JP7628050B2 - Vehicle lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

For example, a vehicle lamp such as a vehicle headlamp includes a light source, a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light source in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a shade that blocks (cuts) a portion of the light reflected by the reflector, and a projection lens that projects the light that has been partially cut by the shade in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

In such vehicle lamps, the light source image defined by the front edge of the shade is inverted and projected by a projection lens to form a low beam light distribution pattern that includes a cutoff line at the top edge.

In addition, in vehicle lighting, a separate light source that emits light in the direction the vehicle is traveling is placed below the shade, and the light emitted by this light source is projected by a projection lens as a driving beam (high beam), forming a high beam light distribution pattern above the low beam light distribution pattern.

In the vehicle lamp described in the following Patent Document 1, instead of the reflector and shade described above, it is proposed to form a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern using a projection lens that projects the light emitted from two light sources, one above and one below, in the same direction.

JP 2018-174159 A

However, in the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, the two light sources, one above the other, are arranged at different angles to the projection lens. This means that the two light sources, one above the other, cannot be arranged next to each other, which causes the vehicle lamp to become large.

The present invention was proposed in light of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that provides a good light distribution pattern while also enabling further miniaturization.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
[1] A first light source that emits a first light;
a second light source disposed adjacent to the first light source and configured to emit a second light in the same direction as the first light;
a projection lens that projects the first light and the second light in the same direction;
The projection lens has a first entrance portion located on a side facing the first light source;
a second incident portion located on a side opposite to the second light source;
an exit portion located on the opposite side to the first entrance portion and the second entrance portion;
a slit formed between the first incident portion and the second incident portion ,
the emission portion includes a first emission surface located on the same side as the first incident portion in a first direction in which the first incident portion and the second incident portion are aligned, and a second emission surface located on the same side as the second incident portion,
the first emission surface is configured by a lens surface that is curved convexly in the first direction and curved concavely in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second light exit surface is configured by a lens surface that is convexly curved in the first direction and convexly curved in the second direction .
[2] The vehicle lamp described in [1], characterized in that a focal point of a lens surface constituting the first exit surface and a focal point of a lens surface constituting the second exit surface are at different positions from each other in a direction along the optical axis of the second light emitted from the second light source.
[3] The projection lens includes a first reflecting surface located on one side of the slit and configured to reflect a part of the first light incident from the first incident portion;
a second reflecting surface located on the other side of the slit and configured to reflect a portion of the second light incident from the second incident portion,
The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are butted against each other at a bottom of the slit.
[4] A first light source that emits a first light;
a second light source disposed adjacent to the first light source and configured to emit a second light in the same direction as the first light;
a projection lens that projects the first light and the second light in the same direction;
The projection lens has a first entrance portion located on a side facing the first light source;
a second incident portion located on a side opposite to the second light source;
an exit portion located on the opposite side to the first entrance portion and the second entrance portion;
a slit formed between the first incident portion and the second incident portion;
a first reflecting surface located on one side of the slit and configured to reflect a portion of the first light incident from the first incident portion;
a second reflecting surface located on the other side of the slit and configured to reflect a portion of the second light incident from the second incident portion,
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are butted against each other at a bottom of the slit.
[5] The first incident portion includes a first incident surface formed of a plane,
The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims [1] to [4], wherein the second incident portion includes a second incident surface formed of a flat surface.
[6] The vehicular lamp according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the first light source and the second light source are provided on the same surface of the same substrate.
[7] The first light projected by the projection lens forms a first light distribution pattern including a cutoff line formed by a bottom of the slit at an upper end thereof,
The vehicle lamp described in any one of [1] to [6], characterized in that the second light projected by the projection lens forms a second light distribution pattern located above the first light distribution pattern.

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to provide a vehicle lamp that has a good light distribution pattern and allows for further miniaturization.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion A shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the shape of a cutoff line. 2 is a light path diagram showing the light paths of a first light and a second light in a transverse section and a longitudinal section of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a low-beam light distribution pattern formed on a surface of a virtual vertical screen by a first light of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a high beam light distribution pattern formed on a surface of a virtual vertical screen by the second light of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed on the surface of a virtual vertical screen by the wide light of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed on the surface of a virtual vertical screen by spot light of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 . 12 is a rear view showing the configuration of the projection lens shown in FIG. 11.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the drawings used in the following description, in order to make each component easier to see, the dimensions of the components may be shown at different scales, and the dimensional ratios of each component may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

As an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a vehicle lamp 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 will be described.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the vehicle lamp 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle lamp 1 as viewed from the front side. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view enlarging a circled portion A shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the shape of a cut-off line CL.

In addition, in the drawings shown below, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set, with the X-axis direction representing the front-to-rear direction (length direction) of the vehicle lamp 1, the Y-axis direction representing the left-to-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle lamp 1, and the Z-axis direction representing the up-to-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle lamp 1.

Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the respective directions when viewing the vehicle lamp 1 from the front (front of the vehicle).

The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is a saddle-type vehicle lamp mounted in the front center of a saddle-type vehicle (not shown), such as a motorcycle or three-wheeled vehicle, and is a vehicle headlamp that can switch between low beam and high beam and illuminates the front of the vehicle.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, this vehicle lamp 1 includes, inside the lamp body (not shown), a first light source 2 that emits a first light L1, a second light source 3 that emits a second light L2, and a projection lens 4 that projects the first light L1 and the second light L2.

The lamp body is composed of a housing with an opening at the front and a transparent cover lens (outer lens) that covers the opening of the housing. Inside the lamp body, a lens holder that holds the projection lens 4, which acts as the inner lens, and an extension that covers the periphery of the front side of the projection lens 4 can be placed. The shape of the lamp body can be changed as appropriate to suit the design of the vehicle, etc.

The first light source 2 and the second light source 3 are, for example, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit white light. Note that, for the first light source 2 and the second light source 3, in addition to the above-mentioned LEDs, light-emitting elements such as laser diodes (LDs) can also be used.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 are arranged adjacent to each other in the vertical direction (height direction) of the vehicle lamp 1. Of these, one LED constituting the first light source 2 is arranged on the upper side, and one LED constituting the second light source 3 is arranged on the lower side.

The first light source 2 and the second light source 3 are mounted on one surface (the front surface in this embodiment) of a circuit board 5 on which a drive circuit for driving each LED is provided. As a result, the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 radially emit the first light L1 and the second light L2 forward. In other words, the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 are provided on the same surface of the same circuit board 5, and are configured to radially emit the first light L1 and the second light L2 in the same direction.

In this embodiment, the LEDs constituting the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 described above and the drive circuit for driving the LEDs are mounted on the circuit board 5. However, the mounting board on which the LEDs are mounted and the circuit board on which the drive circuit for driving the LEDs is provided may be separately arranged, and the mounting board and the circuit board may be electrically connected via a wiring cord called a harness to protect the drive circuit from heat generated by the LEDs.

In addition, in this embodiment, a heat sink for dissipating heat generated by the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 may be attached to the other side (the back side in this embodiment) of the circuit board 5.

The projection lens 4 has a first entrance section 6 located on the side facing the first light source 2, a second entrance section 7 located on the side facing the second light source 3, an exit section 8 located on the opposite side to the first entrance section 6 and the second entrance section 7, and a slit 9 that cuts between the first entrance section 6 and the second entrance section 7.

The projection lens 4 is a polyhedral lens body that gradually expands and extends from the rear side, where the first entrance part 6 and the second entrance part 7 are located, to the front side, where the exit part 8 is located.

The projection lens 4 can be made of a material with a higher refractive index than air, such as transparent resins such as polycarbonate and acrylic, or glass. If transparent resin is used for the projection lens 4, the projection lens 4 can be formed by injection molding using a mold.

The first incident section 6 has a first incident surface 6a formed of a flat surface. In the first incident section 6, the first light L1 emitted from the first light source 2 is incident on the first incident surface 6a into the inside of the projection lens 4. The first light L1 incident on the first incident surface 6a (first incident section 6) into the inside of the projection lens 4 is guided towards the exit section 8.

The second incident section 7 has a second incident surface 7a formed of a flat surface. In the second incident section 7, the second light L2 emitted from the second light source 3 is incident on the second incident surface 7a into the inside of the projection lens 4. The second light L2 incident on the second incident surface 7a (second incident section 7) into the inside of the projection lens 4 is guided toward the exit section 8.

As shown in FIG. 4, the projection lens 4 has a first reflecting surface 10a located on one side (upper) of the slit 9, and a second reflecting surface 10b located on the other side (lower) of the slit 9. The first reflecting surface 10a and the second reflecting surface 10b are butted against each other at the bottom of the slit 9.

That is, the first reflecting surface 10a and the second reflecting surface 10b are formed by a slit 9 with a substantially V-shaped cross section that cuts out the rear side of the projection lens 4 in the horizontal direction (width direction).

The first reflecting surface 10a reflects a portion of the first light L1 incident from the first incident surface 6a (first incident portion 6) toward the output portion 8. On the other hand, the second reflecting surface 10b reflects a portion of the second light L incident from the second incident surface 7a (second incident portion 7) toward the output portion 8.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the exit section 8 has a first exit surface 8a located on the same side (upper side) as the first entrance section 6 in the first direction (height direction) in which the first entrance section 6 and the second entrance section 7 are aligned, and a second exit surface 8b located on the same side (lower side) as the second entrance section 7. In addition, a step section 8c is provided between the first exit surface 8a and the second exit surface 8b, extending in the second direction (width direction), with the second exit surface 8b recessed from the first exit surface 8a.

