JP4541290B2 - Vehicle cornering lamp - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle cornering lamp configured to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern for irradiating an oblique front road surface of a vehicle.

  In general, a cornering lamp for a vehicle irradiates a road surface obliquely forward of the vehicle in order to improve visibility during turning of the vehicle. An optical pattern is formed.

  As such a vehicle cornering lamp, for example, as described in “Patent Document 1”, from a light source arranged on an optical axis extending in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction. Is configured such that the light is deflected and emitted toward the front of the lamp by a lens disposed on the front side of the lamp to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern.

JP-A-2005-141918

  Since the vehicle cornering lamp is often arranged at the front end corner portion of the vehicle, it is preferable to form the lens with a surface shape that conforms to the shape of the vehicle body from the viewpoint of increasing the flexibility of lamp layout and vehicle design. .

  However, in the vehicle cornering lamp described in the above-mentioned “Patent Document 1”, a lens having a front surface formed of an elliptical spherical surface is used as a lens thereof, and does not follow the shape of the vehicle body. For this reason, it is insufficient for increasing the degree of freedom in lamp layout and vehicle design, and there is room for improvement in increasing the luminous flux utilization rate for light emitted from the light source.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in a cornering lamp for a vehicle configured to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern for irradiating an oblique front road surface of the vehicle, the lamp layout and It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle cornering lamp that can increase the degree of freedom in vehicle design and can increase the luminous flux utilization rate for light emitted from a light source.

  In the present invention, the front side surface of the lens is configured with a free-form surface, and the rear-side surface thereof is also configured with a predetermined free-form surface, and a predetermined reflector is provided to achieve the above object. It is.

That is, the vehicle cornering lamp according to the present invention is:
In a vehicle cornering lamp configured to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern for irradiating an oblique front road surface of a vehicle,
A light source disposed on an optical axis extending in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and disposed on the front side of the lamp of the light source, and deflects light from the light source toward the front of the lamp And a lens to emit,
The front surface of the lens is composed of a first free-form surface,
The emission angle of the light emitted from the front surface with respect to the optical axis is set as a target emission angle for each point on the front surface,
When the horizontal opening angle, which is the horizontal component of the angle formed by the straight line connecting each point and the light emission center of the light source with respect to the optical axis, increases with respect to the horizontal direction, It is set so as to increase in a substantially direct relationship,
The rear surface of the lens is composed of a second free-form surface formed by continuously forming a surface element having an inclination angle for realizing light emission at a target emission angle set for each point. And
A reflector that diffuses and reflects light from the light source in a horizontal direction toward the front of the lamp without passing through the lens is provided at least one of above and below the optical axis. Is.

  The above-mentioned “optical axis” is not particularly limited as long as it extends in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  The type of the “light source” is not particularly limited, and for example, a light emitting chip of a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode, a discharge light emitting part of a discharge bulb, a filament of a halogen bulb, etc. can be employed. Further, as the “light source”, in addition to such a primary light source, a secondary light source formed by converging light from the primary light source to a substantially single point by a reflector, a lens, or the like can be employed. .

  The specific shape of the “first free curved surface” is not particularly limited. For example, a curved surface formed flush with the surface of the vehicle body, or formed at equal intervals with respect to the curved surface. A curved surface or the like can be used.

  As long as the “reflector” is configured to diffusely reflect light from the light source in the horizontal direction, the specific reflecting surface shape is not particularly limited, and the “reflector” is not limited. As for the position to be provided, the specific position is limited as long as the light from the light source can be reflected toward the front of the lamp without passing through the lens in at least one of the upper and lower sides of the optical axis. It is not something. Here, “without transmitting the lens” means that the lens is not allowed to transmit light in a mode of receiving a light deflection action, and a through-hole formed as a part of the lens is not used. It does not interfere with the transmission.

