JP2021190344A - Vehicular lighting fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture that can change a distribution pattern of light to be emitted, and can improve energy efficiency.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 1 comprises: a light source 30; a light distribution pattern formation part 51 capable of reflecting incident light, emitting light having a predetermined light distribution pattern, and changing the predetermined light distribution pattern; a reflector 40 for guiding first light L1 that is a portion of light emitted from the light source 30, to the light distribution pattern formation part 51; and a reflector part 260 for reflecting second light L2 that is not incident on the reflector 40 out of the light emitted from the light source 30, and guiding it to the light distribution pattern formation part 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

As vehicle lighting equipment, vehicle headlights typified by automobile headlights, road surface drawing devices that draw images on road surfaces, and the like are known. By the way, in a vehicle lamp, various configurations are being studied in order to make a predetermined light distribution pattern of the emitted light. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle lamp that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern using a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) that reflects light.

The vehicle lighting equipment described in Patent Document 1 below includes a light source, a DMD, a reflector, and a housing. The light source, DMD, and reflector are surrounded by a housing, and the light emitted from the light source is guided to the DMD by the reflector. The DMD has a reflection control surface composed of reflection surfaces of a plurality of reflecting elements whose tilting states can be individually switched, and reflects light by the reflection control surface to distribute light according to the tilting states of the plurality of reflecting elements. Form a pattern. Therefore, in the vehicle lighting equipment of Patent Document 1 below, the light distribution pattern of the emitted light can be changed by controlling the tilting state of the plurality of reflecting elements in the DMD.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-56746

By the way, since the light emitted from the light source is generally diffused, when the light is guided to the DMD by using the reflector as described above, the reflector should be enlarged so that the diffused light is incident on the reflector without loss. Can be considered. However, if the reflector is enlarged, the reflector may overlap the optical path of the light propagating from the DMD toward the projection lens, which may hinder the propagation of the light. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the size of the reflector by design. Therefore, even if the vehicle has a reflector that guides the light emitted from the light source to the DMD as in the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, a part of the light emitted from the light source does not enter the reflector and is DMD. As a result, loss light that does not contribute to the formation of a predetermined light distribution pattern may occur. Therefore, there is a demand for reducing such lost light and improving energy efficiency in a vehicle lamp using a configuration such as a DMD that can change the light distribution pattern of the emitted light.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp that can change the light distribution pattern of the emitted light and can improve energy efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle lighting equipment of the present invention reflects incident light to emit light having a predetermined light distribution pattern, and can change the predetermined light distribution pattern. The pattern forming portion, the light guide portion that guides the first light that is a part of the light emitted from the light source to the light distribution pattern forming portion, and the light emitted from the light source incident on the light guide portion. It is characterized by including a reflector unit that reflects a second light that does not exist and guides the light distribution pattern forming unit to the light distribution pattern forming unit.

The light distribution pattern in the present specification refers to the shape of an image formed by the light and the intensity distribution of the light in the image. Therefore, even if the shape of the image of the light emitted from the lamp for a vehicle is the same, if the intensity distribution of the light in the image is different, the light distribution patterns of these lights are different from each other.

According to this vehicle lamp, a predetermined light distribution pattern can be formed by the light incident on the light distribution pattern forming portion, and the predetermined light distribution pattern can be changed. Further, since the light that does not enter the light guide portion can be incidented on the light distribution pattern forming portion by the reflector portion, the loss of the light emitted from the light source is suppressed as compared with the case where such a reflector portion is not provided. Can improve energy efficiency.

Further, it is preferable that the reflector unit is composed of a plurality of reflectors arranged so as to continuously reflect the second light.

If the reflector unit is composed of a plurality of such reflectors, the propagation direction of the light reflected by a certain reflector can be changed by the reflector that reflects the light next, and the propagation direction of the second light can be adjusted. Can be easy.

Further, in the vehicle lighting equipment, a part of at least one of the first light emitted from the light guide portion and the second light reflected by the reflector portion is directed toward the light distribution pattern forming portion. At least one condenser lens for condensing light may be further provided.

In this case, a region having a high luminous intensity to which the light condensed by the condenser lens is incident and a region having a low luminous intensity to which the light not condensed by the condenser lens is incident can be formed in the light distribution pattern forming portion. As a result, in the light distribution pattern formed by the light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion, the luminous intensity of a part of the region may be higher than the luminous intensity of the other region.

Further, the optical axis of the first light emitted from the light guide portion and propagating toward the light distribution pattern forming portion, and the light axis reflected by the reflector portion and propagating toward the light distribution pattern forming portion. The optical axis of the second light may be parallel.

Further, the vehicle lamp further includes a projection lens, and it is preferable that at least the first light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion is incident on the projection lens.

By providing such a projection lens, the divergence angle of the first light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion can be adjusted, and it may be easy to form a desired light distribution pattern.

Further, when the vehicle lamp includes the projection lens, the second light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion may be further incident on the projection lens.

