JP7449939B2 - Vehicle lights - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, development of vehicle lamps using light emitting elements such as light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as "LEDs") has been progressing (for example, see Patent Document 1). In addition, when using a light emitting element as a light source for a vehicle headlamp, it is difficult to obtain the desired amount of light and light distribution pattern with a single light emitting element, so a vehicle lamp with multiple light emitting elements arranged on a substrate is used. It has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-95480 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-149373

In a vehicle lamp using multiple light emitting elements, if some of the light emitting elements are placed near the focal point of the projection lens, other light emitting elements cannot be placed near the focal point of the projection lens, making it difficult to achieve the desired light distribution pattern. It can be difficult to obtain.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that uses a plurality of light emitting elements, even if some of the light emitting elements cannot be placed near the focal point of the projection lens. The object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can form optical patterns.

In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle lamp according to an aspect of the present invention includes a projection lens, a first light emitting element disposed at or near the focal point of the projection lens, a second light emitting element, and a second light emitting element. The light guide includes an entrance part into which light is input, a light guide part which guides the incident light, and an output part which outputs the guided light. The output part of the light guide is arranged at or near the focal point of the projection lens.

In the vehicle lamp of the above aspect, the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element may be arranged on the same substrate.

In the vehicle lamp of the above aspect, the light guide may have a second output portion that outputs the incident light. The vehicle lamp may further include a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the second emitting section toward the projection lens.

In the vehicle lamp of the above aspect, the first light emitting element may include a low beam light emitting element and a high beam light emitting element. The second light emitting element may include a light emitting element for daytime running.

In the vehicle lamp of the above aspect, the light emitted from the light emitting part of the light guide is irradiated toward an area above the low beam light distribution pattern and the high beam light distribution pattern, and The light emitted from the emitting section may be irradiated toward a substantially central region of the low beam light distribution pattern.

Another aspect of the present invention is also a vehicle lamp. This vehicle lamp includes a substrate, an array of first light emitting elements for a first light distribution pattern, and a second light emitting element for a second light distribution pattern that illuminates a side closer to the driver's vehicle than the first light distribution pattern. It includes an array, a third light emitting element for an additional light distribution pattern, and a projection lens. The first array of light emitting devices, the second array of light emitting devices, and the third light emitting device are mounted on the same substrate. Light emitted from the first light emitting element array, the second light emitting element array, and the third light emitting element are irradiated in front of the lamp through the same projection lens. By simultaneously lighting the first light emitting element array, the second light emitting element array, and the third light emitting element, a third light distribution pattern that is wider and lower in luminous intensity than the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is created. A pattern is formed.

In the vehicle lamp of the above aspect, the substrate may be arranged at an angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection lens.

In the vehicle lamp according to the aspect described above, the light guide has an entrance part into which the light from the third light emitting element enters, a light guide part which guides the incident light, and an output part which emits the guided light. and may further include. The output portion of the light guide may be placed at or near the focal point of the projection lens.

In the vehicle lamp of the above aspect, the first light emitting element array and the second light emitting element array are arranged at or near the focal point of the projection lens, and the first light emitting element array is arranged in a wiring pattern formed on the substrate. The third light emitting element may be configured to be turned on and off individually through the wiring pattern, and the third light emitting element may be placed apart from the first light emitting element with the wiring pattern in between.

The vehicle lamp of the above aspect may further include a light shielding cover disposed to cover the light guide. The light shielding cover may be made of metal.

According to the present invention, in a vehicle lamp using a plurality of light emitting elements, a desired light distribution pattern can be formed even if some of the light emitting elements cannot be arranged near the focal point of the projection lens.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle lamp. FIG. 3 is a side view of the vehicle lamp. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lamp. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the substrate. 1 is a diagram for explaining main parts of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen. It is a perspective view showing a light guide. It is a perspective view showing a light guide. It is a perspective view showing a light guide.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, when terms expressing directions such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "inside", and "outside" are used in this specification, they are This refers to the direction in which the vehicular lamp is positioned when it is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle lamp 10. FIG. 3 is a side view of the vehicle lamp 10. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lamp 10. The vehicle lamp 10 is disposed at both left and right ends of the front portion of the vehicle body, and functions as a headlamp.

