JP6686708B2 - Vehicle lamp and lens for vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp and a lens of the vehicle lamp.

  BACKGROUND ART As a vehicular lamp attached to a vehicle, for example, a vehicular lamp that emits a low beam pattern is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a vehicular lamp includes a light source and a lens that emits light from the light source to form a low beam pattern. A vehicular lamp that forms such a low beam pattern is required to have a sense of brightness on the front side of the vehicle while suppressing the generation of glare light.

JP, 2007-335301, A

  As an example of the lens of the above-described vehicle lamp, for example, a lens is known in which the shape of the entrance surface is a free-form surface and the shape of the exit surface is an ellipse or an elliptical basic tone. Since the exit surface of such a lens has an elliptical shape or an elliptical basic shape, it is difficult to adjust the vertical size of the pattern of the light with which the irradiation area is irradiated. For this reason, it is difficult to obtain a pattern capable of suppressing the generation of glare light and providing a sense of brightness on the front side of the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a vehicle lamp and a lens of the vehicle lamp capable of producing a sense of brightness on the front side of the vehicle while suppressing the generation of glare light. To aim.

  The vehicular lamp according to the present invention has a light source having a light emitting surface, an incident surface on which the light from the light source is arranged to face the light emitting surface, and a lens having an emitting surface for emitting the light, The emission surface is formed in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction in a state of being mounted on a vehicle, and a first strip-shaped portion having a linear cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction, and with respect to the first strip-shaped portion. And an elliptic curved surface portion which is arranged on both sides in the vertical direction and whose cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction is an ellipse or an elliptical basic tone shape, and the incident surface is the first when viewed from the optical axis direction of the lens. One strip-shaped portion, a second strip-shaped portion that is arranged in a strip shape over the both ends in the horizontal direction at a position shifted upward in the vertical direction, and is curved so as to project toward the light emitting surface side; and the second strip-shaped portion. Is arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the It has a free-form surface portion cross-sectional shape is a free curved surface, a.

  Further, in the above vehicle lighting device, the first strip-shaped portions may be arranged on both sides of the optical axis in the vertical direction.

  Further, in the above vehicle lighting device, the first strip-shaped portion may be smoothly connected to the elliptic curved surface portion.

  Further, in the above vehicle lighting device, the second strip-shaped portion may have a vertical dimension smaller than that of the first strip-shaped portion.

  Further, in the above vehicle lamp, the second belt-shaped portion may have a dimension in the vertical direction at both end portions in the horizontal direction larger than that in a central portion in the horizontal direction.

  A lens of a vehicular lamp according to the present invention is a lens of a vehicular lamp mounted on a vehicle, wherein the lens is disposed so as to face the light emitting surface, an incident surface on which light from the light source is incident, and the light is emitted. And a first strip-shaped portion having a straight cross-section in the vertical direction formed in strips over both ends in the horizontal direction when mounted on a vehicle, and the first strip-shaped portion. And an elliptic curved surface portion that is arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the belt-shaped portion and has a cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction that is an ellipse or an elliptical basic tone shape, and the incident surface is viewed from the optical axis direction of the lens. A second strip-shaped portion that is arranged in a strip shape over both ends in the horizontal direction at a position displaced upward in the vertical direction with respect to the first strip-shaped portion, and is curved so as to project toward the light emitting surface side. , Arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the second strip portion. The vertical sectional shape having a free-form surface portion is a free curved surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicular lamp and a lens of the vehicular lamp capable of producing a feeling of brightness on the front side of the vehicle while suppressing the generation of glare light.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicular lamp according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the lens according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example when the lens according to the embodiment is viewed from the exit surface side. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the lens according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example when the lens according to the embodiment is viewed from the incident surface side. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the lens according to the embodiment, and is a diagram schematically showing an optical path of light traveling from the incident surface to the exit surface. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a pattern of light applied to the irradiation area. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a lens according to a modification. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a lens according to a modified example when viewed from the incident surface side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle lamp and a lens of the vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include elements that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art, or substantially the same elements.