According to such a configuration, the divergence angle of the second light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion can be adjusted.

Further, when the vehicle lighting equipment includes the projection lens, the light distribution pattern forming portion sets the incident surface so that the light incident on the incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion is reflected toward the projection lens. It is a deformable DMD (Digital Mirror Device), and even if the first light and the second light incident on the incident surface are inclined to the same side with respect to the normal line of the incident surface in the state. good.

When the incident surface of the DMD is in a state where the light incident on the incident surface is reflected toward the projection lens, the first light and the second light are inclined to the opposite sides of the normal line. In this case, the first light and the second light incident on the incident surface of the DMD are reflected substantially opposite to each other with respect to the normal line, and after the reflection, they gradually separate from each other. Therefore, it is difficult to make both the first light and the second light incident on the projection lens. On the other hand, when the first light and the second light are inclined to the same side with respect to the normal of the incident surface, the first light and the second light incident on the incident surface of the DMD are on the normal line. On the other hand, it reflects on almost the same side and propagates in almost the same direction. Therefore, the first light and the second light are tilted to the same side with respect to the normal of the incident surface, so that the first light and the second light are tilted to the opposite sides with respect to the normal. It is easier to make both the first light and the second light incident on the projection lens as compared with the case where.

Further, the first light and the second light may overlap on the incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion.

In this case, the luminous intensity of at least a part of the light distribution pattern can be increased as compared with the case where the first light and the second light do not overlap on the incident surface.

Further, the first light and the second light may not overlap on the incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion.

In this case, a light distribution pattern by the first light and a light distribution pattern by the second light can be formed independently of each other, and various light distribution patterns can be formed by combining these light distribution patterns.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can change the light distribution pattern of the emitted light and can improve energy efficiency.

It is sectional drawing in the vertical direction which shows schematically the lamp for vehicle according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state of the 1st tilting state of the reflection element of a light distribution pattern forming part schematically. It is a figure which shows the state of the 2nd tilting state of the reflection element of a light distribution pattern forming part schematically. It is a figure which shows the part of the incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming part in the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 schematically. It is a figure which shows an example of the light distribution pattern formed by the light fixture for a vehicle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the lamp for vehicle in 2nd Embodiment of this invention from the same viewpoint as FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a part of an incident surface of a light distribution pattern forming portion in the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the state of the reflecting element, the first light, and the second light in the region where the first light and the second light overlap in the incident surface shown in FIG. 7, and is the same as in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view seen from the direction of. It is a figure which shows an example of the light distribution pattern formed by the light fixture for a vehicle shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the light fixture for a vehicle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 6 from the same viewpoint as FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be illustrated together with the accompanying drawings. The embodiments illustrated below are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not for limiting the interpretation of the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved from the following embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Further, in the above-mentioned attached drawings, the dimensions of each member may be exaggerated for ease of understanding.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle lighting tool 1 of the present embodiment is a headlight for an automobile. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lamp 1 includes a housing 10 and a lamp unit 20 as a main configuration. The lamp unit 20 can emit a high beam.

The housing 10 mainly includes a lamp housing 11, a front cover 12, and a back cover 13. The front of the lamp housing 11 is open, and the front cover 12 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 so as to close the opening. Further, an opening smaller than the front is formed behind the lamp housing 11, and the back cover 13 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 so as to close the opening. The space formed by the lamp housing 11, the front cover 12, and the back cover 13 is a lamp chamber R, and the lamp unit 20 is housed in the lamp chamber R.

The lamp unit 20 of the present embodiment is fixed to the housing 10 by a configuration (not shown). The lamp unit 20 includes a light source 30, a reflector 40, a light distribution pattern forming unit 50, a reflector 61, a projection lens 70, and a light absorbing member 80 as main configurations. As described above, the vehicle lighting tool 1 is a vehicle headlight, and the optical axis 70a of the projection lens 70 extends in the front-rear direction. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lighting tool 1 in the vertical direction, and is a view of the vehicle lighting tool 1 viewed from the left-right direction, which is one of the directions perpendicular to the optical axis 70a.

The light source 30 is a light emitting element that emits light, and may be, for example, a surface mount type LED (Light Emitting Diode). In the present embodiment, white light is emitted from the light source 30. The light source 30 is mounted on the circuit board 31 so that the emission surface faces forward and upward. The number and types of the light sources 30 are not particularly limited, and for example, the light source 30 may be a laser element that emits a laser beam.

The reflector 40 functions as a light guide unit that guides a part of the light emitted from the light source 30 to the light distribution pattern forming unit 50, and is arranged below the optical axis 70a of the projection lens 70. The reflector 40 of the present embodiment is a curved plate-shaped member, and is arranged so as to cover the light source 30 from the front side. Therefore, the surface of the reflector 40 on the light source 30 side becomes the reflecting surface 40r that reflects the light emitted from the light source 30. The reflecting surface 40r is curved so as to be concave on the side opposite to the light source 30 side, one focal point overlaps with the light source 30, and the other focal point is located on the first region described later of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. It is configured as part of a rotating elliptic surface. With such a configuration, the first light L1, which is a part of the light emitted from the light source 30, is reflected rearward and upward on the reflecting surface 40r and propagates toward the light distribution pattern forming unit 50. In FIG. 1, the optical path of the first light L1 is shown by a solid line.

