JP7490514B2 - Vehicle lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp, and in particular to a vehicle lamp that has a road marking function in addition to the function of a headlamp or a marker lamp.

In vehicle lamps equipped with an optical unit that functions as a headlight or a marker light, there are types in which a road surface drawing unit that projects a desired drawing pattern onto the road surface is also installed together with the optical unit (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-37260 A

However, in the vehicle lamp of Patent Document 1, both the optical unit that functions as a headlight or marker light and the road surface drawing unit that projects a desired drawing pattern onto the road surface are mounted in the same lamp chamber, resulting in a large housing and a complex configuration.

The present invention was made in consideration of this, and provides a vehicle lamp with a simple configuration and a road surface drawing function.

In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle lamp with a road surface drawing function in addition to the function of a headlight or a marker light is configured to include an optical unit that performs the function of a headlight or a marker light, and a road surface drawing unit that performs the function of projecting a drawing pattern onto the road surface, and the optical unit and the road surface drawing unit are configured to irradiate light using a common projection lens to form a vehicle lamp with a road surface drawing function.

According to this aspect, by using a common projection lens, there is no need to use a projection lens for each unit, resulting in a simple configuration and space savings.

In one embodiment, the vehicle lamp is configured so that the optical unit is disposed near the optical axis of the projection lens, and the road surface drawing unit is disposed above the optical unit. In this embodiment, the arrangement allows the drawing pattern and light distribution to be projected at the desired location, making the configuration simple.

In one embodiment, the light source of the optical unit and the light source of the road surface drawing unit are configured to be mounted on a common board. Since multiple light sources are arranged on a common board, the number of parts is reduced, and the assembly man-hours can be reduced.

In one embodiment, the optical unit includes a diffusing lens for forming a desired light distribution, and the diffusing lens and the light source of the road surface drawing unit are configured to be arranged on approximately the same vertical plane. According to this embodiment, even if there are multiple light sources, they are configured not to interfere with each other's illumination.

In one embodiment, the optical unit and the road surface drawing unit are configured to perform illumination with related illumination purposes. By linking the purposes, the functional effect is improved.

As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention provides a vehicle lamp with a simple configuration and road surface drawing function.

1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment, in which Fig. 1A is a plan view and Fig. 1B is a side view. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle lamp, with the housing omitted. 4A is a diagram illustrating the optical path of a drawing light source 40. FIG 4B is a plan view showing the drawing pattern projected onto the road surface. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a light distribution projection, showing a light distribution projected from an optical unit onto a virtual screen at a predetermined position in front of a vehicle. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment. This is a modified example. This is a modified example.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. In each drawing, the vehicle and vehicle headlights are described in the following directions (upper: lower: left: right: front: rear = Up: Lo: Le: Ri: Fr: Re) based on the driver's viewpoint inside the vehicle.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a vehicle C equipped with a vehicle lamp 1 according to a first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lamp 1 is a fog lamp mounted at the front of a vehicle C. The vehicle lamp 1 is provided in a pair on the left and right below the headlamp HL.

The vehicle lamp 1 is a headlight (auxiliary lamp) that is mainly turned on when the vehicle C is running in snow or fog. It forms a diffused white or yellow light as the fog lamp light distribution LD1 toward the front of the vehicle C, ensuring the driver's visibility while informing the driver of the presence of the vehicle of the driver of the oncoming vehicle. When the vehicle C starts moving, the vehicle lamp 1 projects a drawing pattern M1 that extends in a line shape consisting of three consecutive rectangles onto the road surface GR in front of the vehicle C as a call notification display. Since the vehicle lamps 1 provided on the left and right sides each project a linear drawing pattern M1 forward, two parallel dotted lines of light extending forward from the vehicle C are projected as the trajectory of the movement of the vehicle C. As a result, even in bad weather with poor visibility such as thick fog, the presence of the vehicle C and the traveling route of the vehicle C are made clear to third parties such as pedestrians in the direction of travel and drivers of oncoming vehicles, and the attention is drawn to them. In order to enhance the effect of attracting attention, the drawing pattern M1 may be made to flash at a predetermined cycle.

In this way, the vehicle lamp 1 has the function of a conventional headlamp, which is to irradiate the fog lamp light distribution LD1, as well as a road surface drawing function, which projects a predetermined drawing pattern M1 onto the road surface GR.