The vehicle lamp 10 is configured to be able to form a high beam light distribution pattern and a low beam light distribution pattern that illuminates a side closer to the vehicle than the high beam light distribution pattern. Further, the vehicle lamp 10 is configured to be able to form an ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) light distribution pattern that dynamically and adaptively controls a high beam orientation pattern based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle lamp 10 is configured to be able to form additional light distribution patterns. In the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, the high beam light distribution pattern, the low beam light distribution pattern, and the additional light distribution pattern are combined, so that the daytime is wider than the high beam light distribution pattern and the low beam light distribution pattern. A light distribution pattern for running is formed. Note that when forming the light distribution pattern for daytime running, the light source for high beam is dimmed to about one-hundredth of the normal light intensity (that is, when forming the light distribution pattern for high beam), and the light source for low beam is dimmed normally. The light is attenuated to about a few tenths of the time (that is, when forming the low beam light distribution pattern).

The vehicle lamp 10 is a so-called direct lighting type lamp. The vehicle lamp 10 includes a projection lens 12, a lens holder 14 for holding the projection lens 12, a substrate 16, a plurality of LEDs 18 arranged on the substrate, a connector 19 for feeding power to the LEDs 18, and a reflector. 20, a light guide 22, a heat sink 24 for dissipating heat generated from the LED 18, a fan 26 for forcibly cooling the heat sink 24, a fan cover 28 that covers the fan 26, and a light shielding cover 32. , is provided.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the substrate 16. The board 16 is placed on a board mounting surface 24a (see FIG. 4) formed on the heat sink 24. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of low beam LEDs 18a are arranged in an array on the upper part of the substrate 16. Further, a plurality of high beam LEDs 18b are arranged in an array slightly below the low beam LED 18a. Further, below the high beam LED 18b, two daytime running LEDs 18c are arranged with a large interval between them. In this way, the array of low beam LEDs 18a, the array of high beam LEDs 18b, and the daytime running LEDs 18c are mounted on the same substrate 16. A connector 19 for supplying power to the low beam LED 18a, high beam LED 18b, and daytime running LED 18c is arranged at the bottom of the board 16. The reason why the high beam LED 18b and the daytime running LED 18c are separated is because the wiring pattern 17 from the connector 19 to the high beam LED 18b is sandwiched between them. The high beam LEDs 18b can be turned on and off individually for ADB control. For this reason, the array of high beam LEDs 18b are connected in parallel, and it is necessary to have a wide area for forming the wiring pattern 17. Due to this wiring pattern 17 for the high beam LED 18b, the daytime running LED 18c cannot be placed near the high beam LED 18b. On the other hand, the arrayed low beam LEDs 18a are connected in series because they are not turned on or off individually.

In another embodiment, a switching IC may be placed in the middle of the wiring pattern 17 that connects the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b to the connector 19. This switching IC controls the light emission intensity of the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control. As a method of dimming the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b, it is also possible to reduce the drive current, but the emission color may shift due to a shift in the emission wavelength of the LED. On the other hand, in the method using PWM control, by controlling the duty ratio, it is possible to reduce the light by making the shift in the emission wavelength of the LED relatively small. This switching IC needs to be placed as close as possible to the high beam LED 18b. This is because when the high beam LED 18b is dimmed to about one hundredth of the normal light, the duty ratio becomes very short, about one hundredth of the normal light. Therefore, in such another embodiment, it is further difficult to arrange the daytime running LED 18c near the high beam LED 18b.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining main parts of the vehicle lamp 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, components such as the projection lens 12, lens holder 14, and light shielding cover 32 are removed. Further, FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the vehicle lamp 10 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b are arranged at or near the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12. Therefore, the image on the focal plane including the rear focal point F formed by the light emitted from the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b is projected forward by the projection lens 12 as an inverted image. As shown in FIG. 6, a beam shaper 30 is arranged between the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b. The beam shaper 30 blocks part of the light emitted from the low beam LED 18a to form a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 7 shows light L1 emitted from the low beam LED 18a and light L2 emitted from the high beam LED 18b.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the substrate 16 is arranged at an angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis Ax of the projection lens 12. Thereby, the high beam LED 18b is positioned closer to the projection lens 12 than the low beam LED 18a. This allows the high beam LED 18b to be brought closer to the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12 compared to the case where the substrate 16 is arranged perpendicularly to the optical axis Ax of the projection lens 12 without tilting. The luminous intensity of the light pattern can be increased. Note that when the substrate 16 is arranged in this way, the low beam LED 18a is moved from the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12, compared to the case where the substrate 16 is arranged perpendicularly to the optical axis Ax of the projection lens 12 without tilting the substrate 16. As the light distribution pattern moves farther away, the luminous intensity of the low beam light distribution pattern decreases, but there is no problem because the low beam light distribution pattern does not require as high a luminous intensity as the high beam light distribution pattern. Further, since the cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern is formed by the beam shaper 30, there is no problem with the shape of the low beam light distribution pattern.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen placed 25 m in front of the vehicle. By projecting the light L1 emitted from the low beam LED 18a by the projection lens 12, a low beam light distribution pattern Lo is formed on the virtual vertical screen. Further, by projecting the light L2 emitted from the high beam LED 18b by the projection lens 12, a high beam light distribution pattern Hi is formed on the virtual vertical screen. Here, when considering that the light distribution pattern Lo for low beam and the light distribution pattern Hi for high beam are combined after being reduced to form the light distribution pattern DR for daytime running, the light distribution pattern Lo for low beam and There is a possibility that the amount of light in the area AR1 above the high beam light distribution pattern Hi and the approximately central area AR2 of the low beam light distribution pattern Lo may be insufficient compared to the value specified by law. Therefore, in this embodiment, the daytime running LED 18c is used to form a first additional light distribution pattern AD1 that fills the area AR1 and a second additional light distribution pattern AD2 that fills the area AR2.