By the way, the light emitted from the light source 30 tends to be diffused. Therefore, the light emitted from the light source 30 includes light that does not enter the reflector 40, which is a light guide unit. This light is the second light L2, and the optical path of the second light L2 is shown by a alternate long and short dash line in FIG. In the present embodiment, the second light L2 emitted from the light source 30 is emitted substantially upward.

The reflector 61 functions as a reflector unit that reflects the second light L2 emitted from the light source 30 and guides the light distribution pattern forming unit 50. The reflector 61 of the present embodiment is a curved plate-shaped member, and is arranged on the upper side with respect to the optical axis 70a of the projection lens 70. Therefore, the reflector 61, which is a reflector portion, is arranged on the opposite side of the reflector 40, which is a light guide portion, with the optical axis 70a as a reference. Further, the reflector 61 is arranged substantially directly above the light source 30, and is arranged in front of and above the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 as a reference. By arranging the reflector 61 at such a position, the second light L2 is incident on the reflector 61. The reflective surface 61r, which is the surface of the reflector 61 on the light source 30 side, is curved so as to be concave on the side opposite to the light source 30 side, and one focal point overlaps with the light source 30 and the other focal point is the light distribution pattern forming portion. It is configured as a part of a rotating elliptic surface located on a second region described later in 51. With such a configuration, the second light L2 is reflected backward and downward by the reflecting surface 61r and propagates toward the light distribution pattern forming unit 50.

The light distribution pattern forming unit 50 includes a light distribution pattern forming portion 51, an edge cover 52, and a protective cover 53 as main configurations. The edge cover 52 covers the entire circumference of the side surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 and the rear surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. The protective cover 53 is a plate-shaped member having translucency, and covers the front surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 to protect the front surface. The protective cover 53 is fixed to the edge cover 52. The edge cover 52 and the protective cover 53 are not essential configurations.

In the present embodiment, the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 is arranged rearward and upward with respect to the reflector 40, and is arranged rearward and downward with reference to the reflector 61. Further, the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 is arranged so that the surface 53S on the front side of the protective cover 53 extends substantially in the vertical direction and in the left-right direction. By arranging the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 in this way, the first light L1 reflected by the reflector 40 and the second light L2 reflected by the reflector 61 pass through the protective cover 53 to form a light distribution pattern. It is incident on the incident surface 51S, which is the surface on the front side of the portion 51. In the present embodiment, the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 is formed to be substantially rectangular when viewed from the front.

The light distribution pattern forming unit 51 reflects incident light to emit light having a predetermined light distribution pattern, and is configured to be able to change the predetermined light distribution pattern. The light distribution pattern forming unit 51 of the present embodiment is a so-called DMD, and has a plurality of reflecting elements. These reflecting elements are arranged two-dimensionally, and are supported on a substrate (not shown) so that the tilt angle with respect to the substrate can be changed. A drive circuit is connected to each of the plurality of reflecting elements, and the tilted state of each reflecting element is individually switched by the voltage applied to each of the reflecting elements. In this way, each reflective element can be changed into a first tilted state in which it is tilted to one side by a predetermined angle and a second tilted state in which it is tilted to the other side by a predetermined angle.

Here, FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the first tilted state, and is a cross-sectional view showing the reflecting element 51D from the left-right direction. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the second tilted state, and is a cross-sectional view showing the reflecting element 51D from the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the left-right direction corresponds to a direction orthogonal to the plane passing through the light incident on the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 and the light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming unit 51. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, each of the reflecting elements 51D in the first tilted state is tilted forward by a predetermined angle with respect to the line VL extending in the vertical direction through the respective reflecting elements 51D. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, each reflecting element 51D in the second tilted state is tilted backward by a predetermined angle with respect to the line VL.

The incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 is a surface formed by aggregating the reflecting surfaces of the plurality of reflecting elements 51D described above. Therefore, the shape of the incident surface 51S changes according to the tilted state of each reflecting element 51D, and the reflection direction of the light incident on the incident surface 51S changes according to the shape of the incident surface 51S. As a result, the incident surface 51S has a shape. The light distribution pattern of the reflected light changes. As described above, the incident surface 51S functions as a reflection control surface that controls the reflection direction of the light incident on the incident surface 51S to change the light distribution pattern. As described above, the incident surface 51S is a surface formed by aggregating the reflecting surfaces of the plurality of reflecting elements 51D. Therefore, when all the reflecting surfaces of the plurality of reflecting elements 51D are flush with each other, the shape of the incident surface 51S can be considered to be a flat surface. The incident surface 51S is substantially parallel to the surface 53S of the protective cover 53.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. As shown in FIG. 4, the incident surface 51S of the present embodiment is divided into a first region 51S1 located on the lower side and a second region 51S2 located on the upper side. The first region 51S1 includes a region in which the first light L1 is incident and emitted, and the second region 51S2 includes a region in which the second light L2 is incident and emitted. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first light L1 and the second light L2 are incident on different regions of the incident surface 51S, and the first light L1 and the second light L2 do not overlap on the incident surface 51S. .. In FIG. 4, the first region 51S1 is shown by hatching. For example, the boundary between the first region 51S1 and the second region 51S2 may be above the center 51a of the incident surface 51S, and the first region 51S1 may be wider than the second region 51S2. By doing so, the first light L1 can be more easily incident on the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 than the second light L2.

In the present embodiment, the reflective elements 51D arranged in the first region 51S1 are individually controlled to be in the first tilted state and the second tilted state, and the reflective elements 51D arranged in the second region 51S2 are individually controlled. It is controlled to be in the first tilted state and the second tilted state. Further, in the present embodiment, the reflective element group of the first region 51S1 and the reflective element group of the second region 51S2 are controlled independently.

In the present embodiment, when the reflective element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state, the first light L1 incident on the reflective element group is distributed according to the first tilted state of the reflective element group. It becomes a pattern and is reflected almost forward as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the second tilting state, the first light L1 incident on the reflecting element group has a light distribution pattern corresponding to the second tilting state of the reflecting element group. It reflects almost upward. Further, when the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 is in the second tilting state, the second light L2 incident on the reflecting element group has a light distribution pattern corresponding to the second tilting state of the reflecting element group. It reflects almost forward. On the other hand, when the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 is in the first tilting state, the second light L2 incident on the reflecting element group has a light distribution pattern corresponding to the first tilting state of the reflecting element group. It reflects almost downward.

The projection lens 70 is a lens that adjusts the divergence angle of the incident light, and is arranged in front of the light distribution pattern forming unit 50. In the present embodiment, the entrance surface 70i and the emission surface 70o of the projection lens 70 are formed in a convex shape. Further, the optical axis 70a of the projection lens 70 passes through the center 51a of the incident surface 51S or its vicinity, and the rear focal point of the projection lens 70 is located on or near the incident surface 51S. The optical axis 70a of the projection lens 70 is substantially perpendicular to the incident surface 51S when it is a flat surface.

Since the projection lens 70 is arranged in front of the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 as described above, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state, the first one incident on the first region 51S1. The light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the second region 51S2 when the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 is in the second tilted state are incident on the projection lens 70. As a result, the divergence angle of these lights is adjusted. On the other hand, when the first light L1 incident on the first region 51S1 and the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 are in the first tilted state when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the second tilted state. The second light L2 incident on the second region 51S2 does not incident on the projection lens 70.

In this way, the first light L1 and the second light L2 whose divergence angle is adjusted in the projection lens 70 are emitted forward from the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern formed by light emitted forward from the vehicle lighting fixture 1, and is a light distribution projected onto a virtual vertical surface at a distance of, for example, approximately 25 m in front of the vehicle lighting fixture 1. Shows the pattern. The reference numeral S in FIG. 5 indicates a horizontal line.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light distribution pattern PH1 formed by the first light L1 and the second light L2 emitted forward from the vehicle lamp 1 is a high beam light distribution pattern. The light distribution pattern PT1 derived from the first light L1 in the light distribution pattern PH1 is shown by a solid line and has the same shape as the high beam light distribution pattern. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state, the first light L1 incident on the first region 51S1 is the light forming the light distribution pattern PT1. Emit from 1 region 51S1. On the other hand, the light distribution pattern PT2 derived from the second light L2 in the light distribution pattern PH1 is shown by a broken line. This light distribution pattern PT2 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is projected onto a region of the light distribution pattern PH1 generally above the horizontal line S. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 is in the second tilted state, the second light L2 incident on the second region 51S2 is the light forming the light distribution pattern PT2. Two regions 51S2 emit light. In this way, in the light distribution pattern PH1 shown in FIG. 5, the light distribution pattern PT1 and the light distribution pattern PT2 overlap in the region generally above the horizontal line S, and the luminous intensity in the region substantially above the horizontal line S is the luminous intensity in the other region. It is higher than.

As shown in FIG. 1, the light absorption member 80 is arranged below the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 and behind the light source 30. The light absorbing member 80 is a member that converts most of the incident light into heat, and may be, for example, a plate-shaped member made of a metal such as aluminum and having a surface subjected to black alumite processing or the like. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the light absorption member 80 is arranged apart from the housing 10, the light absorption member 80 may be attached to the housing 10. Alternatively, the housing 10 itself may be provided with light absorption without providing the light absorption member 80.