  In the following description, the front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction are directions when the vehicle headlamp is attached to the vehicle and are directions when the traveling direction of the vehicle is viewed from the driver's seat. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction is the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicular lamp 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the vehicle lamp 100 as viewed from above in the vertical direction. The vehicle lamp 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an automotive lamp such as a low beam lamp.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicular lamp 100 includes a light source 10 and a lens 20. The vehicular lamp 100 is housed in a lamp housing (not shown). Note that the lamp housing may house another vehicle lamp (not shown) such as a headlamp. An outer lens (not shown) is arranged in front of the lens 20.

  The light source 10 has a substrate 11 and a light emitting chip 12 mounted on the substrate 11. The substrate 11 is fixed to, for example, a heat sink (not shown). The light emitting chip 12 is mounted on the substrate 11. The light emitting chip 12 is arranged, for example, at a focal point on the light source 10 side of the lens 20 described later or in the vicinity of the focal point. In this case, the focal point of the lens 20 on the light source 10 side is the intersection of the optical path of the light emitted from the incident surface 21 and the optical axis when the light is incident from the emission surface 22 side of the lens 20. In the present embodiment, the light emitting chip 12 is a semiconductor light source such as an LED, an OEL, or an OLED (organic EL). The light emitting chip 12 has a light emitting surface 12f. The light emitting surface 12f is directed forward, for example. The light emitting chip 12 emits light from the light emitting surface 12f so as to form a Lambertian distribution.

  The lens 20 emits the light from the light source 10 to the front of the vehicle, for example. The lens 20 is formed using a resin such as a PC material, a PMMA material, or a PCO material. Since the light from the light source 10 which is a semiconductor-type light source does not have high heat, it is possible to use the lens 20 made of resin.

  The lens 20 has an entrance surface 21 and an exit surface 22. The incident surface 21 is directed rearward and is arranged to face the light emitting surface 12f of the light emitting chip 12. The light emitted from the light emitting surface 12f directly enters the incident surface 21. The emission surface 22 is directed forward. The light incident on the incident surface 21 is emitted from the emission surface 22.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the lens 20. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross section of the emission surface 22 side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the lens 20 viewed from the exit surface 22 side. In FIG. 3, a part of the shape of the lens 20 is simplified and shown. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the emission surface 22 has a first strip portion 23 and an elliptic curved surface portion 24. The first strip-shaped portion 23 is formed in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction when mounted on a vehicle. The first strip portion 23 is arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction at a position including the optical axis AX of the lens 20. In the present embodiment, the first strip-shaped portion 23 is provided in the central portion of the emission surface 22 in the vertical direction. The first strip portions 23 are arranged on both sides of the optical axis AX in the vertical direction. That is, the first strip portion 23 has a region arranged above the optical axis AX in the vertical direction and a region arranged below the optical axis AX.

  The first band-shaped portion 23 has a linear cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction. Therefore, the first band-shaped portion 23 diffuses light in the vertical direction and emits the light, as compared with the case where the vertical cross-sectional shape is an elliptical shape or an elliptical basic tone shape. In the first strip portion 23, the vertical dimension d1 is the same throughout the horizontal direction. The dimension d1 can be set to, for example, 5 mm or less. The vertical dimension d1 of the first strip portion 23 can be appropriately changed according to the vertical dimension of the entire emission surface 22. In this case, the dimension d1 can be set in the range of 3% to 12% with respect to the dimension of the emitting surface 22 in the vertical direction.