In order to form a desired additional light distribution pattern, it is desirable that the daytime running LED 18c be placed near the rear focal point F, similarly to the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b. However, in reality, the high beam LED 18b cannot be placed near the rear focal point F due to the existence of the wiring pattern 17 of the high beam LED 18b as described above. Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, the light guide 22 is used to form the first additional light distribution pattern AD1 and the second additional light distribution pattern AD2.

9, 10, and 11 are perspective views showing the light guide 22. FIG. The light guide 22 includes an incident section 22a, a light guide section 22b, a reflective section 22c, a first output section 22d, and a second output section 22e.

The incidence section 22a is arranged above the daytime running LED 18c, and allows light from the daytime running LED 18c to enter therein. A Fresnel step is formed in the incident portion 22a to convert the light from the daytime running LED 18c into parallel light. The reflecting section 22c reflects the light that enters inside from the incident section 22a. The reflecting section 22c is composed of a plurality of reflecting surfaces. The light guide section 22b is a substantially plate-shaped light guide plate, and guides a portion of the light reflected by the reflection section 22c. The first output section 22d is provided at the tip of the light guide section 22b, and outputs the light guided through the light guide section 22b to the outside. The first emitting section 22d is formed with a step for refracting the light guided through the light guiding section 22b and emitting it in a predetermined direction outside. The second emitting section 22e is provided near the reflecting section 22c, and emits part of the light reflected by the reflecting section 22c to the outside.

In the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the first emission part 22d of the light guide 22 is arranged at or near the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12. In this way, by arranging the first emission section 22d at or near the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12, the same effect as when the daytime running LED 18c is arranged at or near the rear focal point F can be obtained. It will be done. The light guide 22 can be regarded as a pseudo light source. The light L3 emitted from the first emission part 22d of the light guide 22 is projected by the projection lens 12, thereby forming a first additional light distribution pattern AD1 on the virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp.

Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the light L4 emitted from the second emission part 22e of the light guide 22 is guided across the low beam LED 18a and the high beam LED 18b. The light is reflected by the reflector 20 located on the opposite side of the light body 22. Then, the light L4 emitted from the second emission part 22e of the light guide 22 is projected by the projection lens 12, thereby forming a second additional light distribution pattern AD2 on the virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp.

By simultaneously lighting the array of LEDs 18a for low beam, the array of LEDs 18b for high beam, and the LED 18c for daytime running, the light distribution pattern Lo for low beam, the light distribution pattern Hi for high beam, the first The additional light distribution pattern AD1 and the second additional light distribution pattern AD2 can be combined to form the daytime running light distribution pattern DR. As described above, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, by using the light guide 22, even when the daytime running LED 18c cannot be arranged around the rear focal point F of the projection lens 12, the light guide 22 can be used as desired. It is possible to form a light distribution pattern.

Returning to FIG. 7, the light shielding cover 32 is arranged to cover a portion of the light guide 22 (the incident part 22a, the reflective part 22c, and the second output part 22e). The light shielding cover 32 blocks light leaking from the light shielding cover 32. This can prevent the light from entering the projection lens 12 and causing glare. Further, the light blocking cover 32 blocks sunlight collected by the projection lens 12. This can prevent the light guide 22 from being excessively concentrated by sunlight and causing problems such as deformation. In order to suitably block sunlight, the light shielding cover 32 is preferably made of metal.

