JP6272416B1 - Optical lens, light source unit, and illumination device - Google Patents

Abstract

A low-cost optical lens that can be easily designed and manufactured. An optical lens includes an exit surface portion formed of a convex refracting surface (111), a first surface portion including an entrance surface, and an exit surface portion facing the first surface portion and joined to the second surface portion. The light guide part (13, 14a) from which the light from LED15 injects into an incident surface, propagates the inside, and is radiate | emitted from a refracting surface is provided. In the refracting surface (111), the curvature of the curved surface in the X-axis direction is constant, the curvature of the curved surface in the Y-axis direction is constant, and the curvature radius of the curved surface in the X-axis direction is the curvature radius of the curved surface in the Y-axis direction. It is configured differently. The exit surface portion and the light guide portion have an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical lens for controlling the light distribution of light emitted from a light emitting element such as an LED (light emitting diode) or an LD (laser diode), a light source unit using the optical lens, and an illumination device.

An illumination device including a light emitting element such as an LED and an optical lens that condenses light emitted from the light emitting element is in widespread use. In this type of illumination device, optical lenses having various lens shapes are used according to the usage form. For example, in an indoor lighting device, a road lighting device, a projector, and the like, an aspherical lens whose refractive surface is not spherical is used as an optical lens for the purpose of light distribution control for controlling a light distribution angle and a light distribution pattern.
Patent Document 1 describes a light distribution control lens that widens the light distribution angle of light emitted from an LED at least in the lateral direction. This light distribution control lens is composed of an aspheric lens configured such that the density of the light beam passing through the upper part of the lens is higher than the density of the light beam passing through the lower part of the lens.
Patent Document 2 describes a light distribution control lens having a substantially plano-convex mountain shape having a convex surface on the light projecting side. The light distribution control lens includes an aspherical lens that includes an upper curved surface and a lower curved surface, and is configured such that the curvature of the upper curved surface is smaller than the curvature of the lower curved surface.

JP 2013-149607 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-233002

  In general, since the design and processing of an aspherical surface whose curvature of the refracting surface is not constant are complicated, the light distribution control lenses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are expensive. If such an expensive light distribution control lens is used for a light source unit or a lighting device, the cost increases.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost optical lens that can solve the above problems and can be easily designed and manufactured, a light source unit using the optical lens, and an illumination device.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention,
An optical lens for controlling the light distribution of light emitted from the light emitting element,
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting element is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
An optical lens is provided in which the exit surface portion and the light guide portion have an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis.

According to another aspect of the invention,
A light-emitting element including a light-emitting unit that emits light;
An optical lens for controlling the light distribution of the light emitted from the light emitting unit,
The optical lens is
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The light emitting unit and the light guide unit may be provided with a light source unit having an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A plurality of light source units;
A housing having a fixed surface, the plurality of light source units being fixed to the fixed surface,
Each of the plurality of light source units is
A plurality of light emitting elements each including a light emitting unit that emits light;
A plurality of optical lenses that are provided for each of the light emitting elements and control the light distribution of the light emitted from the light emitting unit;
Each of the plurality of optical lenses is
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
An illumination device is provided in which the exit surface portion and the light guide portion have an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis.

  According to the present invention, a low-cost optical lens can be provided, and a low-cost light source unit and lighting device can be provided by using the optical lens.

It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows typically the structure of the light source unit used for the road illuminating device by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the part which consists of LED and an optical lens of the light source unit shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram when the optical lens shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the XZ plane. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram when the optical lens shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows an example of the 6 series lens unit used for the light source unit shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows another example of the 6 series lens unit used for the light source unit shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the structure of the road illuminating device by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the structure inside the road lighting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the structure inside the road lighting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the tilt angle of the light source unit shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows typically the structure of the light source unit used for the road illuminating device by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram at the time of seeing the optical lens used for the light source unit shown in FIG. 9 from the direction perpendicular | vertical to XZ plane. It is a schematic diagram at the time of seeing the optical lens used for the light source unit shown in FIG. 9 from the direction perpendicular | vertical to a YZ plane. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the structure of the road illuminating device by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the structure inside the road lighting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the structure inside the road lighting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows another example of the light source unit used for the road illuminating device of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the road lighting system which applied the road lighting apparatus of this invention to the pro beam illumination system. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the road lighting system which applied the road lighting apparatus of this invention to the counter beam lighting system. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the metal mold | die formation method of the optical lens of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the metal mold | die formation method of the optical lens of this invention.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a light source unit used in a road lighting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the light source unit 1 includes six LEDs 15 formed on the LED substrate 20 at predetermined intervals, six optical lenses 10a provided corresponding to the LEDs 15, and each optical lens 10a. And a perforated plate 21 for fixing the LED to the LED substrate 20. Screw fixing holes 211 are respectively provided at both ends and the center of the perforated plate 21, and the perforated plate 21 can be screwed to the LED substrate 20 using these screw retaining holes 211.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the number of LEDs 15 and optical lenses 10a is six, but the present invention is not limited to this. The light source unit 1 may be provided with one or more sets of the optical lens 10 a and the LED 15.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion including the LED 15 and the optical lens 10a of the light source unit 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a partially enlarged view of the light source unit when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the XZ plane. The Z axis coincides with the optical axis of the optical lens 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the light source unit 1 includes an LED 15 including a light emitting unit 151 that emits light, and an optical lens 10 a that collects light emitted from the light emitting unit 151. The optical lens 10a performs light distribution control of the light flux emitted from the LED 15, and has a head portion 12, a bottom portion 13, and a side surface portion 14a. The head portion 12, the bottom portion 13, and the side surface portion 14a may be integrally formed. The head 12 can be referred to as an exit surface portion. A portion composed of the bottom portion 13 and the side surface portion 14a can be referred to as a light guide portion. The bottom portion 13 can be referred to as a first surface portion. The light guide portion includes a second surface portion that faces the first surface portion, and an emission surface portion that is the head 12 is joined to the second surface portion. The exit surface portion and the light guide portion have an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical lens 10a.