The first exit surface 8a is configured with a spherical or aspherical lens surface that is convexly curved in a first direction (height direction) and concavely curved in a second direction (width direction) perpendicular to the first direction.

The second exit surface 8b is configured with a spherical or aspherical lens surface that is convexly curved in the first direction (height direction) and convexly curved in the second direction (width direction).

Furthermore, the focal point S1 of the lens surface constituting the first exit surface 8a and the focal point S2 of the lens surface constituting the second exit surface 8b are at different positions in the direction along the optical axis of the second light L2 emitted from the second light source 3.

Specifically, in a cross section (longitudinal cross section) of the vehicle lamp 1A shown in FIG. 4 taken along the first direction (vertical direction), the focus S2 of the second light exit surface 8b is located further back than the focus S1 of the first light exit surface 8a. The focus S1 of the first light exit surface is located near the bottom of the slit 9.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first light L1 is focused by the first exit surface 8a in a first direction (vertical direction) and diffused in a second direction (horizontal direction) at the exit unit 8, and is then emitted to the outside of the projection lens 4.

On the other hand, in the emission section 8, the first light L1 and the second light L2 are focused in a first direction (vertical direction) by the second emission surface 8b, and are then focused in a second direction (horizontal direction) while being emitted to the outside of the projection lens 4.

The first light L1 and the second light L2 emitted from the first exit surface 8a and the second exit surface 8b (exit portion 8) to the outside of the projection lens 4 are projected toward the front of the vehicle lamp 1.

The surfaces that make up the projection lens 4 and that are not shown or described can be freely designed (e.g., shielded) as long as they do not adversely affect the first light L1 and second light L2 guided inside the projection lens 4.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment having the above configuration, the first light L1 emitted from the first light source 2 is projected by the projection lens 4 toward the front of the vehicle as a passing beam (low beam). This makes it possible to form a low beam light distribution pattern (first light distribution pattern) that includes a cutoff line formed by the bottom of the slit 9 at the upper end.

The cutoff line formed by the bottom of the slit 9 can be a symmetrical cutoff line CL that extends linearly in the second direction (horizontal direction) for two-wheeled vehicles as shown in FIG. 5(a), or an asymmetrical cutoff line CL that extends with a step in the second direction (horizontal direction) for four-wheeled vehicles as shown in FIG. 5(b).

On the other hand, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the second light L2 emitted from the second light source 3 is projected as a driving beam (high beam) toward the front of the vehicle by the projection lens 4. This makes it possible to form a high beam light distribution pattern (second light distribution pattern) above the low beam light distribution pattern.

Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the optical paths of the first light L1 and the second light L2 in a cross section (longitudinal cross section) along the first direction (vertical direction) and a cross section (transverse cross section) along the second direction (horizontal direction) for this vehicle lamp 1.

In FIG. 6, in the transverse and longitudinal sections of the vehicle lamp 1, the optical path of the first light L1 is shown as "LOW", the optical path of the second light L2 (wide light L21) emitted from the first emission surface 8a is shown as "HI WIDE", and the optical path of the second light L2 (spot light L22) emitted from the second emission surface 8b is shown as "HI SPOT".

The first light L1 emitted from the first light source 2 is incident on the first entrance surface 6a (first entrance section 6) of the projection lens 4, and then emitted from the first exit surface 8a of the exit section 8, thereby forming the low beam light distribution pattern described above.

The second light L2 emitted from the second light source 3 is incident on the second entrance surface 7a (second entrance section 7) of the projection lens 4, and then emitted from the first exit surface 8a and the second exit surface 8b of the exit section 8, thereby forming the above-mentioned high beam light distribution pattern.

Of these, the second light L2 emitted from the first exit surface 8a is a light component that is not reflected by the second reflecting surface 10b and travels directly from the second entrance surface 7a (second entrance portion 7) to the first exit surface 8a. Since it is emitted from the first exit surface 8a while being diffused, it becomes wide light L21 that expands the high beam light distribution pattern in the second direction (width direction).

On the other hand, the second light L2 emitted from the second exit surface 8b is a light component that is reflected by the second reflecting surface 10b and then travels toward the second exit surface 8b. Since the second light L2 is emitted from the second exit surface 8b while being concentrated, it becomes spot light L22 that brightens the central portion (distant) of the high beam light distribution pattern.

Furthermore, for the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the light source images when the first light L1 and the second light L2 are projected onto a virtual vertical screen directly facing the projection lens 4 are shown in Figures 7 to 10.