In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 1 is a fog lamp, but the configuration of the present disclosure is not limited to fog lamps and can also be used as headlights such as high beam lamps and low beam lamps, and as marker lamps such as tail lamps, stop lamps, daytime running lamps, clearance lamps, turn signal lamps, and automatic driving indicator lamps.

While headlights such as high beam lamps and low beam lamps have a set light distribution over a specified distance, signal lights only have a set range of maximum luminous intensity and left and right illumination angles. Regardless of whether it is a headlight or a signal light, the form of light that is emitted so as to satisfy the regulations set for each vehicle lamp is referred to as light distribution.

(Configuration of Vehicle Lamp 1)
Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle lamp 1. In Fig. 3, the housing is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp body 2, a lamp cover 4, a fixing member 10, a projection lens 20, a lamp light source 30, a drawing light source 40, and a diffusion lens 50.

The lamp body 2 has an opening at the front, and a lamp cover 4 made of a translucent resin, glass, or the like is attached to the opening of the lamp body 2. The lamp body 2 and the lamp cover 4 form the housing of the vehicle lamp 1, and a lamp chamber S is defined inside the lamp body 2 and the lamp cover 4.

The fixing member 10 is an attachment member for the lamp light source 30, the drawing light source 40, the diffusion lens 50, and the projection lens 20, and its rear side is a heat sink 11. A hole 3 is provided in the center of the rear of the lamp body 2, and the fixing member 10 is fixed to the hole 3 with its front housed in the lamp chamber S and the rear heat sink 11 exposed to the outside through the hole 3. The fixing member 10 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity, and heat generated by the lamp light source 30 and the drawing light source 40 is dissipated to the outside via the heat sink 11.

The drawing light source 40 and the lighting light source 30 emit light when electricity is applied. As the light-emitting element, a semiconductor light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), or an EL (Electro Luminescence) element, or a light bulb, an incandescent lamp (halogen lamp), or a discharge lamp (discharge lamp) can be used. In this embodiment, the lighting light source 30 and the drawing light source 40 use an LED that emits white light. The drawing light source 40 is made up of multiple light-emitting elements (described in detail below).

A protrusion 12 that protrudes forward is formed on the upper front of the fixing member 10, and a drawing light source 40 mounted on a board is attached to the upper front face 13, which is the front face of the protrusion 12, with its light-emitting surface facing forward. In addition, a lamp light source 30 mounted on a board separate from the drawing light source 40 is attached to the lower front face 14, which is the front face of the lower part of the fixing member 10, with its light-emitting surface facing forward. Since the drawing light source 40 is attached to the protrusion 12, it is positioned forward of the lamp light source 30 by the protrusion length of the protrusion 12.

The diffusion lens 50 is a small rectangular diffusion lens with the rear surface as the entrance surface and the front surface as the exit surface. The diffusion lens 50 is provided in front of the lamp light source 30 via the holder 60, and the light emitted from the lamp light source 30 enters through the entrance surface, diffuses it mainly in the left and right directions, and exits from the exit surface. The diffusion lens 50 is an optical component for forming the light distribution pattern of the fog lamp. The holder 60 is attached at its tip to flanges 51 provided on the upper and lower edges of the diffusion lens 50 so as not to interfere with the functions of the diffusion lens 50 and the lamp light source 30, and its rear end is attached to the lower front surface 14, avoiding the lamp light source 30.

The projection lens 20 is a lens in which at least one of the entrance surface and the reflection surface is aspheric. The projection lens 20 is disposed in front of the diffusion lens 50 and the drawing light source 40 via the holder 70, and projects forward the light L2 emitted from the lamp light source 30 and diffused by the diffusion lens 50, and the light L1 emitted from the drawing light source 40.

The vehicle lamp 1 has an optical unit that functions as a headlight (fog lamp) and a road drawing unit that projects a drawing pattern onto the road surface.

The road surface drawing unit is mainly composed of a drawing light source 40 and a projection lens 20. Light L1 emitted from the drawing light source 40 passes through the projection lens 20, the lamp cover 4, and is projected as a drawing pattern M1 onto the road surface GR in front of the vehicle C.