3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining an optical lens which is an embodiment of the present invention. 3A is a schematic diagram when the optical lens 10a is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the XZ plane, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram when the optical lens 10a is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane. 3A and 3B, the Z axis coincides with the optical axis of the optical lens 10a.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 </ b> A, and 3 </ b> B, the bottom portion 13 has a plate shape and includes a concave surface 11 that accommodates the light emitting portion 151 of the LED 15 at the center of the bottom surface. The perforated plate 21 fixes the bottom 13 to the LED substrate 20 with the portion other than the concave surface 11 on the bottom surface in contact with the LED substrate 20. The concave surface 11 can be called an incident surface.
The head 12 has an asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 that faces the concave surface 11. The asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is a convex refracting surface, and the curvature radius Ry in the first direction (Y-axis direction) is the curvature in the second direction (X-axis direction) orthogonal to the first direction. It is configured to be smaller than the radius Rx.

The side surface portion 14a is formed as a paraboloid with the light emitting portion 151 as a focal point. The shape of the cross section of the side surface portion 14a perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical lens 10a is an ellipse, and the side surface portion 14a is configured so that the area of the elliptical cross section is the largest at the end on the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 side. ing.
The concave surface 11 is configured such that light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 is incident substantially perpendicularly. For example, by configuring the concave surface 11 so as to have a spherical surface centered on the light emitting portion 151, it is possible to make the light emitted from the light emitting portion 151 incident on the concave surface 11 almost vertically.

According to the light source unit 1 provided with the optical lens 10a mentioned above, there exist the following effects.
In general, an LED has a pn junction structure in which a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor are joined, and a convex portion made of a resin is provided on the emission surface side so that light emitted from the pn junction portion is not internally reflected. Is provided. Usually, since the fluorescent resin is contained in the resin of the convex portion, there is almost no action of the convex lens. For this reason, the LED has a directivity characteristic in which the one-sided half-value angle Θ1 _{/ 2} is 70 ° or more (the full half-value angle 2Θ1 _{/ 2} is 140 ° or more).
In order to effectively introduce most of the emitted light of the LED having the above directivity into the optical lens, at least the light emitting portion of the LED is accommodated in the incident surface portion of the optical lens, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface. It is necessary to make it incident substantially perpendicularly. According to the present embodiment, the light emitting portion 151 of the LED 15 is accommodated in the bottom portion 13 of the optical lens 10a, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion 151 is incident on the concave surface 11 substantially vertically. For this reason, 90% or more of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 can be incident on the optical lens 10a.

In addition, when the incident surface of the optical lens is a flat surface, a part of the light emitted from the light emitting unit of the LED is incident obliquely with respect to the incident surface. A part of the light incident obliquely with respect to the incident surface is reflected by the incident surface. For this reason, it is difficult for 90% or more of the light emitted from the light emitting section to enter the optical lens.
Further, when the incident surface of the optical lens is a flat surface, a part of the light incident into the optical lens is refracted when passing through the incident surface, and leaks out of the optical lens as unnecessary radiated light from the side surface portion. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the light that has entered the optical lens 10 a from the concave surface 11 is incident on the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 directly or after being totally reflected by the paraboloid of the side surface portion 14 a. The reflected light from the paraboloid is a light beam substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical lens 10a. Therefore, most of the light incident on the optical lens 10 a can be emitted from the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is configured such that the curvature radius Ry in the Y-axis direction is smaller than the curvature radius Rx in the X-axis direction. Here, the radius of curvature Ry in the Y-axis direction indicates the radius of curvature of the curved surface in the YZ plane (curved surface in the Y-axis direction), and the radius of curvature Rx in the X-axis direction is a curved surface in the XZ plane (curved surface in the X-axis direction). Indicates the radius of curvature. The light emitted from the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is light that has a larger spread in the X-axis direction than in the Y-axis direction. The radii of curvature Ry and Rx can be arbitrarily set. For example, the emission half-value angle (Θ _1/2 ) in the Y-axis direction is 20 ° and the emission half-value angle in the X-axis direction ( It is possible to obtain outgoing light having a directivity angle of 0 _1/2 ).
In addition, the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is a kind of aspherical lens, but since the curvature radii Rx and Ry are both constant, the design is a general aspherical lens in which the curvature of the refractive surface is not constant. Compared to this, it is easy and the mold can be produced at low cost. For this reason, it is possible to provide an inexpensive optical lens as compared with the light distribution control lenses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B show an example of a mold creation method. A disk 40 having a radius r 1 is fixed to one end of the support bar 41. The disk 40 is made of a material (for example, resin) that can be easily processed. The mold forming member 42 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is made of a material that can be processed using the disk 40 (for example, clay). The support bar 41 is rotatable with the rotation shaft 41a at the other end as a rotation shaft, and has a sufficient strength that does not bend when the die forming member 42 is processed by the disk 40 (for example, a metal such as aluminum). Consists of The total length of the support bar 41 to which the disc 40 is fixed (the length from the rotation axis to the farthest end of the disc 40) is r2.
FIG. 16A shows a state in which the cut surface taken along the alternate long and short dash line of the mold forming member 42 shown in FIG. 16B is viewed from the direction of the arrow A. The support bar 41 can be rotated like a pendulum as a rotation shaft 41a. As shown in FIG. 16B, the support bar 41 is rotated in one direction, and one surface of the mold forming member 42 is scraped off by the disk 40. A concave surface having the same shape as the outer shape of the disk 40 is formed on the mold forming member 42 along the locus 40 a of the disk 40. In this way, a mold for the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 can be created using the mold forming member 42 having the concave surface formed.

In the above mold making method, the radius r1 of the disk 40 corresponds to the radius of curvature Ry in the Y-axis direction of the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111, and the total length r2 of the support bar 41 to which the disk 40 is fixed is the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111. Corresponds to the radius of curvature Rx in the X-axis direction.
For example, the radius of curvature Ry in the Y-axis direction of the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is the distance from the light emitting portion 151 of the LED 15 to the refractive surface of the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111, the divergence angle of light emitted from the refractive surface, and the asymmetric orthogonal. It can be easily calculated based on the refractive index of the material used for the spherical lens 111. Since the disk 40 is made of a material that can be easily processed, the disk 40 having the same radius r1 as the calculated value of the curvature radius Ry in the Y-axis direction can be easily created.
Similarly, the radius of curvature Rx in the X-axis direction of the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is also the distance from the light emitting portion 151 of the LED 15 to the refractive surface of the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 and the divergence angle of the light emitted from the refractive surface. It can be easily calculated based on the refractive index of the material used for the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111. In this case, the position of the rotating shaft 41a is adjusted so that the total length r2 of the support bar 41 to which the disk 40 is fixed becomes the calculated value of the curvature radius Rx in the X-axis direction.