Note that FIG. 7 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a low beam light distribution pattern formed on the surface of a virtual vertical screen by the first light L1. FIG. 8 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a high beam light distribution pattern formed on the surface of a virtual vertical screen by the second light L2. FIG. 9 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed on the surface of a virtual vertical screen by the wide light L21, among the high beam light distribution patterns shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a luminous intensity distribution diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed on the surface of a virtual vertical screen by the spot light L22, among the high beam light distribution patterns shown in FIG. 8.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 7 to 10, the first light L1 and the second light L2 emitted from the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 described above are projected by the projection lens 4, making it possible to obtain a good low beam light distribution pattern and a good high beam light distribution pattern.

In addition, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the first light source 2 and the second light source 3 described above are arranged adjacent to each other, which makes it possible to further reduce the size of the vehicle lamp 1.

The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment may constitute an adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlamp that variably controls the light distribution pattern of light projected forward of the vehicle. The ADB is a technology that uses an on-board camera to recognize preceding vehicles, oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, etc., and expands the driver's forward visibility at night without dazzling the driver or pedestrians in front.

When the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment constitutes an ADB, for example, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, multiple second light sources 3 are arranged side by side in the second direction (width direction). Also, in the second entrance portion 7, second entrance surfaces 7a corresponding to each of the multiple second light sources 3 are arranged side by side in the second direction (width direction).

Furthermore, in the second entrance section 7, slits 11 that are cut in the first direction (height direction) between adjacent second entrance surfaces 7a are arranged side by side in the second direction (width direction). This forms a pair of reflecting surfaces 12a, 12b on both sides of the slit 11. The pair of reflecting surfaces 12a, 12b are butted against each other at the bottom of the slit 11.

As a result, in the second entrance section 7, the second light L2 emitted from each second light source 3 can be incident into the inside of the projection lens 4 from each second entrance surface 7a. In addition, in the second entrance section 7, a part of the second light L2 incident from each second entrance surface 7a can be reflected toward the exit section 8 by a pair of reflecting surfaces 12a, 12b.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle headlamp of a saddle-type vehicle such as the above-mentioned motorcycle or three-wheeled vehicle, but the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle headlamp mounted on both corners of the front end of a vehicle such as a four-wheeled automobile.

1...vehicle lamp 2...first light source 3...second light source 4...projection lens 5...circuit board 6...first entrance 6a...first entrance surface 7...second entrance 7a...second entrance surface 8...exit 8a...first exit surface 8b...second exit surface 9...slit 10a...first reflecting surface 10b...second reflecting surface 11...slit 12a, 12b...reflecting surface S1...focus of first exit surface S2...focus of second exit surface L1...first light (passing beam/low beam) L2...second light (driving beam/high beam) L21...wide light L22...spot light

Claims (7)

A first light source that emits a first light;
a second light source disposed adjacent to the first light source and configured to emit a second light in the same direction as the first light;
a projection lens that projects the first light and the second light in the same direction;
The projection lens has a first entrance portion located on a side facing the first light source;
a second incident portion located on a side opposite to the second light source;
an exit portion located on the opposite side to the first entrance portion and the second entrance portion;
a slit formed between the first incident portion and the second incident portion,
the emission portion includes a first emission surface located on the same side as the first incident portion in a first direction in which the first incident portion and the second incident portion are aligned, and a second emission surface located on the same side as the second incident portion,
the first emission surface is configured by a lens surface that is curved convexly in the first direction and curved concavely in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second light exit surface is configured by a lens surface that is convexly curved in the first direction and convexly curved in the second direction . 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein a focal point of a lens surface constituting the first exit surface and a focal point of a lens surface constituting the second exit surface are at different positions from each other in a direction along an optical axis of the second light emitted from the second light source. the projection lens includes a first reflecting surface located on one side of the slit and configured to reflect a part of the first light incident from the first incident portion;
a second reflecting surface located on the other side of the slit and configured to reflect a portion of the second light incident from the second incident portion,
3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are butted against each other at a bottom of the slit. A first light source that emits a first light;
a second light source disposed adjacent to the first light source and configured to emit a second light in the same direction as the first light;
a projection lens that projects the first light and the second light in the same direction;
The projection lens has a first entrance portion located on a side facing the first light source;
a second incident portion located on a side opposite to the second light source;
an exit portion located on the opposite side to the first entrance portion and the second entrance portion;
a slit formed between the first incident portion and the second incident portion;
a first reflecting surface located on one side of the slit and configured to reflect a portion of the first light incident from the first incident portion;
a second reflecting surface located on the other side of the slit and configured to reflect a portion of the second light incident from the second incident portion,
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are butted against each other at a bottom of the slit. the first incident portion includes a first incident surface formed of a flat surface,
5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second incident portion includes a second incident surface formed of a flat surface. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first light source and the second light source are provided on the same surface of the same substrate. a first light projected by the projection lens forms a first light distribution pattern including a cutoff line formed by a bottom of the slit at an upper end thereof;
The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second light projected by the projection lens forms a second light distribution pattern located above the first light distribution pattern.

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