  The elliptic curved surface portions 24 are arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the first strip portion 23. The elliptic curved surface portion 24 has an elliptical or elliptical basic tone shape, for example, in the vertical cross section when mounted on a vehicle. The first strip portion 23 is smoothly connected to the elliptic curved surface portion 24. For this reason, the emission surface 22 has no step in the vertical direction and is formed flat. The lens 20 of the present embodiment is configured such that when the lower end of the elliptic curved surface portion 24 on the upper side in the vertical direction and the upper end of the elliptic curved surface portion 24 on the lower side in the vertical direction are connected, the connection portion becomes smooth. . That is, the lens 20 is in a state in which the emission surface (elliptical curved surface portion 24) having an elliptical or elliptical basic shape in the vertical section is vertically divided at the center in the vertical direction, and the vertical section is linear between the two. The emission surface (first band-shaped portion 23) is inserted.

  The elliptic curved surface portion 24 on the upper side in the vertical direction with respect to the first strip-shaped portion 23 and the elliptic curved surface portion 24 on the lower side in the vertical direction can have the same curvature, but are not limited to this. The curvatures may be different from each other.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the lens 20. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross section of the incident surface 21 side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example when the lens 20 is viewed from the incident surface 21 side. In FIG. 5, a part of the shape of the lens 20 is simplified and shown. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the incident surface 21 has a second strip portion 25 and a free-form surface portion 26. The second strip portion 25 is arranged at a position shifted upward in the vertical direction with respect to the first strip portion 23 when viewed from the axial direction of the optical axis AX of the lens 20. That is, when viewed from the axial direction of the optical axis AX of the lens 20, the lower end portion of the second strip portion 25 in the vertical direction is arranged above the lower end portion of the first strip portion 23. . Further, when viewed in the axial direction of the optical axis AX of the lens 20, the vertical upper end of the second strip 25 is arranged above the upper end of the first strip 23. The second strip portion 25 is formed in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction when mounted on a vehicle. The second strip portion 25 is arranged, for example, in a position parallel to the horizontal direction at a position including the optical axis AX of the lens 20, but is not limited to this, and may be arranged in a state inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Good. The second strip portion 25 is provided in the central portion of the incident surface 21 in the vertical direction. The second strip portions 25 are arranged on both sides of the optical axis AX in the vertical direction. That is, the second strip portion 25 has a region arranged above the optical axis AX and a region arranged below the optical axis AX in the vertical direction, similarly to the first strip portion 23.

  The vertical dimension d2 of the second belt-shaped portion 25 is the same over the entire horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the vertical dimension d2 of the second strip portion 25 is equal to or smaller than the dimension d1 of the first strip portion 23 (that is, d1 ≧ d2). Note that the vertical dimension d2 of the second strip portion 25 can be appropriately changed according to the vertical dimension of the entire incident surface 21 as with the vertical dimension d1 of the first strip portion 23.

  The second strip portion 25 has a curved cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction. That is, the second strip portion 25 is curved so as to project to the light emitting surface side. In addition, in the second band-shaped portion 25, the tip of the curved portion on the light emitting surface 12f side is arranged below the optical axis AX in the vertical direction. In FIG. 4, the axis AX2 is shown as an axis that passes through the above-mentioned tip portion of the second band-shaped portion 25 and is parallel to the optical axis AX. The axis AX is arranged below the optical axis AX in the vertical direction. With this configuration, the second band-shaped portion 25 refracts the light incident from the light emitting surface 12f to the first band-shaped portion 23, as described later.

  The free-form surface portions 26 are arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the second strip portion 25. The free-form surface portion 26 has a free-form surface designed according to the shape of the emission surface 22. The free-form surface portion 26 is connected to the second strip portion 25 via the step portions 27 and 28. The step portion 27 is arranged above the second strip portion 25 in the vertical direction. The step portion 28 is arranged below the second strip portion 25 in the vertical direction. The step portion 28 is arranged on the light emitting surface 12f side with respect to the step portion 27 in the axial direction of the optical axis AX. The step portion 27 and the step portion 28 may not be provided.