In the light source unit of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a lens unit 25a using a perforated plate 21 provided with six holes for mounting six optical lenses 10a may be used. In the lens unit 25a, the optical lens 10a may be bonded and fixed to the perforated plate 21. In this case, the light source unit 1 can be easily assembled.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a lens unit 25b composed of an optical lens array formed integrally with a mold so that six optical lenses 10a are arranged in a line may be used. Screw fixing holes 211 are provided at both ends and the center of the lens unit 25b, and the lens unit 25b can be screwed to the LED substrate 20 using these screw fixing holes 211. Also in this case, the light source unit 1 can be easily assembled. In addition, since the perforated plate 21 is unnecessary, the cost can be reduced accordingly.

Next, a road lighting device including the light source unit 1 described above will be described.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the road lighting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 7A and 7B are views for explaining the internal configuration of the road lighting device shown in FIG. 6, in which FIG. 6A is a side view and FIG. 6B is a top view.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7A and 7B, the road illumination device 100 illuminates the road surface of a two-lane road, and includes five light source units 1 and a fixed surface 120a. And a housing 120 to which the light source units 1 are fixed. The housing 120 is fixed to the housing frame 125, and a transparent plate 510 is provided in the emission direction of the light source unit 1. Five light source units 1 are accommodated in a space surrounded by the casing 120 and the transparent plate 510. In the example shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the number of the light source units 1 is five, but is not limited thereto. When the form of illuminating a road with one or more lanes is considered, the number of light source units 1 may be two or more.
Each light source unit 1 has the same structure, and the structure of the light source unit described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 can be applied. Here, the light source unit 1 has six optical lenses 10a and six LEDs.

The five light source units 1 are arranged in two rows along a predetermined direction. Here, the predetermined direction corresponds to a direction along the lane of the road. Two light source units 1 are arranged in the first column, and three light source units 1 are arranged in the second column. The light source units 1 in the first row illuminate the road surface of the first lane, and the light source units 1 in the second row illuminate the road surface of the second lane. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the rows of light source units 1 and the lanes. For example, in the case of three lanes, the light source units 1 are arranged in three rows. In FIG. 7B, the upper row of the two light source units is the first row, and the lower row of the three light source units is the second row.
The road lighting device 100 further includes five support bodies 30 for fixing the five light source units 1 to the fixing surface 120a. The support 30 includes a support surface 30 a that supports the light source unit 1. The support 30 may be a heat sink. As the material of the heat sink, a material having excellent heat transfer characteristics (for example, aluminum) can be used. The support 30 is screwed to a predetermined position of the fixed surface 120a.

An angle φ formed by the support surface 30a and the fixed surface 120a in a plane perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a and parallel to the predetermined direction is referred to as a pan angle. When the pan angle φ is changed, the illumination position (illumination spot) on the road surface moves along the lane direction. In the illumination device of the present embodiment, the supports 30 that respectively support at least two light source units arranged in the same row are provided so that the pan angles φ are different from each other.
Specifically, the pan angle φ of the two light source units 1 in the first row is different from each other. In FIG. 7B, the pan angle φ of the right light source unit 1 is 0 °, and the pan angle φ of the left light source unit 1 is. Is set to a predetermined angle. Of the three light source units 1 in the second row, the pan angle φ of the right light source unit 1 is set to 0 °, and the pan angle φ of each of the center light source unit 1 and the left light source unit 1 is set to a predetermined angle. Yes. The pan angle φ of the central light source unit 1 may be the same as or different from the pan angle φ of the left light source unit 1. The pan angle φ of the adjacent light source units 1 may be the same between the first row and the second row.

When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a, an angle formed by the arrangement direction of the LEDs 15 of the light source unit 1 and the predetermined direction is referred to as a twist angle δ. When the twist angle δ is changed, the illumination spot on the road surface rotates. For example, in the case of a strip-shaped illumination spot, when the twist angle δ is changed, the angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the illumination spot and the lane direction changes. The twist angle δ can be set so that the longitudinal direction of the illumination spot coincides with the lane direction. In the illuminating device of the present embodiment, at least two light source units arranged in the same row are configured so that the twist angles δ are different from each other.
Specifically, the twist angles δ of the two light source units 1 in the first row are different from each other. In FIG. 7B, the twist angle δ of the right light source unit 1 is 0 °, and the twist angle δ of the left light source unit 1 is. Is set to a predetermined angle. Of the three light source units 1 in the second row, the twist angle δ of the right light source unit 1 is set to 0 °, and the twist angle δ of each of the center light source unit 1 and the left light source unit 1 is set to a predetermined angle. Yes. The twist angle δ of the central light source unit 1 may be the same as or different from the twist angle δ of the left light source unit 1. The twist angle δ of the light source units 1 arranged in the same row may increase stepwise from one side to the other side in the predetermined direction. For example, the twist angle δ of the three light source units 1 in the second row shown in FIG. 7B may increase stepwise from the right side to the left side. Further, the twist angle δ of the adjacent light source units 1 may be the same between the first row and the second row.

An angle formed between the fixed surface 120a and the optical axis of the light source unit 1 in a plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction is referred to as a tilt angle. FIG. 8 schematically shows the tilt angle of the light source unit 1. In this example, a state in which the light source unit 1 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to a plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction is shown. An angle θ formed by the optical axis of the optical lens 10a and a line perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a (equal to an angle formed by the support surface 30a and the fixed surface 120a) is a tilt angle. When the tilt angle θ is changed, the illumination position (illumination spot) on the road surface moves along the transverse direction.
Each light source unit 1 has a tilt angle θ set to a predetermined angle so that the road surface of the corresponding lane can be illuminated. The tilt angle θ of the light source unit 1 is set to a different angle for each column. The tilt angle θ of the light source units 1 in the first row is different from the tilt angle θ of the light source units 1 in the second row. For example, when the first lane is located on the lighting device side, the tilt angle θ of the light source units 1 in the first row is larger than the tilt angle θ of the light source units 1 in the second row. Note that the tilt angles θ of the light source units 1 arranged in the same row are the same.
When the light source units 1 are arranged in a plurality of rows along a predetermined direction, the tilt angle θ of the light source units in each row is from one side to the other side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. You may set so that it may increase in steps. In this case, the number of the light source units 1 in each column or the number of light emitting diodes to be lit may be configured so as to increase as the column with the smaller tilt angle θ. Here, “the column with the smaller tilt angle θ” means “the lane farther from the road lighting device”.