  As shown in the above configuration, the vehicle cornering lamp according to the present invention is a lamp that emits light from a light source disposed on an optical axis extending in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction. The lens disposed on the front side is deflected and emitted toward the front of the lamp, thereby forming a horizontally long light distribution pattern for irradiating the oblique front road surface of the vehicle. Is composed of a first free-form surface, and the emission angle of the light emitted from the front surface with respect to the optical axis is set as a target emission angle for each point on the front surface, The rear surface of the lens is composed of a second free-form surface formed by continuously forming a surface element having an inclination angle for realizing light emission at the target emission angle set for each point. And the optical axis At least one of the upper and lower sides is provided with a reflector that diffuses and reflects light from the light source in the horizontal direction toward the front of the lamp without passing through the lens, so that the following effects can be obtained. Can do.

  That is, since the front side surface of the lens is formed of the first free-form surface, it is possible to easily form the front side surface in a shape along the surface shape of the vehicle body.

  In addition, since the emission angle of the light emitted from the front surface of the lens with respect to the optical axis is set as the target emission angle for each point on the front surface, the shape of the desired light distribution pattern and its luminous intensity distribution By setting the target emission angle for each point in accordance with the above, it is possible to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern with high accuracy.

  Furthermore, the rear surface of the lens is formed by continuously forming a surface element having an inclination angle for realizing light emission at a target emission angle set for each point on the front surface. Therefore, an optical path necessary for the light emission can be obtained without causing a step or the like on the rear surface.

  Specifically, the second free-form surface can be generated by the following procedure.

  That is, first, an appropriate point on the front surface of the lens (for example, a point located on the optical axis or a point located on the outer peripheral edge) is set as a reference point. Then, the light incident direction to the reference point in the lens necessary for emitting light from the reference point at the target emission angle is calculated using Snell's law.

  Next, a starting point for generating the second free-form surface is set at an appropriate position on the straight line extending in the light incident direction. And the first surface element which comprises a part of 2nd free-form surface is allocated to this starting point. At that time, the angle between the straight line extending in the light incident direction and the straight line connecting the light emission center of the light source and the starting point is calculated, and the inclination angle of the first surface element is obtained so that the refractive power corresponding to this angle can be obtained. Is calculated using Snell's law.

  Then, the calculation is performed on the point adjacent to the reference point on the front surface of the lens by the same procedure as that for the reference point, and the inclination angle of the surface element adjacent to the first surface element is calculated. . Thereafter, by repeating the same process and continuously forming a series of these surface elements, it is possible to generate a second free-form surface extending over the entire lens area.

  By forming the rear surface of the lens with the second free curved surface generated in this way, the desired light distribution pattern can be accurately formed even when the front surface of the lens is configured with a free curved surface. However, when the light distribution pattern is a horizontally long light distribution pattern, the vertical width of the rear surface of the lens is considerably narrower than the horizontal width. For this reason, of the light emitted from the light source, more light travels toward the upper and lower spaces without entering the rear surface of the lens.

  However, at least one of the upper and lower portions of the optical axis is provided with a reflector that diffuses and reflects light from the light source in the horizontal direction toward the front of the lamp without passing through the lens. The reflected light can be used to form the horizontally long light distribution pattern, thereby increasing the luminous flux utilization factor for the light emitted from the light source.

  Thus, according to the present invention, in a vehicle cornering lamp configured to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern for irradiating an oblique front road surface of the vehicle, the flexibility of the lamp layout and vehicle design can be increased. In addition, the luminous flux utilization factor for the light emitted from the light source can be increased.

  In particular, in the lens of the vehicle cornering lamp according to the present invention, the front side surface and the rear side surface are both free-form surfaces, so that no step or the like can be formed on the lens surface. Therefore, the appearance of the vehicle cornering lamp can be improved.

  In the above configuration, if the light source of the vehicle cornering lamp is composed of a light emitting chip in a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode and direct light from this light emitting chip is incident on the lens, the vehicle cornering lamp can be made compact. Can be configured.

  In the above configuration, the upper half of the lens emits light from the light source as substantially parallel light in the vertical direction, and the lower half of the lens diffuses light from the light source downward in the vertical direction. If it is set as the structure radiate | emitted as follows, a horizontally long light distribution pattern can be formed so that an upper end part vicinity may become bright and it may become dark gradually toward a lower end part. As a result, it is possible to irradiate the front surface of the lamp with a substantially uniform brightness from the short-distance region to the long-distance region, and it is possible to further improve the visibility of the road surface ahead in the vehicle traveling direction when the vehicle is turning.