The optical unit is mainly composed of a lamp light source 30, a diffusion lens 50, and a projection lens 20. The light L2 emitted from the lamp light source 30 is diffused by the diffusion lens 50 to form a desired light distribution pattern, and is projected as the fog lamp light distribution LD1 through the projection lens 20 and the lamp cover 4 in front of the vehicle C.

(Optical unit and road marking unit)
The projection of the light distribution LD1 and the drawing pattern M1 by the optical unit and the road surface drawing unit will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the projection of the drawing pattern M1 by the optical unit. Figure 4(A) is a light path diagram of the drawing light source 40, and Figure 4(B) is a plan view showing the drawing pattern projected onto the road surface. Figure 4(B) shows the drawing pattern projected from the vehicle lamp 1 attached to the left of the vehicle C, and the scale of the graph represents the distance from the vehicle lamp 1 attached to the left of the vehicle C. The axis is based on the optical axis Ax of the projection lens 20 of the vehicle lamp 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drawing light source 40 has a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEDs) arranged vertically side by side with the light-emitting surface serving as the front. In this embodiment, the drawing light source 40 has three light-emitting elements, a first light-emitting element 41a, a second light-emitting element 41b, and a third light-emitting element 41c, but the number of light-emitting elements may be three or more.

All of the light-emitting elements 41a, 41b, and 41c have the same light-emitting surface in the shape of a square, and the light L1a, L1b, and L1c emitted from each of the light-emitting elements 41a, 41b, and 41c is projected onto the road surface GR as marks M1a, M1b, and M1c based on the light-emitting surface. Since the light-emitting elements 41a, 41b, and 41c are all positioned above the optical axis Ax, the light emitted from the projection lens 20 is emitted downward from the horizontal plane and projected onto the road surface GR in front of the vehicle C. The light emitted from each light-emitting element and incident on the projection lens becomes larger as it is further above the optical axis Ax, and is projected near the vehicle C as a light-emitting surface shape of a square. Conversely, the closer it is to the optical axis Ax, the smaller the emission angle from the projection lens 20, and the light is projected elongated forward in the projection direction.

That is, the light L1a emitted from the first light-emitting element 41a, which is located at the top and furthest from the optical axis Ax, is projected through the projection lens 20 as a substantially square mark M1a near the vehicle C (approximately 1 m away). The light L1a emitted from the second light-emitting element 41b, which is located below the first light-emitting element 41a, has a smaller emission angle than the light L1a, so it is projected as a substantially rectangular mark M1b that is longer in the projection direction (forward) and spaced a distance H1 farther away (forward) than the mark M1a. The light L1c emitted from the third light-emitting element, which is located closest to the optical axis Ax, has the smallest irradiation angle, so it is projected as a line-shaped mark M1c that extends long forward and spaced a distance H2 farther away than the mark M1b.

The light-emitting elements 41a, 41b, and 41c are all arranged on a vertical plane including the optical axis Ax, and the marks M1a, M1b, and M1c are projected in a line in front of the vehicle C. The distance D1 between the first light-emitting element 41a and the second light-emitting element 41b and the distance D2 between the second light-emitting element 41b and the third light-emitting element 41c are adjusted so that the projected marks M1a, M1b, and M1c do not overlap and the spacing distances H1 and H2 (see FIG. 4B) are equal, and due to the difference in emission angle, the distance D1 is greater than the distance D2 (see FIG. 4A).

With the above configuration, a dotted line-shaped drawing pattern M1 consisting of marks M1a, M1b, and M1c is projected onto the road surface GR. Since marks M1a, M1b, and M1c are spaced apart, the recognition effect as a road surface drawing is high. It is also preferable to dynamically change the drawing pattern M1 by continuously lighting light-emitting elements 41a, 41b, and 41c, thereby increasing the effectiveness of notifying surrounding people of the start of a vehicle.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the projection of the light distribution LD1 by the optical unit. Figure 5 shows the light distribution LD1 of the fog lamp in which the light emitted from the lamp light source 30 is diffused by the diffusion lens 50 and projected onto a virtual screen at a predetermined position in front of the vehicle via the projection lens 20. The explanation will be made using Figures 2 and 5.