  When the light emitting chip 12 of the light source 10 of the vehicular lamp 100 configured as described above is turned on, light is emitted from the light emitting surface 12f of the light emitting chip 12. The light emitted from the light emitting surface 12f enters the incident surface 21 of the lens 20, that is, the second strip portion 25 and the free curved surface portion 26.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the lens 20, and is a diagram schematically showing an optical path of light traveling from the entrance surface 21 to the exit surface 22. In FIG. 6, the upper and lower parts of the lens 20 in the vertical direction are omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, the light incident on the second strip 25 of the incident surface 21 is refracted downward in the vertical direction by the second strip 25 and is emitted from the first strip 23 of the emission surface 22. It For example, the light L1 that has entered the upper end portion of the second strip portion 25 in the vertical direction is emitted from the upper end portion of the first strip portion 23 in the vertical direction. The light L2 that has entered the lower end of the second strip 25 in the vertical direction is emitted from the lower end of the first strip 23 in the vertical direction. In this way, the second strip portion 25 controls the incident light to be emitted from the first strip portion 23. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the glare light from being emitted because it is suppressed that the light is emitted upward in the vertical direction. Further, the light incident on the free curved surface portion 26 of the incident surface 21 is refracted in a predetermined direction and emitted from the elliptic curved surface portion 24 of the emission surface 22.

  FIG. 7: is a figure which shows the pattern of the light irradiated to the irradiation area ahead of a vehicle. In FIG. 7, a pattern P1 shows a pattern of light emitted from the first band-shaped portion 23 of the lens 20 according to the present embodiment. Further, in FIG. 7, a pattern P0 shows a pattern of light emitted from a portion corresponding to the first band-shaped portion 23 in the lens according to the comparative example. The lens according to the comparative example is a lens having a configuration in which the entire cross section of the emission surface in the vertical direction is an elliptical shape or an elliptic basic tone shape, that is, the first strip portion 23 is not provided. Further, the HL-HR line in FIG. 7 indicates a horizontal line, and the VU-VD line indicates a vertical line perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The vertical line VU-VD is parallel to the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the patterns P1 and P0 have cutoff lines CL along the horizontal lines HL-HR on the left and right of the irradiation region, for example. The pattern P1 is formed below the cutoff line CL across the left and right in the horizontal direction. Further, in the lens 20 according to the present embodiment, the vertical cross-sectional shape of the first band-shaped portion 23 is linear. Therefore, in the first strip portion 23, light is emitted in a substantially transparent state. Therefore, the light emitted from the first band-shaped portion 23 is diffused in the vertical direction and applied to the irradiation area, as compared with the case where the vertical cross-sectional shape is an ellipse or an elliptic basic tone. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the pattern P1 of the light emitted from the first band-shaped portion 23 is lower in the vertical direction than the pattern P0 of the light emitted from the corresponding portion of the lens according to the comparative example. It will be in a spread state.

  As described above, in the vehicular lamp 100 according to the present embodiment, the emission surface 22 of the lens 20 is formed in a band shape so as to include the optical axis AX across both ends in the horizontal direction, and the vertical cross-sectional shape is linear. Since the certain first strip-shaped portion 23 is provided, light is diffused and emitted from the first strip-shaped portion 23 in the vertical direction as compared with the case where the vertical cross-sectional shape is an elliptical shape or an elliptic basic tone shape. Thereby, the pattern P1 sufficiently diffused in the vertical direction can be formed in the irradiation region. Further, when the incident surface 21 of the lens 20 is viewed in the optical axis direction AX, it is arranged in a band shape across both ends in the horizontal direction in a region included in the first belt-shaped portion 23, and the lower side in the vertical direction is closer to the light emitting surface 12f. Since the second strip-shaped portion 25 is curved so that the distance becomes longer, the light incident on the second strip-shaped portion 25 can be refracted downward toward the emission surface 22. Therefore, the light emitted upward from the emission surface 22 in the vertical direction can be suppressed, and thus the glare light can be suppressed. As a result, the vehicular lamp 100 and the lens 20 can produce a sense of brightness on the front side of the vehicle while suppressing the generation of glare light.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the exit surface 22A of the lens 20A according to the modification. In the exit surface 22A of the lens 20A shown in FIG. 8, the first strip portion 23A is arranged below the optical axis AX. Therefore, in the emission surface 22A, the entire upper region in the vertical direction with respect to the optical axis AX is the elliptic curved surface portion 24A.