  In the above configuration, if the reflector is configured to reflect the light from the light source upward with respect to the optical axis, another horizontal light distribution pattern can be formed near the upper side of the horizontal light distribution pattern. Thus, not only the road surface in front of the vehicle traveling direction when turning the vehicle but also visibility to pedestrians and the like can be improved. Note that this other horizontally long light distribution pattern needs to be formed with a brightness that does not give glare to oncoming drivers or pedestrians. This brightness depends on the amount of reflected light from the reflector, It can be easily adjusted by the degree of diffusion or the like.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow III in FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is used in a state where it is mounted on the left front end corner portion of the vehicle body 2, and lights when the vehicle turns to the left. It is designed to illuminate the left diagonal front road surface.

  The vehicle cornering lamp 10 is arranged on an optical axis Ax extending in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle ν (specifically, ν = 50 °) outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to an axis Ax0 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A light-emitting diode 12, a lens 14 disposed on the front side of the lamp of the light-emitting diode 12 (that is, the front side in the optical axis Ax direction), and deflecting and emitting light from the light-emitting diode 12 toward the front of the lamp; On the rear side, a pair of reflectors 20A and 20B are provided above and below the optical axis Ax.

  The light emitting diode 12 is a white light emitting diode in which a square light emitting chip 12a having a size of about 0.3 to 3 mm square is sealed with a substantially hemispherical resin mold 12b, and the light emitting chip 12a has an optical axis Ax. It is fixedly supported by a metal support plate 16 in a state where it is arranged toward the front side of the lamp. The support plate 16 is positioned and fixed to the rear surface of the rear vertical surface portion 18a of the substantially mortar-shaped holder 18 that expands toward the front side of the lamp. At this time, a circular small hole 18c slightly larger than the outer diameter of the resin mold 12b is formed on the rear vertical surface portion 18a on the optical axis Ax, and the resin mold 12b is moved forward of the lamp from the small hole 18c. It is designed to be exposed to the side.

  The front surface 14a of the lens 14 is configured by a first free curved surface extending substantially flush with the surface of the vehicle body 2, and the rear surface 14b of the lens 14 is a second free surface corresponding to the first free curved surface. The free-form surface (this will be described later). The lens 14 is fixedly supported by the holder 18 with the outer peripheral edge of the rear surface 14b abutting against the front end surface 18b of the holder 18. At that time, through portions 14 c and 14 d for sealing the space between the lens 14 and the holder 18 are extended and formed at both upper and lower ends of the lens 14. Each of the through portions 14c and 14d is formed to have a constant thickness so as to extend flush with the front surface 14a, and comes into contact with the front end surface 18b of the holder 18 at the outer peripheral edge thereof.

  Of the pair of upper and lower reflectors 20A and 20B, the reflector 20A positioned above the optical axis Ax is subjected to mirror treatment on the horizontally long arcuate region at the upper front of the holder 18 to form a reflecting surface 20Aa, thereby the holder 18 It is composed integrally with. At this time, the reflecting surface 20Aa of the reflector 20A is set to a parabolic columnar shape whose surface shape extends in the horizontal direction. This parabolic column surface has a cross-sectional shape along a vertical plane including the optical axis Ax, with the light emission center O of the light emitting chip 12a as a focal point and a slightly upward direction (specifically, about 2 °). It is composed of a parabola with the axis Ax1 (upward) as an axis.

  As a result, the reflector 20A diffuses the light from the light emitting diode 12 as parallel light slightly upward with respect to the optical axis Ax in the up-down direction and to the left and right sides of the optical axis Ax in the horizontal direction. It is reflected as light, and this reflected light is emitted through the through-hole 14c of the lens 14 to the front of the lamp.

