upper edge 22a of the movable shade 22 at the first position.

The high-beam light distribution pattern PH shown in FIG. 6B is a horizontally elongated light distribution in which the low-beam light distribution pattern PL is expanded above the cutoff lines CL1 and CL2 by releasing the light shielding by the movable shade 22. It is formed as a pattern, and the high luminous intensity region HZH also has a shape extending upward from the high luminous intensity region HZL.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the vehicle lamp 100 when the headlamp unit 10 is in a non-lighting state, and FIG. 7(a) shows a state when the three light sources 52 are in a non-lighting state. FIG. 7(b) shows the state when the three light sources 52 are in the lighting state.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the three light sources 52 are in a non-lighting state, the extension panel 60 arranged in the lamp chamber 20 can be seen through the translucent cover 14, and the opening 60a of the extension panel 60 can be seen. The plate-like light guide 50 can be seen in .

A plurality of reflective elements 50s are formed on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50, and each of these occupies a very small area on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 and is spaced apart from each other. The headlamp unit 10 can be seen through the gaps between the plurality of reflective elements 50s because they are arranged in such a manner that they are spaced apart from each other.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, even when the three light sources 52 are in the lighting state, the extension panel 60 arranged in the lamp chamber 20 can be seen through the translucent cover 14, and the opening of the extension panel 60 can be seen. The plate-like light guide 50 appears to shine in 60a.

At that time, the light emitted from the three light sources 52 is incident on the plate-shaped light guide 50 from the upper end surface 50c, and then guided downward between the front surface 50a and the rear surface 50b. In the process, light is totally reflected by each of the plurality of reflecting elements 50s formed on the rear surface 50b, and emitted from the front surface 50a toward the front of the vehicle. It looks bright and shiny. On the other hand, the headlight unit 10 located behind the plate-shaped light guide 50 is not visible from the outside of the vehicle lamp 100 because the plate-shaped light guide 50 shines brightly.

In addition, even when the three light sources 52 are in a non-lighting state or a lighting state, the three light sources 52 and the board 54 are arranged on the back side of the extension panel 60, so that they cannot be seen from the outside of the vehicle lamp 100. do not have.

Next, the action of this embodiment will be described.

The vehicle lamp 100 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which the headlamp unit 10 is accommodated in the lamp chamber 20 formed by the lamp body 102 and the translucent cover 104. , a plate-shaped light guide 50 is arranged at a position where the light emitted from the headlight unit 10 can be transmitted, and three light sources 52 are arranged at positions where light can be incident on the plate-shaped light guide 50. Further, a plurality of reflective elements 50s are arranged on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 at intervals. The area occupied by the rear surface 50b is set to a value of 0.1 square mm or less, and the light from each light source 52 incident on the plate-shaped light guide 50 is totally reflected toward the front of the vehicle. Therefore, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, the occupied area of the plurality of reflective elements 50s formed on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 is set to an extremely small value of 0.1 square mm or less on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50. and are spaced from each other. It is possible to prevent the light distribution function of the headlight unit 10 from being impaired due to the light emitted from the light transmitting plate-like light guide 50 . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the formation of the light distribution pattern by the light emitted from the headlamp unit 10 from being adversely affected.

In addition, each of the plurality of reflective elements 50s arranged at intervals has a surface shape that totally reflects the light from the three light sources 52 incident on the plate-shaped light guide 50 toward the front of the vehicle. Therefore, when the headlight unit 10 is in a non-lighting state, the plate-like light guide 50 can be illuminated in a scattered manner by the lighting of the three light sources 52, thereby being visible as the vehicle lamp 100. can enhance sexuality.

Moreover, the plate-shaped light guide 50 looks like a simple transparent plate when the three light sources 52 are not lit, while the plurality of reflective elements 50s are formed on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 when the three light sources 52 are lit. Since the formed area (in this embodiment, the entire area within the opening 60a of the extension panel 60) looks shiny, it is possible to add unexpectedness to the change in design that accompanies switching between lighting and extinguishing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the vehicle lamp 100 in which the headlamp unit 10 is housed in the lamp chamber 20, the light distribution function of the headlamp unit 10 is prevented from being impaired. , its visibility can be enhanced. As a result, it is possible to enhance safety while the vehicle is running.