Since the light source 30 for the lamp is positioned slightly above the optical axis Ax of the diffusing lens 50, the light L2 incident on the diffusing lens 50 is emitted at a slight downward inclination from the horizontal plane. As described above, the diffusing lens 50 largely diffuses light in the left-right direction, so the screen light distribution projected onto the virtual screen is below the horizontal plane (H line at 0 degrees up-down) and spreads over a wide angle in the left-right direction.

By law, the light distribution of fog lamps is tilted downward from the horizontal by about 1 degree, and a large irradiation angle in the left-right direction is required. In order to form a light distribution that satisfies this, the diffusion lens 50 is configured in a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction, and is a light diffusion lens that diffuses light widely in the left-right direction. The rear focal point Fa of the projection lens 20 is set near the center of the exit surface of the diffusion lens 50, and the light distribution pattern formed by the diffusion lens 50 is projected by the projection lens 20 in front of the vehicle C as the fog lamp light distribution LD1.

As described above, the road surface drawing unit and the optical unit share the projection lens 20, and both the light distribution LD1 and the drawing pattern M1 are projected forward of the vehicle C via the projection lens 20. By using a common projection lens 20 for both units rather than individual projection lenses for each unit, space is saved and the size of the vehicle lamp can be reduced.

The road surface drawing unit of this embodiment adjusts the shape and arrangement of the drawing light source 40, which is made up of multiple light-emitting elements 41a to 41c, and uses the light-emitting surfaces of the light-emitting elements 41a to 41c to form and project the drawing pattern M1. This eliminates the need for components to form the drawing pattern M1, and allows the desired drawing pattern M1 to be projected by turning on the drawing light source 40, resulting in a simple configuration and easy control. In addition, the number of parts is reduced, helping to save space.

The formation of the drawing pattern to be projected onto the road surface is not limited to this embodiment, but the desired drawing pattern may be formed by placing a shade with slits of the desired drawing pattern in front of the light source.

The rear focal point Fa of the projection lens 20 is located near the center of the exit surface of the diffusion lens 50, and the drawing light source 40 is placed approximately vertically above this rear focal point Fa (see the two-dot chain line in Figure 2). This is to prevent two light sources with different purposes from adversely affecting each other, and by placing them vertically, for example, it is possible to prevent the light emitted from the diffusion lens 50 from being blocked by the substrate of the drawing light source 40, and also to prevent the light from the drawing light source 40 from entering the diffusion lens 50 and emitting unintended light.

Since the lamp light source 30 is positioned slightly above the optical axis Ax of the diffusion lens 50, the light distribution LD1 is projected slightly downward from the horizontal plane in front of the vehicle C. The drawing light source 40 is positioned even higher and is projected downward from the horizontal plane. The light emitted from the projection lens 20 is emitted downward from the horizontal plane, preventing glare. In addition, the projection angle is increased by adjusting the positioning, and the drawing pattern M1 is projected at a desired proximity distance (approximately 1 m to 10 m) of the vehicle C. In this way, in this embodiment, the overall number of components is reduced and the entire system is arranged compactly, saving space and improving functionality.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Components having the same configuration as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp 101 according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 6, the holder 60 for mounting the diffusion lens 50 is omitted. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the vehicle lamp 101. In Fig. 7, the housing is omitted.

The vehicle lamp 101 includes a fixing member 110 to which the lamp light source 30, the drawing light source 40, the projection lens 20, and the diffusion lens 50 are attached. Unlike the fixing member 10 of the first embodiment, the fixing member 110 does not have a protrusion 12, and its front surface is an inclined surface 118 that is inclined forward at a predetermined angle from the vertical. The lamp light source 30 and the drawing light source 40 are attached to the inclined surface 118.

The projection lens 20 is disposed in front of the lamp light source 30 and the drawing light source 40, and is attached to the inclined surface 118 via a holder 70. A diffusion lens 50 is disposed between the lamp light source 30 and the projection lens 20, and is attached to the inclined surface 118 via a holder 60. The flanges 51 of the diffusion lens 50 extend from the left and right ends of the diffusion lens 50, and the holder 60 is disposed so as to sandwich the lamp light source 30 from the left and right, and does not interfere with the illumination of the lamp light source 30.