The road lighting device 100 of the present embodiment has the following operational effects.
The asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111 is configured such that the radii of curvature Rx and Ry with respect to the two-dimensional directions (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the optical axis (Z-axis) of the optical lens 10a are different from each other. Therefore, the light distribution of each light source unit 1 is narrow in the road crossing direction and wide in the lane direction (vehicle driving direction), thereby forming an illumination spot that is long in the vehicle driving direction and narrow in the road crossing direction. . For example, the radius of curvature Rx is made larger than the radius of curvature Ry, and the half-value angle (Θ _1/2 ) from the curved surface of the radius of curvature Rx is set to about 20 °. In this case, if the X-axis direction coincides with the vehicle traveling direction, a strip-shaped illumination spot that is long in the vehicle traveling direction and narrow in the road crossing direction can be formed. By making the illumination spot long in the vehicle traveling direction, the arrangement interval (span length) when the road illumination device 100 is arranged at a constant interval along the vehicle traveling direction can be increased. As a result, the road The number of lighting devices can be reduced.

Further, in low position road lighting, it is important to suppress glare (glare) of a vehicle driver. By setting the radiation half-value angle (Θ _1/2 ) from the curved surface with the curvature radius Ry to 0 °, the light distribution in the direction higher than the horizontal plane in the direction of crossing the road is suppressed, so that the glare suppression effect can be obtained. In addition, by setting the tilt angle θ of the light source unit 1 to about 10 °, light distribution in a direction higher than the horizontal plane in the crossing direction of the road can be suppressed, thereby further enhancing the glare suppression effect. it can.
In general, the illuminance on the road surface is half proportional to the square of the distance from the road lighting device and strongly depends on the incident angle with respect to the road surface. For this reason, the road surface illuminance of the lane far from the road lighting device is lower than the road surface illuminance of the lane near the road lighting device. Therefore, in order to achieve uniform road surface illumination, it is necessary to distribute a larger amount of light to the far lane illumination as compared to the near lane illumination. In the road lighting device 100 of the present embodiment, the number of light source units in each column or the number of light-emitting diodes to be lit increases as the column with the smaller tilt angle θ (that is, the lane farther from the road lighting device 100). Become. Thereby, since more light flux is distributed in the lane farther from the road illumination device 100, the uniformity is improved and uniform road surface illumination can be realized.

Further, in the road lighting device 100 of the present embodiment, the lens unit 25a shown in FIG. 4 and the lens unit 25b shown in FIG. 5 are fixed to the LED substrate 20 with the positions of the optical lens 10a and the LED 15 aligned. Six light source units 1 are configured. Thereby, an inexpensive light source unit 1 can be provided. In particular, since the lens units 25a and 25b are easily mass-produced, it is advantageous for reducing the cost of the light source unit. Further, even when two or three light source units are used instead of the six light source units, an inexpensive light source unit can be provided in the same manner as the six light source units.
In addition, since the road illumination device using six light source units can reduce the number of light source units as compared with a road illumination device using two or three light source units, the device cost can be reduced. . On the other hand, the unit length of the two or three light source units is shorter than the unit length of the six light source units 1, and therefore, by using two or three light source units instead of the six light source units, The depth of the road lighting device can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a light source unit used in the road lighting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 9, the light source unit 2 includes three light source units 2 a to 2 c and a substrate 3 to which the light source units 2 a to 2 c are fixed. The substrate 3 may be a heat sink. As the material of the heat sink, a material having excellent heat transfer characteristics (for example, aluminum) can be used.

The substrate 3 has three fixed surfaces 3a to 3c. The light source unit 2a is fixed to the fixed surface 3a, the light source unit 2b is fixed to the fixed surface 3b, and the light source unit 2c is fixed to the fixed surface 3c. The fixed surfaces 3a and 3c are located on both sides of the fixed surface 3b. The angles of the fixed surface 3a and the fixed surface 2b are the same as the angles of the fixed surface 3a and the fixed surface 2b, and these angles are such that the optical axes of the light source units 2a and 2c intersect the optical axis of the light source unit 2b at a predetermined angle. It is set to be. Here, the predetermined angle is appropriately determined according to the distance to the road surface, the length of the illumination spot in the lane direction, and the like.
The light source unit 2 a fixes two LEDs 15 formed on the LED substrate 20 at predetermined intervals, two optical lenses 10 b provided corresponding to the LEDs 15, and each optical lens 10 b to the LED substrate 20. And a perforated plate 21. Screw fixing holes 211 are provided at both end portions of the perforated plate 21, and the perforated plate 21 can be screwed to the LED substrate 20 using these screw retaining holes 211. The light source unit 2b and the light source unit 2c also have the same structure as the light source unit 2a.
In the example shown in FIG. 9, the number of LEDs 15 and optical lenses 10b constituting the light source unit 2 is six, but the present invention is not limited to this. The light source unit 2 may be provided with one or more sets of the optical lens 10 b and the LED 15.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram when the optical lens 10b is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the XZ plane, and FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram when the optical lens 10b is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane. 10A and 10B, the Z axis coincides with the optical axis of the optical lens 10b.
As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the optical lens 10b has a head portion 12, a bottom portion 13, and a side surface portion 14b. These head portion 12, bottom portion 13 and side surface portion 14b may be integrally formed. The head 12 can be referred to as the exit surface, and the bottom 13 can be referred to as the entrance surface.
The bottom portion 13 has a plate-like shape and includes a concave surface 11 that accommodates the light emitting portion 151 of the LED 15 at the center of the bottom surface. The perforated plate 21 fixes the bottom 13 to the LED substrate 20 with the portion other than the concave surface 11 on the bottom surface in contact with the LED substrate 20.

The head 12 has a symmetric spherical lens 110 that faces the concave surface 11. The symmetric spherical lens 110 is a convex refracting surface, and is composed of a symmetric spherical lens having a directivity characteristic with a half-value angle on one side equal to or less than a predetermined angle. For example, the symmetric spherical lens 110 is a symmetric spherical lens having a narrow directivity angle with a one-side half-value angle Θ1 _{/ 2} of 10 ° or less, and more preferably a symmetric spherical lens with a one-side half-value angle Θ1 _{/ 2} of about 3 °. is there.
The side surface portion 14b is formed as a paraboloid with the light emitting portion 151 as a focal point. The shape of the cross section of the side surface portion 14b perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical lens 10b is an ellipse, and the side surface portion 14b is configured such that the area of the elliptical cross section is the largest at the end on the symmetric spherical lens 110 side. Yes.
The concave surface 11 is configured such that light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 is incident substantially perpendicularly. For example, by configuring the concave surface 11 so as to have a spherical surface centered on the light emitting portion 151, it is possible to make the light emitted from the light emitting portion 151 incident on the concave surface 11 almost vertically.

