Patent Application
20160377249
The present disclosure relates to a lighting apparatus and an automobile including the lighting apparatus.
Lighting apparatuses such as headlights are disposed in the front portion of an automobile. This type of lighting apparatus includes: a base that is open toward the front; a lens body disposed forward of the base; a first light-emitting device for low beam-use disposed behind the lens body, above the base; and a second light-emitting device for high beam-use disposed behind the lens body, below the base (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-108554).
Furthermore, a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component for forming a low beam light-distribution pattern is disposed in the base, in front of the first light-emitting device and the second light-emitting device.
In the above-described lighting apparatus, the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component blocks the light from the first light-emitting device for low beam-use that is directed toward oncoming vehicles, and, instead, guides the light toward the sidewalk. In other words, oncoming vehicles are not dazzled, and checking of the sidewalk is facilitated.
On the other hand, when oncoming vehicles are not present, the driver turns ON the second light-emitting device for high beam-use in order to improve forward visibility.
However, since the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component is disposed in the base, in front of the first light-emitting device and the second light-emitting device in the conventional lighting apparatus, the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component causes a dark streak in the light emitted from the second light-emitting device. As such, even when the second light-emitting device for high beam-use is used to emit light when oncoming vehicles are not present, forward visibility cannot be sufficiently improved.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a lighting apparatus and an automobile that are capable of improving visibility during high beam light-distribution pattern illumination even when equipped with a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a lighting apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a base that is open toward a front and includes a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component; a lens body disposed forward of the base; a first light-emitting device; and a second light-emitting device, wherein incident light is refracted in a lower portion of the lens body, the incident light and exiting light travel in substantially same direction in an upper portion of the lens body, the first light-emitting device is disposed behind the lower portion of the lens body, the second light-emitting device is disposed further forward than the first light-emitting device and behind the upper portion of the lens body, and the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component is disposed in front of the first light-emitting device.
Accordingly, visibility during high beam light-distribution pattern illumination can be improved.
The figures depict one or more implementations in accordance with the present teaching, by way of examples only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each of the subsequently-described embodiments show a specific preferred example of the present invention. Therefore, shapes, materials, structural components, the arrangement and connection of the structural components, etc. shown in the following exemplary embodiment are mere examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Hereinafter, in this disclosure, “front/forward” refers to the direction in which light is emitted from the lighting apparatus (i.e., the light-emitting direction) and the light-extraction direction in which light is extracted, and “back/behind” refers to the direction opposite the “front/forward” direction. Furthermore, “front/forward” refers to the direction of travel when an automobile moves forward.
It should be noted that the respective figures are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily precise illustrations. Furthermore, in the respective figures, substantially identical components are assigned the same reference signs, and overlapping description is omitted or simplified.
An automobile 1 according to an exemplary embodiment will be described using
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A refractive portion (light-refractive portion) 8 is provided in a lower portion of the lens body 7, and a non-refractive portion (non light-refractive portion) 9 is provided in an upper portion of the lens body 7. The refractive portion 8 has a function of refracting passing light, and has, for example, a substantially hemispherical shape that projects forward. The non-refractive portion 9 has a function of allowing passing light to pass without being refracted, and is, for example, plate-like.
The lens body 7 is, for example, integrally molded from a transparent synthetic resin. It should be noted that it is sufficient that the non-refractive portion 9 be of a material that allows passing light to exit in substantially the same direction as the incident light.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As one example, the first light-emitting device 10 and the second light-emitting devices 11 are white LEDs that emit white light, and may be of the surface mount device (SMD) structure or the chip on board (COB) structure.
The first reflector 12 is disposed above the first light-emitting device 10. Furthermore, the second reflectors 13 are disposed in front of the second light-emitting devices 11. In this embodiment, plural (for example, three) second reflectors 13 and plural second light-emitting devices 11 are provided, and the second reflectors 13 and the second light-emitting devices 11 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence.
The first reflector 12 has a substantially hemispherical surface shape that is open toward the front and bottom. The inner face of the first reflector 12 is a curved face, and is a reflective face (mirror face). Furthermore, the first light-emitting device 10 is disposed below the first reflector 12.