  On the other hand, the reflector 20B located below the optical axis Ax is configured integrally with the holder 18 by applying a mirror surface treatment to the horizontally long arcuate region at the lower front surface of the holder 18 to form a reflective surface 20Ba. At this time, the reflecting surface 20Ba of the reflector 20B is set to have a parabolic columnar shape whose surface shape extends in the horizontal direction. This parabolic column surface has a cross-sectional shape along the vertical plane including the optical axis Ax, as in the case of the reflecting surface 20Aa of the reflector 20A, and is focused on the light emission center O of the light emitting chip 12a, and with respect to the optical axis Ax It is composed of a parabola whose axis is an axis Ax1 that is slightly upward (specifically upward about 2 °).

  As a result, the reflector 20B diffuses the light from the light emitting diode 12 as parallel light slightly upward with respect to the optical axis Ax in the vertical direction, and greatly spreads on the left and right sides of the optical axis Ax in the horizontal direction. It is reflected as light, and this reflected light is emitted through the through-hole 14d of the lens 14 to the front of the lamp.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a horizontally long light distribution pattern PC formed on a virtual vertical screen disposed at a position 25 m ahead of the vehicle by light irradiated forward from the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG.

  The horizontally long light distribution pattern PC includes a basic light distribution pattern PC0 and an additional light distribution pattern PCa.

  The basic light distribution pattern PC0 is a light distribution pattern formed by direct light incident on the rear surface 14b of the lens 14 from the light emitting diode 12 being emitted forward from the front surface 14a of the lens 14 to the front of the lamp.

  This basic light distribution pattern PC0 is formed so as to greatly expand in the horizontal direction on the left side of the VV line that is a vertical line passing through HV that is a vanishing point in the vehicle front direction of the axis Ax0 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The upper edge is located slightly below the HH line, which is a horizontal line passing through HV. At this time, the basic light distribution pattern PC0 is formed from the vicinity of the VV line to the left side of about 100 ° around the direction of about 50 ° on the left side of the VV line. The hot zone HZ, which is a region, is formed in a horizontally long shape at a position near the center of the basic light distribution pattern PC0 in the left-right direction and near the upper edge.

  In order to form such a basic light distribution pattern PC0 with high accuracy, in this embodiment, a target emission angle is set for each point on the front surface 14a of the lens 14, and its rear surface 14b. Is set to a curved surface shape for realizing light emission at the target emission angle (this will be described later).

  On the other hand, the additional light distribution pattern PCa is formed by the light from the light emitting diode 12 that is reflected by the pair of upper and lower reflectors 20A and 20B and passes through the through portions 14c and 14d of the lens 14 and is emitted to the front of the lamp. It is a pattern.

  This additional light distribution pattern PCa is a light distribution pattern extending in the horizontal direction in the vicinity of the upper side of the basic light distribution pattern PC0, and has a horizontal diffusion angle substantially equal to that of the basic light distribution pattern PC0. At this time, the additional light distribution pattern PCa is located slightly closer to the VV line with respect to the basic light distribution pattern PC0, and its lower end edge is located substantially on the HH line. Further, the additional light distribution pattern PCa is formed with a brightness that does not give glare to an oncoming vehicle driver or a pedestrian.

  The additional light distribution pattern PCa is formed as a light distribution pattern extending in the horizontal direction in the vicinity of the upper side of the basic light distribution pattern PC0 because each reflector 20A, 20B transmits light from the light emitting chip 12a up and down. This is because the light is reflected as a parallel light slightly upward with respect to the optical axis Ax, and as a diffused light that spreads greatly on the left and right sides of the optical axis Ax with respect to the horizontal direction. The brightness of the additional light distribution pattern PCa is adjusted by the size of the reflecting surfaces 20Aa and 20Ba of the reflectors 20A and 20B.

  In the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, the second free-form surface constituting the rear side surface 14b of the lens 14 is set in the following procedure.

  That is, first, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the emission angle of the light emitted from the lens 14 with respect to the optical axis Ax is set as a target emission angle for each point on the front surface 14a. At this time, the target emission angle is set as a horizontal target emission angle α and a vertical target emission angle β by dividing the target emission angle into a horizontal component and a vertical component.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a horizontal component of an angle formed by a straight line L0 connecting the point P on the front surface 14a and the light emission center O of the light emitting chip 12a with the optical axis Ax is defined as a horizontal opening angle θH. The horizontal target emission angle α is set in correspondence with the horizontal opening angle θH, while the straight line connecting the point Q on the front surface 14a and the light emission center O of the light emitting chip 12a as shown in FIG. The vertical component of the angle formed by L0 and the optical axis Ax is the vertical opening angle θV, and the vertical target emission angle β is set corresponding to the vertical opening angle θV.