Particularly in this embodiment, the plurality of reflecting elements 50s are arranged so that the distance between the mutually adjacent reflecting elements 50s is 0.1 to 0.5 mm. When , the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50 can be made to appear to shine substantially uniformly, while when the three light sources 52 are not turned on, the plate-shaped light guides due to the presence of transparent portions between the reflecting elements 50s. The body 50 can be made transparent. Thus, the design of the vehicle lamp 100 when the headlamp unit 10 is in the non-lighting state can be enhanced both when the three light sources 52 are lit and when they are not lit.

Furthermore, the plate-shaped light guide 50 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a plurality of reflective elements 50s are formed on the entire area of the rear surface 50b. Since the area ratio is set to a value of 1 to 10%, it is possible to easily achieve both brightness when the three light sources 52 are lit and transparency when they are not lit.

Further, in the plate-shaped light guide 50 of the present embodiment, a plurality of reflective elements 50s are arranged in a regular triangular lattice on the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50, and the distance between the reflective elements 50s adjacent to each other is Since the intervals are constant, it is possible to maximize the uniform light emitting function when the three light sources 52 are lit and the transparency when they are not lit.

Moreover, in the plate-shaped light guide 50 of the present embodiment, each of the plurality of reflecting elements 50s has a concave spherical surface shape, so that light is reflected in all directions by total reflection at each of the reflecting elements 50s. It will be performed almost evenly toward. Therefore, even if the viewing direction of the plate-shaped light guide 50 is greatly changed from the direction in which the lamp is viewed from the front, it is possible to maintain a state in which the entire region within the opening 60a appears to be illuminated.

In the first embodiment described above, the plurality of reflecting elements 50s are arranged in a regular triangular lattice, but other arrangements (for example, a square lattice, a hexagonal lattice, etc.) may be adopted. is also possible.

In the first embodiment described above, the configuration is such that the three light sources 52 can be turned on when the headlight unit 10 is in the non-lighting state. A configuration in which three light sources 52 can be turned on at any time is also possible.

In the above-described first embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 is described as having three light sources 50, but it is also possible to have two or less or four or more light sources 50.

In the first embodiment, the three light sources 50 are arranged in the vicinity of the upper end surface 50c of the plate-shaped light guide 50. It is also possible to

In the above-described first embodiment, the plate-shaped light guide 50 is configured as a flat plate, but it can also be configured so as to extend along a curved surface.

In the above-described first embodiment, the plate-shaped light guide 50 is arranged in a state inclined toward the unit rear side with respect to the vertical plane perpendicular to the unit front-rear direction. It is also possible to have a configuration with

In the first embodiment described above, the plurality of reflective elements 50s are formed on the entire area of the rear surface 50b of the plate-shaped light guide 50, but the plurality of reflective elements 50s are formed only on a partial area thereof. It is also possible to have a configuration with

Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

First, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5(b) is a view similar to FIG. 5(a), showing the main part of the plate-shaped light guide 150 of this modified example.

As shown in FIG. 5(b), the plate-like light guide 150 of this modified example has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, but the shape of each of the plurality of reflecting elements 150s is is different from that of the first embodiment.

That is, in the plate-shaped light guide 150 of this modified example, a plurality of reflective elements 150s are arranged on the rear surface 150b in the same distribution as the plurality of reflective elements 50s of the first embodiment, and each reflective element 150s occupy the same area as the reflecting elements 50s of the first embodiment, but in this modified example, each reflecting element 150s has a conical surface shape.

As in the plate-shaped light guide 150 of this modified example, each of the plurality of reflective elements 150s has a conical surface shape, so that the direction in which the plate-shaped light guide 150 is observed determines how the plate-shaped light guide 150 shines. can be changed.

Next, a second modification of the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5(c) is a view similar to FIG. 5(a), showing the main part of the plate-shaped light guide 250 of this modified example.

As shown in FIG. 5(c), the plate-shaped light guide 250 of this modified example has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, but the shape of each of the plurality of reflecting elements 250s is is different from that of the first embodiment.

That is, in the plate-shaped light guide 250 of this modified example, a plurality of reflective elements 250s are arranged on the rear surface 250b in the same distribution as the plurality of reflective elements 50s of the first embodiment, and each reflective element 250s occupying substantially the same area as the reflecting elements 50s of the first embodiment. there is

Like the plate-shaped light guide 250 of this modified example, each of the plurality of reflective elements 250s is configured to have a quadrangular pyramidal surface shape, so that the light varies depending on the direction in which the plate-shaped light guide 250 is observed. You can have even more variation.