As described above, when the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 is in the first tilting state, the second light L2 propagates downward. Therefore, in this case, the second light L2 is incident on the light absorbing member 80 and converted into heat. Further, as described above, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the second tilted state, the first light L1 propagates upward. As described above, the reflector 61 is arranged on the upper side of the light distribution pattern forming unit 50. Therefore, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the second tilting state, the first light L1 is incident on the reflector 61 and reflected downward. In the present embodiment, the reflector 61 is configured to reflect the incident first light L1 toward the light absorbing member 80. Therefore, the first light L1 is incident on the light absorbing member 80 and converted into heat. The heat converted in this way is dissipated through, for example, a heat sink (not shown).

As described above, the vehicle lighting tool 1 of the present embodiment reflects the incident light with the light source 30 to emit light having a predetermined light distribution pattern, and the predetermined light distribution pattern can be changed. The light pattern forming unit 51, the reflector 40 as a light guide unit that guides the first light L1 that is a part of the light emitted from the light source 30 to the light distribution pattern forming unit 51, and the light emitted from the light source 30. Among them, a reflector 61 as a reflector portion that reflects the second light L2 that does not enter the light guide portion and guides the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 to the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 is provided.

According to such a configuration, a predetermined light distribution pattern can be formed by the light incident on the light distribution pattern forming unit 51, and the predetermined light distribution pattern can be changed. Further, since the light that does not enter the reflector 40, which is the light guide portion, can be incidented on the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 by the reflector portion, the light emitted from the light source 30 is compared with the case where such a reflector portion is not provided. Loss can be suppressed and energy efficiency can be improved.

Further, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the first light L1 and the second light L2 do not overlap on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. Therefore, the light distribution pattern PT1 of the first light L1 and the light distribution pattern PT2 of the second light L2 that are independent of each other are formed, and various light distribution patterns can be formed by combining these light distribution patterns. For example, if the reflective element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state and the reflective element group of the second region 51S2 is in the second tilted state, the first light L1 and the second light L2 are shown in FIG. The light distribution pattern PH1 shown can be formed. Further, if the reflective element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state and the reflective element group of the second region 51S2 is in the first tilted state, a light distribution pattern consisting of only the light distribution pattern PT1 can be formed. .. Alternatively, if the reflective element group of the first region 51S1 is in the second tilted state and the reflective element group of the second region 51S2 is in the second tilted state, a light distribution pattern consisting of only the light distribution pattern PT2 can be formed. ..

In this embodiment, an example in which the reflector unit is composed of one reflector has been described, but as described in the second embodiment, the reflector unit may be configured by a plurality of reflectors.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state, the first light L1 incident on the first region 51S1 and the reflecting element group of the second region 51S2 are the second. An example has been described in which both the second light L2 incident on the second region 51S2 and the second light L2 incident on the projection lens 70 in the tilted state are incident on the projection lens 70. However, when the reflecting element group of the first region 51S1 is in the first tilted state, only the first light L1 incident on the first region 51S1 may be incident on the projection lens 70. As described above, in the present embodiment, at least the first light L1 emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 is incident on the projection lens 70. With such a projection lens 70, the divergence angle of at least the first light L1 is adjusted. Further, it is preferable that the second light L2 emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 is incident on the projection lens 70 as in the present embodiment. Thereby, the divergence angle of the second light L2 can be further adjusted.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the vehicle lamp 2 according to the second embodiment from the same viewpoint as in FIG. The same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted unless otherwise specified.

The vehicle lighting tool 2 is a vehicle headlight capable of emitting a high beam, as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle lamp 2 includes a lamp unit 220 having a configuration different from that of the lamp unit 20 of the first embodiment. The lamp unit 220 is fixed to the housing 10 by a configuration (not shown), and includes a light source 30, a reflector 40 as a light guide unit, a light distribution pattern forming unit 50, a reflector unit 260, a projection lens 70, and the like. It includes a light absorbing member 80 as a main configuration.

The reflector unit 260 is arranged on the lower side with respect to the optical axis 70a of the projection lens 70, and is arranged on the same side as the reflector 40 which is a light guide unit. In this respect, the vehicle lamp 2 of the present embodiment is for a vehicle of the first embodiment in which the reflector 61 which is a reflector portion and the reflector 40 which is a light guide portion are arranged on opposite sides of each other with respect to the optical axis 70a. It is different from the lamp 1. The optical axis 70a passes through the center 51a of the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 or its vicinity, as in the first embodiment. Further, the rear focal point of the projection lens 70 is located on or near the incident surface 51S.

The reflector unit 260 includes a first reflector 261 and a second reflector 262 located below the first reflector 261.

The first reflector 261 is arranged above the light source 30 and not in contact with the reflector 40, and is arranged on the optical path of the second light L2 that does not enter the reflector 40. The surface of the first reflector 261 on the light source 30 side is the reflection surface 261r, and the second light L2 emitted from the light source 30 is incident on the reflection surface 261r. The reflecting surface 261r is curved so as to be concave on the side opposite to the light source 30 side, and one focal point overlaps with the light source 30 and the other focal point is substantially aligned with the focal point of the reflecting surface 262r of the second reflector 262. It is constructed as part of an elliptic surface. Therefore, the second light L2 incident on the reflecting surface 261r is reflected on the second reflector 262 side.