  At that time, the horizontal target emission angle α is set to a value corresponding to the horizontal diffusion angle and luminous intensity distribution of the basic light distribution pattern PC0. That is, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5A, as the horizontal opening angle θH increases, the target emission angle α is increased in a substantially direct relationship with this. At this time, in the basic light distribution pattern PC0, the portion located on the left side of the portion located on the right side with respect to the direction of the optical axis Ax (that is, the direction about 50 ° on the left side of the VV line) is in the horizontal direction. Since the diffusion angle is slightly larger, the change rate of the target emission angle α is set so that the target emission angle α in the left direction is slightly larger than the target emission angle α in the right direction. .

  On the other hand, the vertical target emission angle β is set to a value corresponding to the vertical diffusion angle and luminous intensity distribution of the basic light distribution pattern PC0. That is, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5B, above the optical axis Ax, the target emission angle β is maintained at a small negative constant value even when the vertical opening angle θV increases, The emitted light from the lens 14 is set to be a downward parallel light. Further, as shown in the graph, on the lower side than the optical axis Ax, as the vertical opening angle θV is increased, the target emission angle β is increased in a substantially direct relationship with this. However, the rate of change of the target emission angle β is set to a value that is considerably smaller than the rate of change of the target emission angle α so that the light emitted from the lens 14 is slightly diffused downward. .

  Next, a second free-form surface constituting the rear side surface 14b of the lens 14 is generated. The generation of the second free-form surface is performed by continuously forming a surface element having an inclination angle for realizing light emission at a target emission angle set for each point on the front surface 14a. .

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for generating a free curve C2 constituting the horizontal sectional shape of the second free curved surface.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the lens necessary for emitting light at a target emission angle α from a point P on a free curve C1 constituting the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the front surface 14a of the lens 14. The light incident direction on the point P within 14 is calculated.

  At that time, since the front surface 14a of the lens 14 is formed of a first free-form surface along the surface shape of the vehicle body 2, the direction of the normal line N1 of the free curve C1 at the point P is known. Therefore, the light incident direction (direction indicated by the straight line L2) to the point P corresponding to the light emission direction from the point P (direction indicated by the straight line L1) is calculated using Snell's law.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the point R where the free curve C2 in the process of intersecting the straight line L2 and the light emission center O of the light emitting chip 12a are connected by a straight line L3, and this straight line L3 is connected to the straight line L2. The formed angle δ is calculated.

  The free curve C2 is generated starting from a point S on the optical axis Ax as described later. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the free curve C2 has already been generated up to the position of the point R.

  Next, the line element E of the free curve C2 is assigned to the point R. At this time, the direction of the normal N2 of the line element E is calculated using Snell's law so that the refractive power corresponding to the angle δ can be obtained in the line element E, and the inclination angle of the line element E is also calculated simultaneously. To do. Thereby, the light emitted from the light emission center O of the light emitting chip 12a is emitted from the lens 14 forward of the lamp along the optical path of the straight line L3 to the straight line L2 to the straight line L1.

  Then, on the free curve C1, the calculation is performed on the point adjacent to the right side of the point P (that is, the side away from the optical axis Ax) in the same procedure as in the case of the point P, and the line adjacent to the right side of the line element E The prime tilt angle is calculated. Thereafter, the same processing is repeated to continuously form these series of line elements, thereby generating a portion located on the right side of the optical axis Ax in the free curve C2.

  The free curve C2 is generated by setting a point P0 located on the optical axis Ax on the free curve C1 as a reference point. At this time, the starting point S when generating the free curve C2 is set on the optical axis Ax as a point corresponding to the reference point P0, and the first line element assigned to the starting point S is the optical axis Ax at the starting point S. It will be orthogonal. This is because the target emission angle α at the reference point P0 is set to α = 0 ° (see FIG. 1), whereby the normal line N1 at the reference point P0 of the free curve C1 coincides with the optical axis Ax, and the straight line This is because the optical paths of L3 to L2 to L1 also coincide with the optical axis Ax.