  In this configuration, since the first strip-shaped portion 23A is arranged below the optical axis AX, it is possible to surely diffuse the lower portion of the horizontal line HL-HR in the pattern P1 irradiated to the irradiation region. As a result, the lens 20A can provide a sense of brightness on the front side of the vehicle while suppressing the generation of glare light. The configuration shown in FIG. 8 shows a state in which the vertical upper end of the first strip portion 23A is arranged at a position including the optical axis AX, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first strip portion is not limited thereto. The upper end portion in the vertical direction of the portion 23A may be arranged below the optical axis AX.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the incident surface 21B of the lens 20B according to the modification. The entrance surface 21B of the lens 20B shown in FIG. 9 has a configuration in which the vertical dimension d2 of the second strip portion 25B is larger at both end portions than in the horizontal central portion. As a result, in the lens 20B, the horizontal center portion of the free-form surface portion 26B can be increased in the vertical direction, so that the degree of freedom in designing the incident surface 21B is increased.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the first strip portion 23 is inserted between the emission surfaces (elliptical curved surface portions 24) having a vertical cross section of an elliptical shape or an elliptical basic tone is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Not something to do. For example, the configuration may be such that a part of the vertical cross section having an ellipse or an ellipse-based tone is replaced with the first band-shaped portion 23. In this case, the curvature of the elliptic curved surface portion 24 may be changed at the connection portion so that the first strip portion 23 and the elliptic curved surface portion 24 are smoothly connected.

10 light source 11 substrate 12 light emitting chip 12f light emitting surface 20, 20A, 20B lens 21, 21B incident surface 22, 22A exit surface 23, 23A first strip portion 24, 24A elliptic curved surface portion 25, 25B second strip portion 26, 26B free Curved surface portions 27, 28 Step portion 100 Vehicle lighting P0, P1 Pattern CL Cutoff line AX Optical axis

Claims (6)

A light source having a light emitting surface,
A lens having an incident surface on which the light from the light source is incident and arranged to face the light emitting surface, and an emission surface for emitting the light;
Equipped with
The emission surface is formed in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction in a state of being mounted on a vehicle, and a first strip portion having a linear vertical cross-sectional shape, and the vertical direction with respect to the first strip portion. And an elliptic curved surface portion having a cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction that is an ellipse or an elliptical basic tone shape.
The incident surface is arranged in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction at a position shifted upward in the vertical direction with respect to the first strip portion when viewed from the optical axis direction of the lens, and the light emitting surface side A second curved portion that is curved so as to project inward, and a free curved surface portion that is arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the second belt portion and that has a cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction that is a free curved surface. Lighting equipment.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first strip portion is smoothly connected to the elliptic curved surface portion.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second belt-shaped portion has a vertical dimension smaller than that of the first belt-shaped portion.   The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second strip-shaped portion has a vertical dimension at both end portions in the horizontal direction larger than that in the central portion in the horizontal direction.   The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first strip-shaped portions are arranged on both sides of the optical axis in the vertical direction. A lens for a vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
An incident surface, which is arranged so as to face the light emitting surface and on which light from the light source is incident,
An emission surface that emits the light,
The emission surface is formed in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction in a state of being mounted on a vehicle, and a first strip portion having a linear vertical cross-sectional shape, and the vertical direction with respect to the first strip portion. And an elliptic curved surface portion having a cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction that is an ellipse or an elliptical basic tone shape.
The incident surface is arranged in a strip shape across both ends in the horizontal direction at a position shifted upward in the vertical direction with respect to the first strip portion when viewed from the optical axis direction of the lens, and the light emitting surface side A second curved portion that is curved so as to project inward, and a free curved surface portion that is arranged on both sides in the vertical direction with respect to the second belt portion and that has a cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction that is a free curved surface. Lens for lighting equipment.

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