The second reflector 262 is arranged between the reflector 40 and the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 in the front-rear direction, and is arranged between the light source 30 and the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 in the vertical direction. Further, the second reflector 262 is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the optical path of the second light L2 that is emitted from the light source 30 and propagates toward the first reflector 261. The surface of the second reflector 262 on the first reflector 261 side is the reflection surface 262r. As described above, the focal point of the reflecting surface 262r substantially coincides with the other focal point of the reflecting surface 261r of the first reflector 261. Therefore, the second light L2 reflected by the reflecting surface 261r of the first reflector 261 is incident on the reflecting surface 262r. The reflecting surface 262r is formed in a parabolic shape, for example, which is curved so as to be concave on the side opposite to the first reflector 261 side. With such a configuration, the second light L2 incident on the reflecting surface 262r is reflected rearward and upward and propagates toward the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. The reflecting surface 262r of the present embodiment is formed so that the optical axis of the second light L2 reflected by the reflecting surface 262r is parallel to the optical axis of the first light L1 reflected by the reflector 40.

In this way, the first reflector 261 and the second reflector 262 of the reflector unit 260 are arranged so as to continuously reflect the second light L2 in order and guide the light distribution pattern forming unit 51. ..

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a region LS1 in which the first light L1 reflected by the reflector 40 is incident on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 and a second reflecting by the second reflector 262. It overlaps with the region LS2 on which the light L2 is incident. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first light L1 and the second light L2 overlap on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51, and the region where the regions LS1 and LS2 are combined is the first light. This is an incident region LS on which L1 and the second light L2 are incident.

In FIG. 7, the region LS1 and the region LS2 are shown by a circle, but the region LS1 and the region LS2 are not limited to the circle. Further, the area where the region LS1 and the region LS2 overlap is not particularly limited. For example, one of the regions LS1 and the region LS2 may completely overlap the other, and both the regions LS1 and the region LS2 may completely overlap each other.

In the present embodiment, each reflecting element of the reflecting element group located in the incident region LS individually changes to the first tilting state and the second tilting state. In this respect, the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 of the present embodiment includes a group of reflective elements in the first region 51S1 to which the first light L1 is incident and a group of reflective elements in the second region 51S2 to which the second light L2 is incident. Is different from the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 of the first embodiment, which changes independently.

In the present embodiment, when the reflecting element group of the incident region LS is in the first tilting state, the first light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the reflecting element group are in the first tilting state of the reflecting element group. The light L3 has a light distribution pattern according to the above. In FIG. 6, the light emitted from the incident region LS is shown by a thick line. FIG. 8 schematically shows the state of the reflecting element 51D, the first light L1, and the second light L2 in the region where the first light L1 and the second light L2 overlap in the incident region LS shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view which looks at the reflective element 51D from the left-right direction. FIG. 8 shows a case where each of the reflecting elements 51D is in the first tilted state. In the present embodiment, the left-right direction corresponds to a direction orthogonal to the plane passing through the light incident on the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 and the light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming unit 51. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when viewed from the left-right direction, the first light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the incident surface 51S are the normal NL of the incident surface 51S in the first tilted state. It is tilted to the same side with respect to. Therefore, on the incident surface 51S, the first light L1 and the second light L2 are reflected to substantially the same side with respect to the normal NL and propagate substantially forward as the light L3. In this way, the light L3 is incident on the projection lens 70 arranged on the front side of the light distribution pattern forming unit 50, the divergence angle is adjusted by the projection lens 70, and the light L3 is emitted to the front of the vehicle lamp 2.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern formed by light emitted forward from the vehicle lighting tool 2, and is a light distribution projected onto a virtual vertical surface at a distance of, for example, approximately 25 m in front of the vehicle lighting tool 2. Shows the pattern. The reference numeral S in FIG. 9 indicates a horizontal line. As shown in FIG. 9, the light distribution pattern PH2 formed by the light L3 emitted forward from the vehicle lamp 1 is a high beam light distribution pattern. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the reflecting element group of the incident region LS is in the first tilted state, the first light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the incident region LS have the light distribution pattern PH2. It is emitted from the incident region LS as the light L3 to be formed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the reflecting element group of the incident region LS is in the second tilting state, the first light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the reflecting element group are of the reflecting element group. The light distribution pattern corresponds to the second tilted state, and the light is generally reflected upward. In the present embodiment, the light absorption member 80 is arranged above the light distribution pattern forming unit 50. Therefore, the reflected light is incident on the light absorbing member 80, converted into heat, and dissipated through a heat sink (not shown) or the like.