  The position in the front-rear direction on the optical axis Ax of the starting point S is separated from the reference point P0 to such an extent that a second free-form surface can be generated over the entire rear surface 14b of the lens 14. Is set as close as possible to the reference point P0 so as not to become unnecessarily thick.

  The portion located on the left side of the optical axis Ax in the free curve C2 is also generated in the same procedure starting from the point S on the optical axis Ax.

  Then, the second free curve C2 is generated not only on the plane including the optical axis Ax but also on each of a plurality of planes parallel to the plane located on both upper and lower sides of the plane by the same procedure as that for generating the free curve C2. A free curve that forms the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the curved surface is generated.

  The free curve that forms the vertical cross-sectional shape of the second free-form surface that forms the rear surface 14b of the lens 14 is also generated in the same procedure as the free-curve C2 generation procedure. As the envelopes of the plurality of free curves constituting the horizontal sectional shape and the plurality of free curves constituting the vertical sectional shape (that is, the line elements and the vertical sectional shape of each of the plurality of free curves constituting the horizontal sectional shape) The second free-form surface is generated by continuously forming a plurality of surface elements arranged in a matrix in combination with each of the line elements of the plurality of free-form curves constituting the s.

  As described above in detail, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment uses the light from the light emitting diode 12 disposed on the optical axis Ax extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp to the lens 14 disposed on the front side of the lamp. Is formed so as to be deflected and emitted toward the front of the lamp to form the basic light distribution pattern PC0 of the horizontally long light distribution pattern PC, but the front surface 14a of the lens 14 is formed of a first free-form surface. Therefore, the front side surface 14a can be easily formed in a shape along the surface shape of the vehicle body 2 (in this embodiment, a curved surface shape that is substantially flush with the surface of the vehicle body 2).

  Further, in the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, the emission angle of the emitted light from the front surface 14a of the lens 14 with respect to the optical axis Ax depends on the shape of the basic light distribution pattern PC0 and the light intensity distribution thereof. Since the target emission angle is set for each point on the front surface 14a, the basic light distribution pattern PC0 can be formed with high accuracy.

  Furthermore, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is configured so that the rear side surface 14b of the lens 14 realizes light emission at a target emission angle set for each point on the front side surface 14a. Since it is composed of a second free-form surface formed by continuously forming surface elements having an inclination angle, it is possible to obtain an optical path necessary for the light emission without causing a step or the like on the rear surface 14b. it can.

  By configuring the rear side surface 14b of the lens 14 with the second free-form surface generated in this way, the basic light distribution pattern PC0 can be accurately formed. Since it is a horizontally long light distribution pattern, the rear side surface 14b of the lens 14 has a considerably narrower vertical width than its left and right width. For this reason, among the emitted light from the light emitting diode 12, more light travels toward the upper and lower spaces without entering the rear surface 14b of the lens 14. In that respect, in the present embodiment, a pair of upper and lower reflectors 20A and 20B are provided, and the light from the light emitting diode 12 is not transmitted through the main body of the lens 14 by these reflectors 20A and 20B ( A horizontally long additional light distribution pattern PCa is additionally formed as a part of the horizontally long light distribution pattern PC by diffusing and reflecting in the horizontal direction toward the front of the lamp through the respective through portions 14c and 14d. Therefore, the luminous flux utilization factor with respect to the light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 can be increased.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the vehicle cornering lamp 10 configured to form the horizontally long light distribution pattern PC for irradiating the oblique front road surface of the vehicle, the lamp layout and the degree of freedom in vehicle design are reduced. In addition, the luminous flux utilization factor for the light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 can be increased.

  In particular, in the lens 14 of the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, the front surface 14a and the rear surface 14b are both free-form surfaces, whereby no step or the like is formed on the surface of the lens 14. Thus, the appearance of the vehicle cornering lamp 10 can be improved.

  In addition, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the present embodiment includes a light emitting chip 12a of a light emitting diode 12 as a light source, and is configured so that direct light from the light emitting chip 12a is incident on the lens 14. Therefore, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 can be configured compactly.