It should be noted that instead of each reflecting element 250s of the second modification, it is also possible to adopt a configuration having a surface shape of a polypyramidal surface other than a quadrangular pyramidal surface (for example, a triangular pyramidal surface, a hexagonal pyramidal surface, etc.). is.

Next, a third modification of the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the main part of the plate-shaped light guide 350 of this modified example. FIG. 5(d) is a view similar to FIG. 5(a), showing the main part of the plate-shaped light guide 350 of this modified example.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 5(d), the plate-like light guide 350 of this modified example has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, but the plurality of reflective elements 350s Each shape is different from that of the first embodiment. Further, in this modified example, light from a light source having a configuration similar to that of the light source 52 of the first embodiment is configured to enter the plate-shaped light guide 350 from its lower end surface.

In the plate-shaped light guide 350 of this modified example, a plurality of reflective elements 350s are arranged on the rear surface 350b in the same distribution as the plurality of reflective elements 50s of the first embodiment, and each reflective element 350s is Although each reflecting element 50s of the first embodiment has a configuration that occupies substantially the same area, in this modified example, the surface shape of each reflecting element 350s is configured by a combination of a concave spherical surface and a flat surface. ing.

Specifically, each reflecting element 350s has a lower region 350sL formed in a concave spherical shape, and an upper region 350sU formed in a planar shape. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper region 350sU is formed to extend substantially along the horizontal plane in a state in which the plate-shaped light guide 350 is tilted backward.

As a result, each of the reflecting elements 350s causes the irradiation light from the headlamp unit 10, which is incident on the plate-shaped light guide 350 from the rear surface 350b as obliquely downward light, to be totally reflected in the upper region 350sU. is configured to emit obliquely upward light from the front surface 350a of the plate-shaped light guide 350 toward the front of the vehicle.

In addition, each reflecting element 350s is configured to totally reflect the light from the three light sources incident on the plate-shaped light guide 350 from its lower end surface toward the front of the vehicle in its lower region 350sL. .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a low-beam light distribution pattern PL3 formed on a virtual vertical screen arranged at a position 25 m in front of the vehicle by light emitted from the headlamp unit 10 toward the front of the vehicle.

The low-beam light distribution pattern PL3 is obtained by adding the OHS irradiation light distribution pattern PA to the basic light distribution pattern PL0, which is substantially the same as the low-beam light distribution pattern PL formed in the first embodiment. ing.

The OHS irradiation light distribution pattern PA is a light distribution pattern for irradiating the overhead sign OHS installed above the road surface in front of the vehicle, and is a light distribution whose luminous intensity is significantly lower than that of the basic light distribution pattern PL0. The pattern is formed so as to expand in the horizontal direction in the space above the cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

The OHS irradiation light distribution pattern PA is formed by totally reflecting the irradiation light from the headlamp unit 10 that has entered the plate-shaped light guide 350 in the upper region 350sU of each of the plurality of reflecting elements 350s. .

By adopting the configuration of this modified example, an OHS irradiation light distribution pattern PA for irradiating the overhead sign OHS is added to the basic light distribution pattern PL0 as the low beam light distribution pattern PL3. can improve the light distribution function of the vehicle lamp.

It should be noted that the OHS irradiation light distribution pattern PA also constitutes a part of the formation of the high beam light distribution pattern.

In the plate-shaped light guide 350 of this modified example, the lower region 350sL of each reflecting element 350s has a concave spherical surface shape. It is possible to make the light reflection by total reflection of the light substantially uniform in all directions.

Instead of the reflecting element 350s of the third modified example, a structure having a quadrangular pyramidal surface shape like each of the reflecting elements 250s of the second modified example (or a triangular pyramidal surface shape, a conical surface shape, etc.) surface shape), and setting the angle of the upper surface to substantially the same value as the angle of the upper region 350sU of the third modification, the same distribution as the OHS irradiation light distribution pattern PA can be obtained. It is possible to form light patterns.

Next, a fourth modification of the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing a vehicle lamp 500 according to this modified example.