As described above, the vehicle lighting tool 2 of the present embodiment reflects the incident light with the light source 30 to emit light having a predetermined light distribution pattern, and the predetermined light distribution pattern can be changed. The light pattern forming unit 51, the reflector 40 as a light guide unit that guides the first light L1 that is a part of the light emitted from the light source 30 to the light distribution pattern forming unit 51, and the light emitted from the light source 30. Among them, a reflector unit 260 that reflects the second light L2 that does not enter the light guide unit and guides the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 to the light distribution pattern forming unit 51.

Therefore, similarly to the vehicle lamp 1 of the first embodiment, a predetermined light distribution pattern can be formed by the light incident on the light distribution pattern forming unit 51, and the predetermined light distribution pattern can be changed. Can be done. Further, since the light that does not enter the reflector 40, which is the light guide portion, can be incidented on the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 by the reflector portion 260, the light is emitted from the light source 30 as compared with the case where such a reflector portion is not provided. Light loss can be suppressed and energy efficiency can be improved.

Further, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the first light L1 and the second light L2 overlap on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. Therefore, the luminous intensity of at least a part of the light distribution pattern can be increased as compared with the first embodiment in which the first light L1 and the second light L2 do not overlap on the incident surface 51S.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the first light L1 and the second light L2 are incident on the incident region LS in the same region, only the tilted state of the reflecting element group in the incident region LS is controlled. By doing so, a desired light distribution pattern can be formed. As described above, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, it is not necessary to control the tilted state of the reflecting element groups in different regions, so that the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 is relatively easy to control and is controlled. The load can be reduced.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 10, the first light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 with respect to the normal line NL of the incident surface 51S in the first tilted state. When they are inclined to the opposite sides, the first light L1 and the second light incident on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 are reflected substantially opposite to the normal line NL, and after reflection, they are reflected. Gradually move away. Therefore, it is difficult to make both the first light and the second light incident on the projection lens 70. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the first light L1 and the second light L2 incident on the incident surface 51S are on the same side as the normal NL of the incident surface 51S in the first tilted state. Leaning to. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the first light L1 and the second light L2 are reflected on substantially the same side with respect to the normal NL and propagate in substantially the same direction. Therefore, both the first light L1 and the second light L2 are transferred to the projection lens 70 as compared with the case where the first light L1 and the second light L2 are inclined to the opposite sides with respect to the normal NL. Easy to make incident.

In this embodiment, an example in which the reflector unit 260 is composed of two reflectors that continuously and continuously reflect the second light L2 has been described. However, the reflector unit may be composed of one reflector, or may be composed of three or more reflectors that continuously and continuously reflect the second light L2, respectively. When the reflector unit is composed of one reflector, the number of parts can be reduced. On the other hand, when the reflector unit is composed of a plurality of reflectors arranged so as to continuously reflect the second light in order, the propagation direction of the light reflected by a certain reflector is set by the reflector that reflects the light next. It can be changed, and the propagation direction of the second light L2 can be changed in order. In this way, the propagation direction of the second light L2 can be easily adjusted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the optical axis of the first light L1 emitted from the reflector 40 and propagating toward the light distribution pattern forming portion 51, and reflected by the reflector portion 260 toward the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. An example in which the optical axis of the propagating second light L2 is parallel to the optical axis has been described. However, the optical axes of these lights may be non-parallel. Even when the first light L1 and the second light L2 whose optical axes are non-parallel to each other are incident on the incident region LS, the light L3 reflected by the reflecting element group of the incident region LS in the first tilted state is If it is incident on the projection lens 70, the light distribution pattern PH2 can be formed.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the first light L1 and the second light L2 overlap on the incident surface 51S of the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 has been described. However, as in the first embodiment, the first light L1 and the second light L2 may not overlap on the incident surface 51S. By doing so, the light distribution pattern derived from the first light L1 and the light distribution pattern derived from the second light L2 can be individually formed.

Although the present invention has been described above by exemplifying the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, as a modification of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the light of the second light L2 reflected on the optical path of the first light L1 emitted from the reflector 40 which is a light guide portion and by the reflector portion 260. A condenser lens 90 may be arranged on the road, and a part of the first light L1 and the second light L2 may be focused toward the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 by the condenser lens 90. By doing so, in the incident region LS of the light distribution pattern forming unit 51, a region having a high light intensity to which the light condensed by the condenser lens 90 is incident and a light not condensed by the condenser lens 90 are incident. A region with low light intensity can be formed. As a result, in the light distribution pattern formed by the light L3 emitted from the light distribution pattern forming unit 51, the luminous intensity of a part of the region can be made higher than the luminous intensity of the other region. For example, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern in which the luminosity of the central region is higher than that of the other regions. The condenser lens 90 may be provided in the first embodiment. In this case, at least on the optical path of the first light L1 emitted from the reflector 40 toward the light distribution pattern forming portion 51 and on the optical path of the second light L2 reflected by the reflector 61 toward the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. A condenser lens 90 may be provided on one side. As described above, at least one of the light of at least one of the first light L1 emitted from the light guide section and the second light L2 reflected by the reflector section is focused toward the light distribution pattern forming section 51. By providing the condenser lens 90, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern in which the luminous intensity of a part of the region is higher than the luminous intensity of the other region.

