JP2008258037A - Headlight for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headlight for a vehicle capable of improving a signal lamp function in a limited front projected area and visibility at a lower zone. <P>SOLUTION: In the combination type headlight for a vehicle in which a plurality of functional lamps are integrally assembled in a lamp room 7 formed of a lamp body 5 and transparent lens covers 6 mounted to a front end opening of the lamp body 5 by slanting to an optical axis, The headlight has a light source 17 for emitting signal light, and a light guide plate 4 in which the light of the light source 17 is incident and the light is guided to the other end with internal reflection and a part of the guided light is projected forward, and a light guide 21 is arranged along the internal surface of the lens cover 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp, and more particularly to a combination type vehicle headlamp in which lamps having a plurality of functions are combined.

  The vehicle headlamp has a plurality of functions such as a headlamp, a front turn signal lamp, and a front clearance lamp in a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a transparent cover attached to the front end opening. There is a combination type headlamp in which a lamp is integrated (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this combination-type headlamp, a light source, a reflector, and the like are required for each of the multiple function lamps arranged in the lamp body. There is a problem of becoming.

  In addition, in a headlamp in which a lamp having a plurality of functions is stacked vertically, the lower region in the lamp body projects forward from the upper region due to the matching with the streamlined design of the front part of the automobile body, and the front end opening and the The lens cover attached to the front end opening must be slanted (tilted) with respect to the optical axis.

Further, in the vehicle headlamp disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to reduce the size, a light emitting element such as an LED (light emitting diode) is used as a light source of a front clearance lamp, and light emitted from the LED is made of a transparent material. Illumination is performed such that light is guided from behind the light cover into the light-transmitting cover and transmitted toward the front of the light-transmitting cover. In this structure, a translucent cover for the front clearance lamp is disposed in a lower region in the lamp body.
JP 2006-236588 A

  However, in a headlamp in which lamps having a plurality of functions are stacked one above the other as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the lower region in the lamp body projects forward from the upper region, and the front end opening and the front end opening Since the lens cover attached to the part has to be slanted with respect to the optical axis, the front projection area with respect to the lamp area tends to decrease.

  For this reason, each function in the lamp chamber is forced to be set with the minimum required front projection area that satisfies the light distribution stipulated by laws and regulations, and of course, the front clearance lamp is arranged in the lower area in the lamp body. The size of the translucent cover for use must be reduced. Therefore, it is desired to incorporate a signal lamp in a front clearance lamp or the like that satisfies the light distribution defined by laws and regulations with a minimum size.

  Further, when the slanted shape is large, the lower region portion is exposed to the outside through the lens cover, and there is a problem that the appearance of the appearance is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to improve the function of the signal lamp and improve the visibility of the lower region within a limited front projection area. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular headlamp that can be used.

  The vehicle headlamp according to the present invention has a plurality of functions in a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a transparent lens cover that is attached to the front end opening of the lamp body by slanting with respect to the optical axis. A vehicle headlamp of a combination type in which a lamp is integrated, and a light source that emits signal light, and the light from the light source is incident on the other end side by internal reflection. A light guide plate that includes a light guide body that guides light and emits part of the light in the middle of the light guide forward. According to this configuration, the light from the light source can be uniformly illuminated by the light guide to satisfy the function of the signal lamp.

  The light guide is arranged along the inner surface of the lens cover. According to this configuration, since the light guide is disposed along the inner surface of the lens cover, light emitted forward from the light guide passes through the lens cover and exits to the outside. Thereby, there is no light loss, and it is possible to see a bright and bright light guide from the outside.

  In the above configuration, an inner panel that partitions the lamps having the plurality of functions is provided, and a part of the light emitted from the light guide is indirectly distributed through the surface reflection of the inner panel. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, a part of the light emitted from the light guide is in the form of an indirect light distribution through the surface reflection of the inner panel, and a part of the light directly emitted from the light guide. There is little light loss because Thereby, even if it is a small front projection area, bright signal light is obtained. In addition, by reflecting a part of the light on the surface of the inner panel and indirectly distributing the light, the inner panel is visually recognized from the outside as if it is shining, the appearance is improved, and the lower region portion, etc. Visibility is also increased. Further, the inner panel is a spherical inner panel, and the light guide has a rod-like curved shape. According to this configuration, the light guide can correspond to the shape of the spherical inner panel, and the light guided by the light guide can be uniformly emitted to improve visibility.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The structure which forms the cross-sectional area gradually small as the distance from the said light source becomes optically far can be employ | adopted for the said light guide.

  According to this configuration, the amount of guided light gradually decreases as the distance from the light source increases, but the light density does not change because the cross-sectional area also decreases accordingly. Thereby, the light guide shines with uniform brightness from the light source side to the tip side.