As shown in FIG. 10, in a vehicle lamp 500 according to this modification, a headlamp is installed in a lamp chamber 20 formed by a lamp body 102 and a translucent cover 104, as in the case of the first embodiment. Although the configuration accommodates the plate-shaped light guide 450 and the light source 452 together with the unit 10 and the extension panel 60, the configuration of the plate-shaped light guide 450 is different from that of the first embodiment. The number and arrangement of the light sources 452 are different from those of the first embodiment.

Specifically, the plate-shaped light guide 450 of this modified example has a structure in which a body portion 450A and a light guide column 450B are integrally formed.

The body portion 450A has the same configuration as the plate-shaped light guide 50 of the first embodiment.

That is, the main body portion 450A is a horizontally long rectangular flat plate that is colorless and transparent, and the distribution of the plurality of reflective elements 450As formed on the rear surface 450Ab is the same as in the case of the first embodiment. are also the same as in the first embodiment.

The light guide column 450B extends horizontally along the upper edge of the main body portion 450A in a columnar shape, and both ends thereof are formed so as to protrude slightly beyond the left and right end faces of the main body portion 450A.

The light sources 452 of this modified example are arranged at two locations in the vicinity of the left and right end surfaces 450Ba of the light guide column 450B with their light emitting surfaces directed toward the left and right end surfaces 450Ba. A pair of left and right light sources 452 are supported by the extension panel 60 via a substrate (not shown). The configuration itself of the light source 452 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The light emitted from the pair of left and right light sources 452 enters from the left and right end surfaces 450Ba of the light guide column 450B, and is then guided in the longitudinal direction of the light guide column 450B. light enters the main body 450A from the front surface 450Aa and the rear surface 450Ab, and is guided downward between the front surface 450Aa and the rear surface 450Ab. The light is emitted toward the front of the vehicle from the front surface 450Aa.

Therefore, also in this modified example, the lighting of the pair of left and right light sources 452 makes it possible to make the entire area within the opening 60a of the main body 450A of the plate-shaped light guide 450 appear to glow substantially uniformly and brightly.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are views similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a vehicle lamp 700 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a vehicle lamp 700 according to this embodiment includes four

headlamp units

610A, 610B, and 610C in a lamp chamber 620 formed by a lamp body 702 and a translucent cover 704. , 610D and an extension panel 660, along with a plate-shaped light guide 650 and three light sources 652A to 652C.

In the present embodiment, of the four headlight units 610A to 610D, two

headlight units

610A and 610B emit light to form a low-beam light distribution pattern, and the remaining two

headlight units

610C , 610D to form a high beam light distribution pattern.

Each of the four headlamp units 610A to 610D is a reflective lamp unit, and includes a light emitting element 614 and a reflector 616 that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting element 614 toward the front of the vehicle. It's becoming

The light emitting element 614 is a white light emitting diode, and is supported by a heat sink 630 with its light emitting surface 614a facing downward.

The reflector 616 is arranged so as to cover the light emitting element 614 from below, and is supported by a heat sink 630 at its upper edge.

A reflective surface 616a of the reflector 616 has a configuration in which a reflective element 616s is assigned to each of a plurality of segments divided into vertical and horizontal lattices when viewed from the front of the lamp. Each reflective element 616s is formed of a concave curved surface with a paraboloid of revolution having a focal point at the light emission center of the light emitting element 614 and an axis extending in the front-rear direction of the unit as a central axis. At that time, the surface shape of each reflective element 616s is set to a different shape among the four headlight units 610A to 610D.

In the two

headlamp units

610A and 610B, a light distribution pattern for low beam is formed by controlling the reflection of the light from the light emitting element 614 with the reflecting surface 616a. In addition, in the two

headlight units

610C and 610D, the light from the light emitting element 614 is controlled to be reflected by the reflecting surface 616a thereof, so that when the high beam light distribution pattern is formed, the low beam light distribution pattern is controlled. An additional light distribution pattern is formed.

In this embodiment, the specific configuration of the plate-shaped light guide 650 is different from that in the first embodiment. It is different from the embodiment.

In the lamp chamber 620, a plate-shaped light guide 650 is arranged at a position through which the light emitted from the four headlight units 610A to 610D can be transmitted, and the light is made incident on the plate-shaped light guide 650. Three

light sources

652A, 652B, 652C are positioned to obtain.