With the above configuration, the road surface drawing unit and the optical unit are arranged in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment, and therefore the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Here, the lamp light source 30 and the drawing light source 40 are arranged on the same plane, and therefore are mounted on the same board and attached to the inclined surface 118. By mounting the lamp light source 30 and the drawing light source 40 on the same plane, both the lamp light source 30 and the drawing light source 40 can be mounted on a common board. By reducing the number of parts, the number of installation steps can be reduced, and workability is improved.

(Modification)
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. Modifications are shown in Figs.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp 1A, which is a modified example of the vehicle lamp 1. In the vehicle lamp 1A, the lamp light source 30 is attached to the underside 19 of the protrusion 12 with the light-emitting surface facing down. A reflector 90, whose inner surface is a light-reflecting surface, is disposed below the lamp light source 30. The optical unit of the vehicle lamp 1A is composed of the lamp light source 30, the reflector 90, and the projection lens 20. The light L2 emitted from the lamp light source 30 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflector 90 to form a predetermined light distribution pattern, and is irradiated as the fog lamp light distribution LD1 in front of the vehicle C via the projection lens 20. In this way, other conventionally known configurations may be used for the configuration of the optical unit and the road surface drawing unit.

The road surface drawing unit of the vehicle lamp 1A is tilted by the irradiation angle of the drawing pattern M1. That is, the drawing light source 40 (upper front surface 13 for mounting) and the projection lens 20 are tilted forward from the vertical by the irradiation angle. The optical axis Ax of the projection lens 20 is configured to pass through the drawing light source 40, and the light emitted from the drawing light source 40 is projected onto the road surface GR as the drawing pattern M1 with a clearer outline.

9 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle C equipped with a modified vehicle lamp 1B. The vehicle lamp 1B is a front turn signal lamp that is attached to the front of the vehicle C and functions as a marker lamp when the vehicle C changes its traveling direction to the left or right. For example, when the vehicle C moves to the right, the vehicle lamp 1B attached to the right of the vehicle C forms amber-colored diffused light as the light distribution LD2 of the turn signal lamp toward the front of the vehicle C and blinks it to inform the drivers of oncoming vehicles and drivers of vehicles along the traveling path that the vehicle C is moving to the right. For this reason, an amber-colored LED is used for the lamp light source 30 of the optical unit of the vehicle lamp 1B. At the same time, the vehicle lamp 1B projects a drawing pattern M1 consisting of three consecutive rectangles onto the road surface GR on the front right, allowing pedestrians and others in the traveling direction to recognize the traveling path of the vehicle C and to call their attention.

In addition to its function as a conventional turn signal lamp, the vehicle lamp 1B also has a road surface drawing function, and the two illuminations have related purposes. Both the light distribution LD2 and the drawing pattern M1 illuminate with the same purpose of "informing those in the vicinity that the vehicle C is moving to the right and drawing their attention," and the vehicle lamp 1B enhances the functional effect by illuminating the two functions in a related manner.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and these can be combined based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such combinations are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Vehicle lamp 20: Projection lens 30: Lamp light source 40: Drawing light source 50: Diffusion lens Ax: Optical axis L1, L2: Light LD1: Light distribution M1: Drawing pattern

Claims (4)

A vehicle lamp that has a road marking function in addition to its function as a headlight or signal light,
It is composed of an optical unit that functions as a headlight or a marker light, and a road surface drawing unit that functions to project a drawing pattern onto the road surface,
The optical unit and the road surface drawing unit are irradiated through a common projection lens.Go,
The optical unit includes a diffusing lens for forming a desired light distribution,
The diffusing lens and the light source of the road surface drawing unit are disposed on substantially the same vertical plane,

The center of the exit surface of the diffusing lens is disposed near the focal point of the projection lens.
A vehicle lamp with a road surface drawing function characterized by: the optical unit is disposed near the optical axis of the projection lens, and the road surface drawing unit is disposed above the optical unit.
2. A vehicle lamp having a road surface drawing function according to claim 1. The light source of the optical unit and the light source of the road surface drawing unit are mounted on a common substrate.
3. A vehicle lamp having a road surface drawing function according to claim 1 or 2. The optical unit and the road surface drawing unit perform illumination related to an illumination purpose.
4. A vehicle lamp having a road surface drawing function according to claim 1.