According to the light source unit 2 described above, the following operational effects are obtained.
In the light source unit 2 as well, as in the light source unit 1 described in the first embodiment, the light emitting portion 151 of the LED 15 is accommodated in the bottom portion 13 of the optical lens 10b, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion 151 is substantially perpendicular to the concave surface 11. Incident. For this reason, 90% or more of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 can be incident on the optical lens 10b.

In addition, the light incident from the concave surface 11 into the optical lens 10 b is incident on the symmetric spherical lens 110 either directly or after being totally reflected by the paraboloid of the side surface portion 14 b. The reflected light from the paraboloid is a light beam substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical lens 10b. Therefore, most of the light incident on the optical lens 10 b can be emitted from the symmetric spherical lens 110.
In each of the light source units 2a to 2c, an optical lens 10b including a symmetric spherical lens 110 having a narrow directivity angle whose one-side half-value angle Θ1 _{/ 2} is 10 ° or less is used, and the light of each of the light source units 2a and 2c. The axis intersects the optical axis of the light source unit 2b at a predetermined angle. These light source units 2a to 2c form a pseudo aspheric lens system as a whole. Thereby, similarly to the light source unit 1 described in the first embodiment, the light source unit 2 can also obtain illumination light having a larger spread in the X-axis direction than in the Y-axis direction.

In the light source unit 2, a lens unit using a perforated plate 21 provided with two holes for mounting the two optical lenses 10b may be used. In this lens unit, the optical lens 10 b may be bonded and fixed to the perforated plate 21. In this case, the light source unit 2 can be easily assembled.
Alternatively, a lens unit including an optical lens array in which two optical lenses 10b are integrally formed with a mold may be used. Also in this case, the light source unit 2 can be easily assembled. In addition, since the perforated plate 21 is unnecessary, the cost can be reduced accordingly.

Next, a road lighting device including the light source unit 2 described above will be described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a road lighting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 12A and 12B are diagrams for explaining the internal configuration of the road lighting device shown in FIG. 11, in which FIG. 12A is a side view and FIG. 12B is a top view.

Referring to FIGS. 11, 12A and 12B, the road lighting device 200 illuminates the road surface of a two-lane road, and includes five light source units 2 and a fixed surface 120a. And a housing 120 to which the light source units 2 are fixed. The housing 120 is fixed to the housing frame 125, and a transparent plate 510 is provided in the emission direction of the light source unit 2. Five light source units 2 are accommodated in a space surrounded by the casing 120 and the transparent plate 510. In the example shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the number of the light source units 2 is five, but is not limited thereto. When the form of illuminating a road with one or more lanes is considered, the number of light source units 2 may be two or more.
Each light source unit 2 has the same structure, and the structure of the light source unit described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10A and 10B can be applied.

The five light source units 2 are arranged in two rows along a predetermined direction. Here, the predetermined direction corresponds to a direction along the lane of the road. Two light source units 2 are arranged in the first column, and three light source units 2 are arranged in the second column. The light source units 2 in the first row illuminate the road surface of the first lane, and the light source units 2 in the second row illuminate the road surface of the second lane. The number of rows of light source units 2 corresponds to the number of lanes. For example, in the case of three lanes, the light source units 2 are arranged in three rows. In FIG. 12B, the upper row of the two light source units 2 is the first example, and the lower row of the three light source units 2 is the second row.
The road lighting device 200 further includes five supports 31 for fixing the five light source units 2 to the fixing surface 120a. The support 31 includes a support surface 31 a that supports the light source unit 2. The support 31 may be a heat sink. As the material of the heat sink, a material having excellent heat transfer characteristics (for example, aluminum) can be used. The support 31 is screwed to a predetermined position of the fixed surface 120a.

An angle φ formed by the support surface 31a and the fixed surface 120a in a plane perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a and parallel to the predetermined direction is referred to as a pan angle. When the pan angle φ is changed, the illumination position (illumination spot) on the road surface moves along the lane direction. In the illumination device of the present embodiment, the supports 31 that respectively support at least two light source units arranged in the same row are provided so that the pan angles φ are different from each other.
Specifically, the pan angle φ of the two light source units 2 in the first row is different from each other. In FIG. 12B, the pan angle φ of the left light source unit 2 is 0 °, and the pan angle φ of the right light source unit 2 is Is set to a predetermined angle. Among the three light source units 2 in the second row, the pan angle φ of the left light source unit 2 is set to 0 °, and the pan angle φ of each of the center light source unit 2 and the right light source unit 2 is set to a predetermined angle. Yes. The pan angle φ of the central light source unit 2 may be the same as or different from the pan angle φ of the right light source unit 2. The pan angle φ of the adjacent light source units 2 may be the same between the first row and the second row.

When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a, an angle formed by the arrangement direction of the LEDs 15 of the light source unit 2 and the predetermined direction is referred to as a twist angle δ. When the twist angle δ is changed, the illumination spot on the road surface rotates. For example, in the case of a strip-shaped illumination spot, when the twist angle δ is changed, the angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the illumination spot and the lane direction changes. The twist angle δ can be set so that the longitudinal direction of the illumination spot coincides with the lane direction. In the illuminating device of the present embodiment, at least two light source units arranged in the same row are configured so that the twist angles δ are different from each other.
More specifically, the twist angles δ of the two light source units 2 in the first row are different from each other. In FIG. 12B, the twist angle δ of the left light source unit 2 is 0 °, and the twist angle δ of the right light source unit 2 is. Is set to a predetermined angle. Of the three light source units 2 in the second row, the twist angle δ of the left light source unit 2 is set to 0 °, and the twist angle δ of each of the center light source unit 2 and the right light source unit 2 is set to a predetermined angle. Yes. The twist angle δ of the central light source unit 2 may be the same as or different from the twist angle δ of the right light source unit 2. The twist angle δ of the light source units 2 arranged in the same row may increase stepwise from one side to the other side in the predetermined direction. For example, the twist angle δ of the three light source units 2 in the second row shown in FIG. 12B may increase stepwise from the left side to the right side. Further, the twist angle δ of the adjacent light source units 2 may be the same between the first row and the second row.