  At that time, the light emitting diode 12 is configured such that only the substantially hemispherical resin mold 12b for sealing the light emitting chip 12a is exposed to the front side of the lamp from the small hole 18c formed in the rear vertical surface portion 18a of the holder 18. Since it is arranged, the design in the lamp chamber that can be enlarged through the lens 14 can be seen well.

  In the present embodiment, the upper half of the lens 14 is configured to emit light from the light emitting diode 12 as parallel light in the vertical direction, and the lower half of the lens 14 emits light from the light emitting diode 12. Since it is configured to emit light that diffuses downward in the vertical direction, the basic light distribution pattern PC0 of the horizontally long light distribution pattern PC is formed so that the vicinity of the upper end portion is bright and gradually becomes darker toward the lower end portion. be able to. As a result, it is possible to irradiate the front surface of the lamp with a substantially uniform brightness from the short-distance region to the long-distance region, and it is possible to further improve the visibility of the road surface ahead in the vehicle traveling direction when the vehicle is turning.

  Further, in the present embodiment, each of the reflectors 20A and 20B is configured to reflect light from the light emitting diode 12 upward with respect to the optical axis Ax, whereby the vicinity of the upper side of the horizontally long basic light distribution pattern PC0. In addition, since another horizontally long additional light distribution pattern PCa is formed, the visibility to not only the road surface in front of the vehicle traveling direction but also pedestrians when turning the vehicle can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, each reflector 20A, 20B has been described as configured to reflect light from the light emitting diode 12 upward with respect to the optical axis Ax. However, each of the reflectors 20A, 20B has been described. The light from the light emitting diode 12 may be reflected downward from the optical axis Ax. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to form the additional light distribution pattern PCa at a position overlapping the basic light distribution pattern PC0, thereby making the horizontally long light distribution pattern PC brighter. can do.

  In the above embodiment, when the additional light distribution pattern PCa is too bright, one of the pair of upper and lower reflectors 20A and 20B (for example, the reflector 20B) is used to transmit light from the light emitting diode 12 to light. If the configuration reflects light downward from the axis Ax, the brightness of the basic light distribution pattern PC0 is increased after the additional light distribution pattern PCa located near the upper part of the basic light distribution pattern PC0 is set to an appropriate brightness. be able to.

  Further, in the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the reflecting surfaces 20Aa and 20Ba of the reflectors 20A and 20B are set to have a parabolic columnar shape extending in the horizontal direction. Instead, as in the vehicle cornering lamp 110 shown in FIG. 8, the reflecting surfaces 120Aa and 120Ba of the reflectors 120A and 120B are set to have a hyperbolic cylindrical surface shape (or an elliptical cylindrical surface shape) extending in the horizontal direction. At the same time, it is possible to dispose the light from the light emitting diode 12 upward by disposing the reflecting surfaces 120Aa and 120Ba slightly upward.

  By adopting such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, the additional light distribution pattern PCa located in the upper vicinity of the basic light distribution pattern PC0 is expanded upward with respect to the additional light distribution pattern PCa shown in FIG. Thus, the visibility can be enhanced even for a pedestrian or the like near the left front of the vehicle.

  In this case, the lower end portion of the additional light distribution pattern PCa shown in FIG. 9 can be formed to overlap the upper end portion of the basic light distribution pattern PC0.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the through portions 14c and 14d for sealing the space between the lens 14 and the holder 18 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the lens 14 as an extension. (For example, when the vehicle cornering lamp 10 is housed as a lamp unit in a lamp chamber formed by a transparent light-transmitting cover that extends substantially flush with the surface of the vehicle body 2 and the lamp body) ) May be configured such that the through portions 14c and 14d are not extended.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 mounted on the left front end corner portion of the vehicle body has been described. However, the vehicle cornering lamp mounted on the right front end corner portion of the vehicle body is also used for the vehicle cornering. By forming the lamp 10 so as to be bilaterally symmetric, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the above-described embodiment and the vehicle cornering lamp disposed symmetrically with the vehicle cornering lamp 10 can be configured to be lit together with the headlamp and the like not only when the vehicle is turning but also when the vehicle is traveling straight. It is. For example, when driving on a road with low environmental illuminance such as a road in a residential area where there are few street lamps, the vehicle cornering lamp should be lit in a dimmed state that does not cause glare to pedestrians. This makes it possible to improve visibility when the vehicle is traveling straight ahead. In this case, when turning the vehicle, the amount of light may be increased by dimming so that the original function as a vehicle cornering lamp is exhibited.