For example, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a vehicle headlamp is composed of a plurality of condensing type or diffused type lamp units that use LEDs as a light source in combination with reflectors and lenses, and all or a selected part of these lamp units are used. are turned on, and the light emitted from the lit lamp units is combined to obtain a desired light distribution pattern. In particular, a high-beam light distribution pattern is obtained by lighting a lamp unit with high light-gathering properties, and a low-beam light distribution pattern is obtained by lighting a lamp unit with high diffusivity.

In recent years, in addition to these two light distribution patterns, the high beam light distribution pattern and the low beam light distribution pattern, light distribution patterns adapted to the driving conditions of the automobile have been proposed. For example, there is a light distribution pattern for daytime running that allows other vehicles to confirm the presence of the own vehicle during daytime running.

In order to cope with such various light distribution patterns, the plurality of light units that make up a vehicle headlamp are configured as light units with different light distribution characteristics, and then these light units are combined and distributed. Forming light patterns is being carried out. Therefore, in order to realize a daytime running light distribution pattern in addition to a high beam light distribution pattern and a low beam light distribution pattern, for example, it is necessary to add lamp units with different light distribution characteristics, and the number of lamp units increases. As a result, vehicle headlights become larger and more expensive.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a vehicle lamp that can form a plurality of light distribution patterns using fewer components.

In the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, an array of low beam LEDs 18a, an array of high beam LEDs 18b, and a daytime running LED 18c are mounted on the same substrate 16. Further, the light emitted from the array of low beam LEDs 18a, the array of high beam LEDs 18b, and the daytime running LEDs 18c are irradiated to the front of the lamp through the same projection lens 12. To form three types of light distribution patterns, a high beam light distribution pattern Hi, a low beam light distribution pattern Lo, and a daytime running light distribution pattern DR, with fewer components than when using a plurality of lamp units. Can be done. Thereby, compared to the case where a plurality of lamp units are used, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the vehicle lamp.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative, and that various modifications can be made to the combinations of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, an LED is exemplified as a light emitting element, but the light emitting element is not limited to an LED, and for example, a semiconductor laser may be used.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for a vehicle lamp.

10 vehicle lamp, 12 projection lens, 14 lens holder, 16 board, 18 LED, 19 connector, 20 reflector, 22 light guide, 24 heat sink, 26 fan, 30 beam shaper, 32 light shielding cover.

Claims (8)

a projection lens;
a first light emitting element disposed at or near the focal point of the projection lens;
a second light emitting element;
an entrance part into which light from the second light emitting element is incident; a light guide part which guides the incident light; a first output part which outputs the guided light ; and a second output part which outputs the incident light. a light guide having an output part ;
Equipped with
The first output part of the light guide is arranged at or near the focal point of the projection lens ,
The vehicular lamp further comprises a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the second emitting section toward the projection lens . The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element are arranged on the same substrate. The first light emitting element includes a low beam light emitting element and a high beam light emitting element,
3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the second light emitting element includes a light emitting element for daytime running. The light emitted from the first emission part of the light guide is irradiated toward an area above a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern,
4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3 , wherein the light emitted from the second emitting portion of the light guide is irradiated toward a substantially central region of the low beam light distribution pattern. A substrate and
an array of first light emitting elements for a first light distribution pattern;
an array of second light emitting elements for a second light distribution pattern that illuminates a side closer to the vehicle than the first light distribution pattern;
a third light emitting element for an additional light distribution pattern;
a light guide having an input part into which light from the third light emitting element is input, a light guide part which guides the incident light, and an output part which outputs the guided light;
a projection lens;
Equipped with
The first array of light emitting elements, the second array of light emitting elements, and the third light emitting element are mounted on the same substrate,
Light emitted from the first light emitting element array, the second light emitting element array, and the third light emitting element are irradiated in front of the lamp through the same projection lens,
By simultaneously lighting the first light emitting element array, the second light emitting element array, and the third light emitting element, a light distribution pattern that is wider and has a higher luminous intensity than the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. A low third light distribution pattern is formed ,
The output part of the light guide is arranged at or near the focal point of the projection lens,
the first array of light emitting elements and the second array of light emitting elements are arranged at or near the focal point of the projection lens;
The array of first light emitting elements is configured to be turned on and off individually via a wiring pattern formed on the substrate,
The vehicular lamp is characterized in that the third light emitting element is disposed apart from the first light emitting element with the wiring pattern interposed therebetween . The vehicular lamp according to claim 5 , wherein the substrate is arranged at an angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection lens. The vehicular lamp according to claim 5 or 6 , further comprising a light shielding cover disposed to cover the light guide. The vehicle lamp according to claim 7 , wherein the light shielding cover is made of metal.

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