The angle formed by the fixed surface 120a and the optical axis of the light source unit 2 in the plane perpendicular to the predetermined direction (the angle formed by the optical axis of the optical lens 10b and a line perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a) is called a tilt angle ( (See FIG. 8). The tilt angle θ is equal to the angle formed by the support surface 31a and the fixed surface 120a. When the tilt angle θ is changed, the illumination position (illumination spot) on the road surface moves along the transverse direction.
Each light source unit 2 has a tilt angle θ set to a predetermined angle so that the road surface of the corresponding lane can be illuminated. The tilt angle θ of the light source unit 2 is set to a different angle for each column. The tilt angle θ of the light source units 2 in the first row is different from the tilt angle θ of the light source units 2 in the second row. For example, when the first lane is located on the lighting device side, the tilt angle θ of the light source units 2 in the first row is larger than the tilt angle θ of the light source units 2 in the second row. It should be noted that the tilt angles θ of the light source units 2 arranged in the same row are the same.
When the light source units 2 are arranged in a plurality of rows along a predetermined direction, the tilt angle θ of the light source units in each row is from one side to the other side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. You may set so that it may increase in steps. In this case, the number of light source units 2 in each column or the number of light-emitting diodes to be lit may be configured so as to increase as the column with the smaller tilt angle θ. Here, “the column with the smaller tilt angle θ” means “the lane farther from the road lighting device”.

The road lighting device 200 of the present embodiment also has the same effects as the road lighting device 100 of the first embodiment.
In addition, as compared with the optical lens 10a provided with the asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 111, the optical lens 10b provided with the symmetrical spherical lens 110 can be easily designed and manufactured, and is inexpensive. Therefore, an inexpensive road lighting device can be provided.

The road lighting apparatus described in the first and second embodiments described above is an example of the present invention, and the configuration applies modifications and improvements that can be understood by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. be able to.
It is also possible to partially combine the configuration of the illumination device of the first embodiment and the configuration of the illumination device of the second embodiment. For example, a road lighting device may be configured by combining the light source unit 1 and the light source unit 2.
In the first and second embodiments, in order to suppress the glare of the driver, there is provided a light shielding plate that shields light passing through a plane parallel to the road surface in the upward direction from the light emitted from the light source unit. May be.

FIG. 13 schematically shows the configuration of the light source unit 1 including a light shielding plate. As shown in FIG. 13, when the surface perpendicular to the fixed surface 120a and parallel to the arrangement direction of the LEDs 15 is a horizontal plane, the light source unit 1 passes the horizontal plane in the upward direction among the light emitted from the optical lens 10a. A light shielding plate 600 that shields the light to be transmitted. The glare of the driver can be suppressed by blocking the light passing through the horizontal plane in the upward direction by the light shielding plate 600.
The light-shielding plate 600 reflects a part of light passing through the horizontal plane in the upward direction toward the direction passing through the horizontal plane in the downward direction, and a part of the reflected light from the reflective plate 701 as the light source unit 1. And a reflecting plate 702 that reflects in a direction along the optical axis. In this case, since the light reflected by the reflecting plates 701 and 702 contributes to the road surface illumination, the road surface illuminance increases.

  Setting the appropriate tilt angle can reduce glare for the driver. However, if the road is wide and there are many lanes, glare suppression may be difficult with just setting the tilt angle. . In such a case, the light source unit provided with the light shielding plate 600 shown in FIG. 13 is effective.

Any of the road illumination devices of the embodiments described above can be applied to the pro-beam illumination method or the counter beam illumination method.
The pro-beam illumination system is an asymmetrical light distribution road illumination system that illuminates the traveling direction of a traveling vehicle, and the visibility of the preceding vehicle can be improved by increasing the backside luminance of the preceding vehicle. This pro-beam illumination method is used for roads with relatively heavy traffic, and has a high effect of improving driver glare.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a road lighting system using a pro-beam illumination system.
As shown in FIG. 14, the road lighting system includes two road lighting devices 100 a attached to the handrail 800. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 14, although the two road illumination apparatuses 100a are shown, it is not limited to this. The number of road lighting devices 100a may be three or more.
Each road lighting device 100a has the same structure and includes the light source unit 1 described in the first embodiment. Two light source units 1 are arranged in each of the upper stage 101 and the lower stage 102. The first column and the second column described in the first embodiment correspond to the lower stage 102 and the upper stage 101, respectively.

The two light source units 1 in the lower stage 102 are set with a tilt angle θ, a pan angle φ, and a twist angle δ so that the road surface 900a of the first lane can be illuminated in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side is larger than the pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the near side. The twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side is larger than the twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the near side.
The two light source units 1 in the upper stage 101 are set with a tilt angle θ, a pan angle φ, and a twist angle δ so that the road surface 900b of the second lane can be illuminated in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side is larger than the pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the near side. The twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side is larger than the twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the near side. The tilt angle of each light source unit 1 in the upper stage 101 is smaller than the tilt angle of each light source unit 1 in the lower stage 102.
In each road lighting device 100a, the light source unit 2 described in the second embodiment may be used instead of the light source unit 1.

The counter beam illumination system is an asymmetrical light distribution road illumination system that illuminates in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle, can efficiently obtain road surface brightness, and has a contrast between the obstacle and the background road surface. Since it becomes high, the visibility of obstacles on the road can be improved.
FIG. 15 shows an example of a road lighting system using a counter beam illumination system.
As shown in FIG. 15, the road lighting system has two road lighting devices 100 b attached to the handrail 800. In the example shown in FIG. 15, two road illumination devices 100 b are shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of road lighting devices 100b may be three or more.