Further, although the example in which the projection lens 70 is provided has been described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, it is not essential to provide the projection lens 70. However, by adjusting the divergence angle of at least the first light L1 with the projection lens 70, it may be easy to form a desired light distribution pattern.

Further, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an example in which a high beam light distribution pattern is formed has been described, but the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp is not limited to this. For example, a low beam may be formed or a road surface drawing may be formed. When forming a road surface drawing, it may be a vehicle lamp that emits light to the left side, the right side, or the rear of the vehicle.

Further, the shape of the reflecting surface 40r of the reflector 40 is not particularly limited as long as the first light L1 can be guided to the light distribution pattern forming portion 51. Further, the shapes of the reflecting surfaces 61r, 261r, and 262r of the reflectors 61, 261, and 262 are not particularly limited as long as the second light L2 can be guided to the light distribution pattern forming portion 51.

Further, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the example in which the light guide unit is the reflector 40 has been described, but the light guide unit is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a lens.

Further, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an example in which the light distribution pattern forming unit 51 is a DMD has been described. However, the light distribution pattern forming unit 50 may reflect incident light to emit light having a predetermined light distribution pattern, and may have other configurations as long as the predetermined light distribution pattern can be changed. good. For example, LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon) may be used as the light distribution pattern forming unit. The LCOS includes a silicon substrate in which a plurality of electrodes whose potentials are independently controlled are arranged in a matrix on the surface, a transparent electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the electrodes and the transparent electrodes. In LCOS, the potentials of the plurality of electrodes are independently controlled, so that the refractive index of the liquid crystal layer sandwiched between each electrode and the transparent electrode changes independently. Therefore, the light incident from the transparent electrode side, reflected by the electrode, and emitted from the transparent electrode side passes through the liquid crystal layer having a refractive index corresponding to the potential of the electrode. Therefore, the phase of the light incident on the LCOS is adjusted for each portion corresponding to each electrode, and the light having a modulated phase distribution is emitted from the LCOS. Since light having different phases interferes with each other and is diffracted, LCOS diffracts incident light according to a pattern consisting of the refractive index of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to each electrode, and a light distribution pattern based on this refractive index pattern. Light is emitted. As described above, in LCOS, the light incident from the transparent electrode side is reflected by the electrode and emitted from the transparent electrode side, and the light distributed from the transparent electrode side forms a light distribution pattern. Therefore, in LCOS, it can be understood that the surface of the electrode on the transparent electrode side is a reflective surface that reflects light, and the light distribution pattern is formed by the light reflected by the surface of the electrode on the transparent electrode side. Further, the LCOS can change the light distribution pattern formed by the light reflected by the surface of the electrodes on the transparent electrode side by controlling the potentials of the plurality of electrodes.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle lamp that can change the light distribution pattern of the emitted light and can improve energy efficiency, and can be used in the field of vehicle lamps such as automobiles.

1, 2, ... Vehicle lighting 30 ... Light source 40 ... Reflector (light guide)
51 ... Light distribution pattern forming portion 51S ... Incident surface 61 ... Reflector (reflector portion)
70 ... Projection lens 90 ... Condensing lens 260 ... Reflector unit 261 ... First reflector 262 ... Second reflector L1 ... First light L2 ... Second light NL・ ・ ・ Normal

Claims (9)

Light source and
A light distribution pattern forming unit capable of reflecting incident light to emit light having a predetermined light distribution pattern and changing the predetermined light distribution pattern.
A light guide unit that guides the first light, which is a part of the light emitted from the light source, to the light distribution pattern forming unit.
A reflector portion that reflects a second light emitted from the light source that does not enter the light guide portion and guides the light to the light distribution pattern forming portion.
A lighting fixture for vehicles characterized by being equipped with. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the reflector unit is composed of a plurality of reflectors arranged so as to continuously reflect the second light. At least one light collector that collects a part of at least one of the first light emitted from the light guide unit and the second light reflected by the reflector unit toward the light distribution pattern forming unit. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lens. The optical axis of the first light emitted from the light guide portion and propagated toward the light distribution pattern forming portion, and the second light reflected by the reflector portion and propagated toward the light distribution pattern forming portion. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical axis of the light is parallel to the optical axis of the light. With more projection lenses
The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least the first light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion is incident on the projection lens. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the second light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming portion is further incident on the projection lens. The light distribution pattern forming unit is a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) capable of deforming the incident surface so that light incident on the incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming unit is reflected toward the projection lens.
The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the first light and the second light incident on the incident surface are inclined to the same side with respect to the normal of the incident surface in the state. Lighting equipment. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first light and the second light overlap on an incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first light and the second light do not overlap on the incident surface of the light distribution pattern forming portion.

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