Therefore, as indicated by the arrows in
In order to form this low beam light-distribution pattern, a low beam light-distribution pattern is provided at the upper portion of the base 6, in a portion that is further forward than the front opening of the first reflector 12. Specifically, the low beam light-distribution pattern (a pattern in which the illumination area is blocked on the oncoming vehicle-side and widened in the sidewalk-side) is formed by a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component 14. The light-distribution pattern forming component 14 is disposed in front of the first light-emitting device 10. It should be noted that the light-distribution pattern forming component 14 is a part of the base 6 and is provided integrally with the base 6.
On the other hand, each of the second reflectors 13 have a substantially conical shape with a diameter increasing toward the front. The second reflector 13 is, for example, a lens body, and is, as one example, a collimating lens. Furthermore, the second light-emitting devices 11 are disposed in the small diameter-side (back-side) of the second reflectors 13.
Therefore, as indicated by the arrows in
In this embodiment, since the second light-emitting devices 11 for high beam-use are disposed above and further forward than the first light-emitting device 10 for low beam-use, at this time, the light from the second light-emitting devices 11 that is directed toward the non-refractive portion 9 of the lens body is not affected by the light-distribution pattern forming component 14. In other words, compared to the low beam light-distribution pattern, the high beam light-distribution pattern is emitted further forward and, in addition, is capable of sufficiently illuminating the oncoming vehicle-side. As a result, visibility during high beam light distribution pattern illumination can be improved.
It should be noted that it is sufficient that the second reflectors 13 are of a shape allows for total reflection in the main outer wall (lateral face). Accordingly, the substantially conical shape includes a conical shape having a cut-off apex (i.e., a truncated cone shape) or an elliptical cone. Furthermore, as illustrated in
Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to emit the high beam light-distribution pattern farther and brighter, a plurality of the second light-emitting devices 11 are arranged laterally and the second reflectors are disposed in front of the respective second light-emitting devices 11. In addition, as illustrated in
Furthermore, in this embodiment, a reflective face is formed, by plating, in the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component 14-portion of the base 6 and the portion of the base 6 in front of the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component 14 (i.e., the portion on the lens body 7-side). In contrast, although the second reflectors 13 are integrally formed from a transparent resin, a total reflection-type reflective face is formed in the inner face-side of the second reflectors 13 by mirror-finishing the outer peripheral surface of the second reflectors 13.
As described above, in the lighting apparatus 5 according to this embodiment, the non-refractive portion 9 is provided in the upper portion of the lens body 7, and the second light-emitting devices 11 are provided behind the non-refractive portion 9. With this, the high beam light-distribution pattern is not affected by the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component 14. Therefore, visibility during high beam light-distribution pattern illumination can be improved even in the lighting apparatus 5 that includes the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component 14.
Although the lighting apparatus, automobile, etc. according to the present invention are described based on an exemplary embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this exemplary embodiment.
For example, although a headlamp that emits a low beam light-distribution pattern and a high beam light-distribution pattern is described in the forgoing embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to, for example, a fog lamp light-distribution pattern, a daylight running lamp/daytime running light (DLR) light-distribution pattern, and an indicator lamp light-distribution pattern.
Furthermore, although the automobile is exemplified by a four-wheeled automobile in the foregoing embodiments, other automobiles such as a two-wheeled automobile (motorbike) are also acceptable.
Furthermore, although the LED is given as an example of a light-emitting device, other solid-state light-emitting devices such as organic electroluminescence (EL) solid-state light-emitting devices or existing lamps such as high intensity discharge (HID) lamps may be used.
Forms obtained by various modifications to the exemplary embodiments and modifications that can be conceived by a person of skill in the art as well as forms realized by arbitrarily combining structural components and functions in the exemplary embodiments and modifications which are within the scope of the essence of the present invention are included in the present invention.
While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that they may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present teachings.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-032686 | Feb 2014 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/618,148 filed on Feb. 10, 2015 and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application Number 2014-032686, filed Feb. 24, 2014, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14618148 | Feb 2015 | US |
| Child | 15262622 | US |