Each road lighting device 100b has the same structure and includes the light source unit 1 described in the first embodiment. Two light source units 1 are arranged in each of the upper stage 101 and the lower stage 102. The first column and the second column described in the first embodiment correspond to the lower stage 102 and the upper stage 101, respectively.
The two light source units 1 in the lower stage 102 are set with a tilt angle θ, a pan angle φ, and a twist angle δ so that the road surface 900a of the first lane can be illuminated in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle. The pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the front side is larger than the pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side. The twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the near side is larger than the twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side.
The two light source units 1 in the upper stage 101 are set with a tilt angle θ, a pan angle φ, and a twist angle δ so that the road surface 900b of the second lane can be illuminated in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle. The pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the front side is larger than the pan angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side. The twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the near side is larger than the twist angle of the light source unit 1 on the back side. The tilt angle of each light source unit 1 in the upper stage 101 is smaller than the tilt angle of each light source unit 1 in the lower stage 102.
In each road lighting device 100b, the light source unit 2 described in the second embodiment may be used instead of the light source unit 1.
Moreover, although this invention can take the form like the following additional remarks 1-26, it is not limited to these forms.
[Appendix 1]
An optical lens for controlling the light distribution of light emitted from the light emitting element,
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting element is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The light emitting section and the light guide section are optical lenses in which a shape of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is an ellipse.
[Appendix 2]
The optical lens according to appendix 1, wherein the incident surface is configured by a concave surface capable of accommodating the light emitting portion of the light emitting element.
[Appendix 3]
The optical lens according to appendix 2, wherein the concave surface is a spherical surface.
[Appendix 4]
The optical lens according to appendix 3, wherein the light guide portion has a side surface portion formed of a paraboloid focusing on the center of the spherical surface.
[Appendix 5]
The curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is smaller than the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction, and the curved surface in the first axial direction forms a lens surface with the center of the spherical surface as a focal point. The optical lens according to Supplementary Note 3 or 4.
[Appendix 6]
The optical lens according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the light guide unit is configured such that an area of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is maximized on the second surface unit side.
[Appendix 7]
A light-emitting element including a light-emitting unit that emits light;
An optical lens for controlling the light distribution of the light emitted from the light emitting unit,
The optical lens is
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The light exit unit and the light guide unit are light source units whose cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis is an ellipse.
[Appendix 8]
The light incident unit according to appendix 7, wherein the incident surface is configured by a concave surface that accommodates the light emitting unit.
[Appendix 9]
The light source unit according to appendix 8, wherein the concave surface is a spherical surface, and the light emitting unit is arranged at the center of the spherical surface.
[Appendix 10]
The light source unit according to appendix 9, wherein the light guide part has a side part formed by a paraboloid with the light emitting part as a focal point.
[Appendix 11]
A radius of curvature of the curved surface in the first axial direction is smaller than a radius of curvature of the curved surface in the second axial direction, and the curved surface in the first axial direction forms a lens surface with the light emitting portion as a focal point; The light source unit according to appendix 9 or 10.
[Appendix 12]
The light source unit according to any one of appendices 7 to 11, wherein the light guide portion is configured such that an area of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is maximized on the second surface portion side.
[Appendix 13]
A plurality of light source units;
A housing having a fixed surface, the plurality of light source units being fixed to the fixed surface,
Each of the plurality of light source units is
A plurality of light emitting elements each including a light emitting unit that emits light;
A plurality of optical lenses that are provided for each of the light emitting elements and control the light distribution of the light emitted from the light emitting unit;
Each of the plurality of optical lenses is
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The illuminating device in which the exit surface part and the light guide part have an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axis.
[Appendix 14]
The plurality of light source units are arranged in a plurality of rows along a predetermined direction, and each light source unit has a fixed surface in a plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction and an optical axis of the light source unit. The illuminating device according to appendix 13, wherein a tilt angle that is an angle formed is provided to be a predetermined angle.
[Appendix 15]
A plurality of supports fixed to the fixed surface, each provided with a support surface provided for each light source unit, each supporting the light source unit;
The supports that respectively support at least two light source units arranged in the same row are at an angle formed by the support surface and the fixed surface in a plane perpendicular to the fixed surface and parallel to the predetermined direction. The illumination device according to appendix 14, wherein the pan angles are provided so as to be different from each other.
[Appendix 16]
Each of the plurality of light source units is configured such that the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a line,
The at least two light source units arranged in the same row are configured to have different twist angles, which are angles formed between the arrangement direction of the plurality of light emitting elements and the predetermined direction, respectively, according to appendix 14 or 15. Lighting equipment.
[Appendix 17]
The lighting device according to any one of appendices 14 to 16, wherein the tilt angles of the light source units in each row are different.
[Appendix 18]
The lighting device according to appendix 17, wherein the tilt angle of the light source units in each row increases from one side to the other side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.
[Appendix 19]
The illuminating device according to appendix 18, wherein the number of light source units in each column or the number of light-emitting diodes to be lit is larger in the column with the smaller tilt angle.
[Appendix 20]
A plane that is perpendicular to the fixed surface and parallel to the predetermined direction is a horizontal plane, and each of the plurality of light source units emits light that passes through the horizontal plane in an upward direction out of the light emitted from the plurality of optical lenses. The lighting device according to claim 13, further comprising a light shielding plate that shields light.
[Appendix 21]
The shading plate is
A first reflector that reflects a part of the light passing through the horizontal plane in an upward direction toward a direction passing through the horizontal plane in a downward direction;
The lighting device according to appendix 20, further comprising: a second reflecting plate that reflects part of the reflected light from the first reflecting plate in a direction along the optical axis of the light source unit.
[Appendix 22]
The illumination device according to any one of appendices 13 to 21, wherein the incident surface of the light guide unit is configured by a concave surface that accommodates the light emitting unit of the light emitting element.
[Appendix 23]
The illumination device according to appendix 22, wherein the concave surface is a spherical surface, and the light emitting unit is disposed at the center of the spherical surface.
[Appendix 24]
The illuminating device according to attachment 23, wherein the light guide unit has a side surface part formed of a paraboloid having the light emitting unit as a focus.
[Appendix 25]
A radius of curvature of the curved surface in the first axial direction is smaller than a radius of curvature of the curved surface in the second axial direction, and the curved surface in the first axial direction forms a lens surface with the light emitting portion as a focal point; The lighting device according to attachment 23 or 24.
[Appendix 26]
The lighting device according to any one of appendices 13 to 25, wherein the light guide section is configured such that an area of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is maximized on the second surface section side.