Specifically, the plate-like light guide 650 is a colorless and transparent flat plate formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape, and is about 10 to 20° (for example, about 15°) with respect to a vertical plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the unit. It is arranged in an inclined state on the rear side of the unit.

An upper end surface 650c of the plate-shaped light guide 650 is formed with three incident portions 650d at approximately equal intervals in the horizontal direction. At that time, the three incident portions 650d are formed so as to be positioned between the adjacent headlight units 610A to 610D.

Each of the three light sources 652A to 652C is a light-emitting element (specifically, a white light-emitting diode), and near the top of each of the three incident portions 650d, with the light-emitting surface 652a directed toward the incident portion 650d. are placed. The three light sources 652A to 652C are supported by a common substrate 654 while being arranged at approximately equal intervals in the horizontal direction, and are configured to be selectively lit.

The three incident portions 650d are configured to direct the emitted light from each of the three light emitting elements 652A to 652C, directly or totally reflect the light, and then guide it downward as substantially parallel light.

The plate-shaped light guide 650 of this embodiment also has a smooth front surface 650a, and a rear surface 650b formed with a plurality of reflective elements 650s. It has a configuration in which it is discretely arranged in three areas instead of the entire area.

Specifically, three regions located substantially below the three incident portions 650d on the rear surface 650b of the plate-shaped light guide 650 are set as reflective element forming regions 650bA, 650bB, and 650bC.

Each of the reflective element forming regions 650bA to 650bC has a substantially square outer shape of the same size when viewed from the front of the lamp. is duplicated in The distribution state of the plurality of reflective elements 650s in each of the reflective element forming regions 650bA to 650bC is the same as in the first embodiment.

The extension panel 660 of this embodiment is configured as a horizontally elongated rectangular plate extending in the left-right direction in the upper part of the lamp chamber 620, and together with the three light sources 652A to 652C and the substrate 654, the three incident portions of the plate-shaped light guide 650. 650 d and the four light emitting elements 614 and heat sink 630 .

FIG. 13 is a front view showing the vehicle lamp 700 when the four headlight units 610A to 610D are in the non-lighting state, and shows how the three light sources 652A to 652C are sequentially turned on. .

That is, FIG. 13(a) shows the state when only the light source 652A positioned at the right end (the left end when viewed from the front of the lamp) is in a lighting state, and FIG. is in the lighting state, and FIG. 13(c) shows the state in which only the light source 652C positioned at the left end is in the lighting state.

As shown in FIG. 13(a), when the light source 652A is in a lighting state, light emitted from the light source 652A enters the plate-like light guide 650 from its incident portion 650d, and then passes through its front surface 650a and rear surface. 650b, is totally reflected by each of the plurality of reflecting elements 650s formed on the rear surface 650b in the light guiding process, and is emitted from the front surface 650a toward the front of the vehicle. In the body 650, the rectangular reflective element forming region 650bA appears to shine brightly in a substantially uniform manner.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13(b), when the light source 652B is in a lighting state, the rectangular reflecting element formation region 650bB of the plate-shaped light guide 650 appears to glow substantially uniformly and brightly. ), when the light source 652C is in the lighting state, the rectangular reflecting element forming region 650bC of the plate-shaped light guide 650 appears to glow substantially uniformly and brightly.

Also, when the three light sources 652A to 652C are turned on at the same time, the three reflective element forming regions 652bA to 650bC appear to shine brightly at approximately equal intervals in the horizontal direction.

It should be noted that even when the three light sources 652A to 652C are in either a non-lit or lit state, the three light sources 652A to 652C, the substrate 654, the three incident portions 650d of the plate-shaped light guide 650, and the four light emitting elements 614 and the heat sink 630 are arranged on the rear side of the extension panel 660, so that they cannot be seen from the outside of the vehicle lamp 700. As shown in FIG.

Even when the configuration of this embodiment is adopted, when the four headlight units 610A to 610D are in the non-lighting state, part or all of the three light sources 652A to 652C are turned on, so that the three reflective elements Some or all of the formation regions 652bA to 650bC can be made to look bright and shiny substantially uniformly.