  According to the present invention, since the loss of light emitted forward from the light guide is small, the bright light guide can be seen from the outside within the limited front projection area, and the signal lamp Can be improved. In addition, by reflecting a part of the light on the surface of the inner panel, it is visually recognized from the outside as if the inner panel itself is shining, and the appearance is improved and the visibility of the lower region portion and the like is also improved. Rise. Furthermore, since the light guide can be illuminated with uniform brightness from the light source side to the tip side, further improvement in appearance can be expected.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a combination headlamp for an automobile to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  The combination type headlamp 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on the right side as viewed from the driver side in the traveling direction of the automobile. In addition, the combination type headlamp mounted on the left side is reversed to the left and right with respect to the illustrated combination type headlamp.

  The combination type headlamp 1 includes a traveling beam lamp (high beam lamp) 2 having the function of a headlamp disposed on the center side of the front portion of the automobile, and a low beam lamp (low beam lamp) disposed on the side side. ) 3 and a function of a signal lamp, that is, a clearance lamp, which is arranged on each side of the traveling beam lamp 2 and the passing beam lamp 3 so that the vehicle can be seen from the front during night driving. Are combined from a plurality (three in this example) of light guide plates 4, 4, 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the combination type headlamp 1 includes a lamp body 5 and a transparent lens cover 6 attached to the front opening of the lamp body 5 by slanting with respect to the optical axis (not shown in FIG. 1). A lamp chamber 7 is defined, and the traveling beam lamp 2, the passing beam lamp 3, and the light guide plates 4 and 4 are arranged in the lamp chamber 7 as shown in FIG. In the lamp chamber 7, an inner panel 8 (or an inner housing or an extension), a light source 9, a reflector 10, and an inner lens 11 for the passing beam lamp 3, a light source unit 12, a reflector 13, and a light guide plate 4 are provided. 4 and 4 are respectively arranged.

  The inner panel 8 is a partition wall that partitions the interior of the lamp chamber 7 between the traveling beam lamp 2 and the passing beam lamp 3 according to function. The inner panel 8 is caused to transmit light from the reflector 13 for the traveling beam lamp 2 and light from the reflector 10 for the passing beam lamp 3 and the inner lens 11 through the lens cover 6 and irradiate outside. An opening 14 for the traveling beam lamp 2 and an opening 15 for the passing beam lamp 3, which have a substantially circular cylindrical shape when viewed from the front, are provided. The space between the traveling beam lamp 2 and the passing beam lamp 3 is covered with an appropriate fixing means so as to cover the space between the traveling beam lamp 2 and the passing beam lamp 3, and the internal structure such as a reflector in the lamp chamber 7 is fixed from the lens cover 6. The optical axis adjusting mechanism, the wiring mechanism, and the like arranged at the rear portions of 10 and 13 are concealed so as not to be seen.

  Further, in the gap between at least the front side of the inner panel 8 (the side facing the lens cover 6 or the side visible through the lens cover 6) and the inner surface of the lamp body 5, the inner panel 8 and the lamp body 5 and the lens An auxiliary lamp chamber 16 defined by the cover 6 is provided. At least the surface of the inner panel 8 in the auxiliary lamp chamber 16 is provided with a mirror surface such as aluminum vapor deposition or silver paint.

  The light guide plate 4 forms a clearance lamp in the auxiliary lamp chamber 16 and includes a light source 17 and a light guide 21.

  The configuration of the light guide plate 4 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a light incident portion of the light guide plate 4. The light source 17 is, for example, an LED (light emitting diode), is mounted on a substrate 18 attached to the lamp body 5, and is disposed in a state of being hidden by the inner panel 8 at a lower portion in the lamp chamber 7. The lighting control of the light source 17 is executed by an operation from the driver's seat of the vehicle.

  The light guide 21 is an elongated shape having a substantially square cross section formed of a translucent material made of glass or synthetic resin (for example, polycarbonate resin, methacrylic resin, polymethyl methacrylate resin, etc.), and bends appropriately. It is the made rod-shaped light guide lens. The front side of the light guide 21 (the side facing the lens cover 6 or the side visible through the lens cover 6) is a light emitting surface 21a that emits light, the back surface is a diffusely reflecting surface 21b, and both left and right side surfaces 21c and 21c. The surface is also allowed to leak light to create light for indirect light distribution. Further, in order to perform irregular reflection well on the irregular reflection surface 21b, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the back surface of the light guide 21 (diffuse reflection surface 21b) is partially enlarged, and a large number of cones are formed. Prism processing or embossing provided with a concave portion 23 is provided over almost the entire surface. The prism shape of the recess 23 may be not only a quadrangular pyramid but also a polygonal pyramid or a cone.