According to the optical lens of Supplementary Note 1 described above, similar to the optical lens 10a described in the first embodiment, the optical lens can be easily created as compared with a general aspheric lens in which the curvature of the refractive surface is not constant. Can be created inexpensively. For this reason, it is possible to provide an inexpensive optical lens as compared with the light distribution control lenses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.
Further, the light guide unit is configured such that light from the light emitting element is incident on the incident surface, and the incident light propagates inside and is emitted from the refracting surface of the output surface part. Can be efficiently used as the light emitted from the optical lens.
Furthermore, since the exit surface portion and the light guide portion are configured so that the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is an ellipse, the exit surface portion and the light guide portion can be easily joined, and the lane in the road illumination A strip-shaped illumination spot that is long in the direction can be easily formed.
Note that a toroidal lens is known as an optical lens capable of controlling light distribution in two orthogonal axes, but the light from the light-emitting element can be transmitted to the optical lens only by using the toroidal lens without the light guide unit. It is difficult to use efficiently as emitted light.
The optical lens of Supplementary Note 1 may be configured by the head 12, the bottom 13, and the side surface 14a shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In this case, the concave surface 11 is replaced with a surface having another shape such as a flat surface. Also good. Further, the side surface portion 14a may have a structure having no paraboloid.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Light source unit 10a Optical lens 11 Concave surface 12 Head 13 Bottom part 14a, 14b Side part 15 LED
20 LED substrate 21 Perforated plate 25a, 25b Lens unit 30, 31 Support body 30a, 31a Support surface 100 Road illumination device 101 Upper stage 102 Lower stage 110 Symmetric spherical lens 111 Asymmetric orthogonal spherical lens 120 Housing 120a Fixed surface 125 Frame 151 Light emitting part 211 Screw stop hole 510 Transparent plate 600 Light-shielding plate 701, 702 Reflector plate 800 Handrail 900a, 900b Road surface

Claims (23)

An optical lens for controlling the light distribution of light emitted from the light emitting element,
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting element is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The emission surface and the light guide section, Ri shape oval der section perpendicular to the optical axis, the incident surface is comprised of concave capable of accommodating the light emitting portion of the light emitting element, an optical lens. The optical lens according to claim 1 , wherein the concave surface is a spherical surface. The optical lens according to claim 2 , wherein the light guide part has a side part formed of a paraboloid focusing on the center of the spherical surface. The curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is smaller than the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction, and the curved surface in the first axial direction forms a lens surface with the center of the spherical surface as a focal point. The optical lens according to claim 2 or 3 . The light guiding portion, the area of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is configured to be greatest at the second face side, the optical lens according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A light-emitting element including a light-emitting unit that emits light;
An optical lens for controlling the light distribution of the light emitted from the light emitting unit,
The optical lens is
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The emission surface and the light guide portion, the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the optical axis Ri ellipse der, the incident surface is comprised of concave surface for accommodating the light emitting portion, the light source unit. The light source unit according to claim 6 , wherein the concave surface is a spherical surface, and the light emitting unit is disposed at a center of the spherical surface. The light source unit according to claim 7 , wherein the light guide part has a side part formed by a paraboloid having the light emitting part as a focal point. A radius of curvature of the curved surface in the first axial direction is smaller than a radius of curvature of the curved surface in the second axial direction, and the curved surface in the first axial direction forms a lens surface with the light emitting portion as a focal point; The light source unit according to claim 7 or 8 . The light source unit according to any one of claims 6 to 9 , wherein the light guide section is configured such that an area of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is maximized on the second surface section side. A plurality of light source units;
A housing having a fixed surface, the plurality of light source units being fixed to the fixed surface,
Each of the plurality of light source units is
A plurality of light emitting elements each including a light emitting unit that emits light;
A plurality of optical lenses that are provided for each of the light emitting elements and control the light distribution of the light emitted from the light emitting unit;
Each of the plurality of optical lenses is
An exit surface portion composed of a convex refractive surface;
A first surface portion including an incident surface; and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, to which the emission surface portion is bonded, and light from the light emitting portion is incident on the incident surface and incident light. And a light guide portion that propagates inside and exits from the refractive surface,
The refractive surface has a constant curvature of a curved surface in a first axial direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical lens, and a second axial direction orthogonal to each of the optical axis and the first axial direction. And the curvature radius of the curved surface in the first axial direction is different from the curvature radius of the curved surface in the second axial direction.
The emission surface and the light guide section, Ri shape oval der section perpendicular to the optical axis, the incident surface of the light guide unit is composed of a concave surface for accommodating the light emitting portion of the light emitting element, Lighting device. The plurality of light source units are arranged in a plurality of rows along a predetermined direction, and each light source unit has a fixed surface in a plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction and an optical axis of the light source unit. The illuminating device according to claim 11 , wherein a tilt angle that is an angle formed is provided to be a predetermined angle. A plurality of supports fixed to the fixed surface, each provided with a support surface provided for each light source unit, each supporting the light source unit;
The supports that respectively support at least two light source units arranged in the same row are at an angle formed by the support surface and the fixed surface in a plane perpendicular to the fixed surface and parallel to the predetermined direction. The lighting device according to claim 12 , wherein certain pan angles are provided different from each other. Each of the plurality of light source units is configured such that the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a line,
At least two light source units disposed in the same column, the plurality of torsion angles and alignment direction is an angle between the predetermined direction of the light emitting element is configured differently from each other, to claim 12 or 13 The lighting device described. The lighting device according to any one of claims 12 to 14 , wherein the tilt angles of the light source units in each row are different. The lighting device according to claim 15 , wherein the tilt angle of the light source units in each row increases from one side to the other side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. The lighting device according to claim 16 , wherein the number of light source units in each column or the number of light emitting diodes to be lit is larger in the column on the side where the tilt angle is smaller. A plane that is perpendicular to the fixed surface and parallel to the predetermined direction is a horizontal plane, and each of the plurality of light source units emits light that passes through the horizontal plane in an upward direction out of the light emitted from the plurality of optical lenses. having a light shielding plate for shielding illumination device according to any one of claims 11 to 17. The shading plate is
A first reflector that reflects a part of the light passing through the horizontal plane in an upward direction toward a direction passing through the horizontal plane in a downward direction;
The lighting device according to claim 18 , further comprising: a second reflecting plate that reflects a part of the reflected light from the first reflecting plate toward a direction along an optical axis of the light source unit. The lighting device according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the concave surface is a spherical surface, and the light emitting unit is disposed at a center of the spherical surface. The lighting device according to claim 20 , wherein the light guide unit has a side surface part formed of a paraboloid having the light emitting unit as a focal point. A radius of curvature of the curved surface in the first axial direction is smaller than a radius of curvature of the curved surface in the second axial direction, and the curved surface in the first axial direction forms a lens surface with the light emitting portion as a focal point; The lighting device according to claim 20 or 21 . The lighting device according to any one of claims 11 to 22 , wherein the light guide section is configured such that an area of a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis is maximized on the second surface section side.

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