Moreover, the plate-shaped light guide 650 is configured so that each of the three incident portions 650d receives the light emitted from the three light sources 652A to 652C as substantially parallel downward light. The incident light can be efficiently guided to the reflective element forming regions 650bA to 650bC located therebelow, so that the reflective element forming regions 652bA to 650bC can be seen to shine brightly.

In addition, the plurality of reflecting elements 650s arranged in each of the reflecting element forming regions 650bA to 650bC are all set to have extremely small occupied areas on the rear surface 650b of the plate-like light guide 650, and are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, even though both sides thereof are arranged in the optical path of the light emitted from the left and right headlamp units 610A to 610D, the light emitted from the headlight units 610A to 610D reaches the reflecting element forming regions 650bA to 650B. It is possible to prevent the light distribution function of each of the headlight units 610A to 610D from being impaired due to the transmission of the light 650bC.

It should be noted that the numerical values shown as specifications in the above embodiment and its modification are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these may be set to different values as appropriate.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments and modifications thereof, and configurations with various other modifications can be adopted.

This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-006628, which is a Japanese patent application filed on January 19, 2021. The entire contents of this International Application are incorporated by reference.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and modifications are possible in light of the above description.

10 headlight unit 12 projection lens 14 light emitting element 14a light emitting surface 16 reflector 16a reflecting surface 18 lens holder 18a arm portion 20 lamp chamber 22 movable shade 22a upper edge 24 rotating shaft 28 shade holder 30 heat sink 32 light source holder 40 actuator 50, 150, 250, 350, 450 Plate-shaped light guide 50a, 350a, 450Aa Front surface 50b, 150b, 250b, 350b, 450Ab Rear surface 50c Upper end surface 50s, 150s, 250s, 350s, 450As Reflective element 52, 452 Light source 52a Light emitting surface 54 Substrate 60 Extension panel 60a Opening 100, 500 Vehicle lamp 102 Lamp body 104 Translucent cover 350sL Lower region 350sU Upper region 450A Main body 450B Light guide column 450Ba Left and right end faces 610A, 610B, 610C, 610D Headlamp unit 614 Light emitting element 614a Light-emitting surface 616 Reflector 616a Reflective surface 616s Reflective element 620 Lamp chamber 630 Heat sink 650 Plate-shaped light guide 650a Front surface 650b Rear surface 650bA, 650bB, 650bC Reflective element formation area 650c Upper end surface 650d Incident part 650s Reflective element 652A, 62C Light source 652A, 652B 652a Light emitting surface 654 Substrate 660 Extension panel 700 Vehicle lamp 702 Lamp body 704 Translucent cover Ax Optical axis CL1 Lower cutoff line CL2 Upper cutoff line E Elbow point F Rear focus HZH, HZL High luminous intensity area PA Light distribution pattern for OHS irradiation PH Light distribution pattern for high beam PL, PL3 Light distribution pattern for low beam PL0 Basic light distribution pattern

Claims

A vehicle lamp in which a headlamp unit that emits light toward the front of a vehicle is accommodated in a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body and a translucent cover,
A plate-shaped light guide and a light source are arranged in the lamp chamber,
The plate-shaped light guide is arranged at a position where the light emitted from the headlight unit can be transmitted,
The light source is arranged at a position where light can be incident on the plate-shaped light guide,
A plurality of reflective elements are formed on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide,
The plurality of reflective elements are spaced apart from each other,
each of the reflecting elements has an area occupied by the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide set to a value of 0.1 square mm or less,
The vehicular lamp, wherein each of the reflecting elements has a surface shape that totally reflects the light from the light source incident on the plate-shaped light guide toward the front of the vehicle.
The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflective elements are arranged such that an interval between adjacent reflective elements is 0.1 to 0.5 mm.
A ratio of an area occupied by the plurality of reflecting elements to an area of a reflecting element forming region in which the plurality of reflecting elements is formed on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide is set to a value of 1 to 10%. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein:
The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of reflecting elements are arranged in a regular triangular lattice on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide.
The reflective element forming regions in which the plurality of reflective elements are formed on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide are discretely arranged at a plurality of locations on the rear surface of the plate-shaped light guide,
The light sources are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of reflective element forming regions,
5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of light sources are configured to be selectively lit.
At least some of the plurality of reflecting elements are configured to totally reflect upward the irradiation light from the headlight unit that has entered the plate-shaped light guide. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5.