  The light guide 21 has one end portion of the light guide 21, that is, one end surface intersecting the light emitting surface 21 a as a light incident surface 22 on which the tip light emitting portion 17 a of the light source 17 is disposed to face the light incident surface 21. A light source accommodation chamber 24 in which the tip light emitting portion 17 a of the light source 17 is accommodated is provided on the surface 22. Further, the light guide 21 is tapered from the light incident surface 22 toward the other end side, that is, the cross-sectional area gradually decreases as the distance from the light incident surface 22 increases optically. Is formed.

  The light guide 21 configured as described above is configured such that a part of the tip light emitting portion 17a of the light source 17 is accommodated in the light source accommodating chamber 24 in the lower part in the lamp chamber 7 where the light source 17 is disposed. The light entrance surface 22 on the side is connected to the light source 17, exposed from the lower part of the lamp chamber 7 to the front surface of the inner panel 8, and the inner surface of the lens cover 6 is put to almost the upper end of the lamp chamber 7. It is provided to be curved so as to extend further toward the inner portion (rear end portion) in the auxiliary lamp chamber 16, and is fixed to the lamp body 5 by appropriate fixing means.

  When the light source 17 is turned on, the light emitted from the light source 17 spreads radially and enters the light guide 21 from the light incident surface 22, and this is repeatedly diffused and guided toward the other end. On the way, a part of the light passes through the lens cover 6 from the front light emitting surface 17 and exits to the outside (direct light distribution indicated by reference numeral 25 in FIG. 2). At the same time, part of the light leaks from both the left and right side surfaces 21c and 21c, and is reflected by the outer surface forming the mirror surface of the inner panel 8 to provide indirect light distribution (indicated by reference numeral 26 in FIG. 2). The light passes through the lens cover 6 and is emitted to the outside. Thereby, the direct light distribution 25 by the light guide 21 and the indirect light distribution 26 in the auxiliary lamp chamber 16 reflected by the inner panel 8 are used as a signal lamp such as a clearance lamp.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 according to the present embodiment, since the light guide 21 is arranged along the inner surface of the lens cover 6, the light is emitted forward from the light guide 21. The light immediately passes through the lens cover and goes out. Thereby, there is no light loss, and the light guide 21 shining brightly from the outside can be seen, and the function of the signal lamp can be improved.

  Further, the light leaking from the left and right side surfaces 21c, 21c of the light guide 21 is reflected by the mirror surface of the inner panel 8, and is transmitted to the outside through the lens cover 6 as an indirect light distribution 26. Therefore, there is little loss of light. Thereby, even for a small front projection area, bright signal light can be obtained. In addition, by reflecting a part of the light on the mirror surface of the inner panel 8 and indirectly distributing the light, the inner panel 8 itself is shined and visually recognized from the outside, the appearance is improved, and the lower region portion is visually recognized. The nature will also increase.

  Furthermore, since the cross-sectional area of the light guide 21 is tapered so that it gradually decreases as the distance from the light source 17 increases, the distance from the light source 17 increases and the amount of light guided decreases gradually. However, the light density does not change. Thereby, the light guide 21 can be made to shine with uniform brightness from the light source side to the front end side.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention can be variously modified and changed without departing from the concept of the claims.

  For example, although the case where the light guide plate 4 is used as a clearance lamp has been described in the above embodiment, it can also be used as a signal lamp such as a turn signal lamp.

  In addition, when a necessary color is emitted as a signal lamp, the color on the light source 17 side may be changed, or the color of the light guide 21 may be changed. Furthermore, the number of the light guide plates 4 may be changed as appropriate.

It is a use surface view of the vehicular headlamp to which the present invention is applied. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the light-incidence part in the light-guide plate shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. It is an expansion perspective view of the irregular reflection surface of a light-guide plate same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vehicle headlamp 2 Traveling beam lamp 3 Passing beam lamp 4 Light guide plate (clearance lamp)
5 Lamp body 6 Lens cover 7 Lamp chamber 8 Inner panel 17 Light source 21 Light guide 21a Light emitting surface 21b Diffuse reflecting surface 22 Light incident surface 23 Recess 25 Direct light distribution 26 Indirect light distribution

Claims (3)

A combination-type lamp in which a lamp having a plurality of functions is integrated into a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a transparent lens cover that is slanted and attached to the front end opening of the lamp body. A vehicle headlamp,
A light source that emits signal light; and the light from the light source is incident to guide the light toward the other end by internal reflection, and a part of the light in the middle of the light guide is directed forward A vehicle headlamp comprising a light guide plate having a light guide to be emitted. An inner panel for partitioning the lamps having the plurality of functions is provided, and a part of light emitted from the light guide is indirectly distributed through surface reflection of the inner panel. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1. 3. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the light guide is formed so that a cross-sectional area is gradually reduced as a distance from the light source is optically increased.

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