  Furthermore, the vehicle cornering lamp 10 according to the above embodiment is configured to light up when the vehicle turns to the left and irradiate the left oblique front road surface. It is also possible to turn on the light when the vehicle turns to the right. The same applies to the vehicle cornering lamp 10 arranged symmetrically with the vehicle cornering lamp 10. By adopting such a configuration, the left and right sides of the vehicle can be widely irradiated when turning the vehicle so that left and right confirmation can be performed more easily, thereby further improving driving safety. .

Plan sectional drawing which shows the cornering lamp for vehicles which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention II-II sectional view of Fig. 1 View along arrow III in Fig. 1 The figure which shows perspectively the horizontally long light distribution pattern formed on the virtual vertical screen arrange | positioned in the position of 25 m ahead of the vehicle with the light irradiated from the said cornering lamp for vehicles. The figure which shows the target emission angle from each point on the front side surface of the lens in the said vehicle cornering lamp The figure which shows the procedure which produces | generates the 2nd free-form surface which comprises the back side surface of the said lens. The same figure as FIG. 4 which shows the effect | action of the modification of the said embodiment. The same figure as FIG. 2 which shows the other modification of the said embodiment. The same figure as FIG. 4 which shows the effect | action of said other modification.

Explanation of symbols

2 Car body 10, 110 Car cornering lamp 12 Light emitting diode 12a Light emitting chip 12b Resin mold 14 Lens 14a Front side surface 14b Rear side surface 14c, 14d Through-through portion 16 Support plate 18 Holder 18a Rear vertical surface portion 18b Front end surface 18c Small hole 20A, 20B, 120A, 120B Reflector 20Aa, 20Ba, 120Aa, 120Ba Reflecting surface Ax Optical axis Ax0 Axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle Ax1 Parabolic axis C1, C2 Free curve E Line element HZ Hot zone L0, L1, L2, L3 Straight line N1, N2 normal line O emission center P, Q, R point P0 reference point PC horizontal light distribution pattern PC0 basic light distribution pattern PCa additional light distribution pattern S origin α target emission angle in horizontal direction β target emission angle in vertical direction δ angle θH horizontal Direction opening Degrees θV vertical open angle ν predetermined angle

Claims (4)

In a vehicle cornering lamp configured to form a horizontally long light distribution pattern for irradiating an oblique front road surface of a vehicle,
A light source disposed on an optical axis extending in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and disposed on the front side of the lamp of the light source, and deflects light from the light source toward the front of the lamp And a lens to emit,
The front surface of the lens is composed of a first free-form surface,
The emission angle of the light emitted from the front surface with respect to the optical axis is set as a target emission angle for each point on the front surface,
When the horizontal opening angle, which is the horizontal component of the angle formed by the straight line connecting each point and the light emission center of the light source with respect to the optical axis, increases with respect to the horizontal direction, It is set so as to increase in a substantially direct relationship,
The rear surface of the lens is composed of a second free-form surface formed by continuously forming a surface element having an inclination angle for realizing light emission at a target emission angle set for each point. And
A reflector that diffuses and reflects light from the light source in a horizontal direction toward the front of the lamp without passing through the lens is provided at least one of above and below the optical axis. Cornering lamp for vehicles.   2. The vehicle cornering lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a light emitting chip of a light emitting element, and direct light from the light emitting chip is incident on the lens. The upper half of the lens is configured to emit light from the light source as substantially parallel light in the vertical direction,
3. The vehicle cornering lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lower half of the lens is configured to emit light from the light source as light that diffuses downward in the vertical direction.   The vehicle cornering lamp according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is configured to reflect light from the light source upward with respect to the optical axis.

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