This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-034773 filed on Feb. 15, 2008, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
1. Technical Field
The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a vehicle lighting fixture using a light source and, in particular, to a vehicle lighting fixture capable of switching a plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) without depending on a mechanical action.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now there has been known a vehicle lighting fixture having a plurality of functions (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-019329).
As illustrated in
The vehicle lighting fixture according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-019329, however, mechanically switches between a plurality of functions (for example, between a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) by rotating the mirror plate 30′ by the actuator. This can cause a problem in that the plurality of functions (for example, a fog lamp function and cornering lamp function) cannot be used at the same time. In addition, there is a problem in that, if movable components, such as an actuator, a mirror plate and the like, malfunction, the mirror plate 30′ cannot be rotated. Then, the plurality of functions (for example, fog lamp and cornering lamp functions) cannot be switched as well.
The presently disclosed subject matter has been made in view of such situations as well as in view of other considerations, problems, and features of the conventional art, and can include a vehicle lighting fixture capable of switching a plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) without depending on a mechanical action.
A lighting fixture for use on a vehicle according to a first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter can include: a first light source; a second light source; and a first reflecting surface which can reflect light emitted by the first light source to form a first light distribution pattern when the first light source is turned on, and can reflect light emitted by the second light source to form a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern when the second light source is turned on.
According to the first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, unlike the conventional art, it is possible to electrically switch a plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) by controlling the lighting of the first light source and the second light source, instead of through the use of mechanical switching.
Therefore, both the first light source and the second light source can be turned on to allow the simultaneous use of the plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp).
Furthermore, according to the first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, since movable components (such as a conventional actuator, mirror plate and the like) are not necessarily included or required for switching the plurality of functions (for example, the functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp), it is possible to avoid the problem of a failure to switch between or select one of the plurality of functions (for example, a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) which might occur in the conventional art as described above.
Still further, according to the first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, one lighting fixture (one reflecting surface) can be used to enable the realization of the plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp).
In accordance with a second aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, in the lighting fixture mounted on a vehicle according to the first aspect, the first and second light sources can be arranged on the same straight line at a predetermined interval with their respective light emitting faces oriented in either an upward or a downward direction, and the first reflecting surface can have a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be set to or located substantially at the first light source and can extend in the horizontal direction.
The first and second light sources and a first reflecting surface can be configured to form a first light distribution pattern and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. Each of the first and second light sources can include one light emitting element or a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in line.
According to the second aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, when the first reflecting surface is configured as a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point is set to or located substantially at the first light source and which extends in the horizontal direction, the first reflecting surface can form a light distribution pattern greater in diffusion than a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate.
In accordance with a third aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, in the lighting fixture mounted on a vehicle according to the first aspect, the first and second light sources can be provided with a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in line; the first and second light sources can be arranged at a predetermined interval with their respective light emitting faces oriented in either an upward or a downward direction; the plurality of light emitting elements of the first and second light sources can be arranged on the same straight line; and the first reflecting surface can have a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point is set to or located substantially at the first light source and can extend in the horizontal direction.
The first and second light sources and a first reflecting surface can be configured to form a first light distribution pattern and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern.
According to the third aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, when the first reflecting surface has the parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be set to or located substantially at the first light source and which extends in the horizontal direction, the first reflecting surface can form a light distribution pattern greater in diffusion than a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, the lighting fixture mounted on a vehicle according to the second and third aspects can further include: a second reflecting surface which is arranged on one of left and right sides with respect to the first reflecting surface when viewed from the front side of the lighting fixture; and a third reflecting surface which can be arranged on the other side of the left and right sides with respect to the first reflecting surface; wherein the second reflecting surface can reflect light emitted by the first light source to form a third light distribution pattern superimposed on the first light distribution pattern when the first light source is turned on, and the third reflecting surface can reflect light emitted by the second light source to form a fourth light distribution pattern superimposed on the second light distribution pattern when the second light source is turned on.
According to the fourth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, the lighting fixture mounted on a vehicle can include the second reflecting surface which forms the third light distribution pattern superimposed on the first light distribution pattern and the third reflecting surface can form the fourth light distribution pattern superimposed on the second light distribution pattern. Therefore, it can be possible to form a light distribution pattern suited to achieve the plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp).
According to a fifth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, in the lighting fixture mounted on a vehicle according to the fourth aspect, the second reflecting surface can have a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be set to or located substantially at the first light source and can extend in the horizontal direction, and the third reflecting surface can have a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be set to or located substantially at the second light source and can extend in the horizontal direction.
In an embodiment according to the fifth aspect of the disclosed subject matter, the second reflecting surface can be configured to form the third light distribution pattern and the third reflecting surface can be configured to form the fourth light distribution pattern.
According to the fifth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, when the second reflecting surface has the parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be set to or located substantially at the first light source and can extend in the horizontal direction, the second reflecting surface can form a light distribution pattern greater in diffusion than a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate. In addition, when the third reflecting surface includes a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point is located substantially at the second light source and extends in the horizontal direction, the third reflecting surface can form a light distribution pattern greater in diffusion than a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate.
Accordingly, it is possible to realize a vehicle lighting fixture according to the presently disclosed subject matter which is capable of switching a plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) without depending on a mechanical action.
A vehicle lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter is described below with reference to the drawings.
The vehicle lighting fixture 100 according to this exemplary embodiment can be applied to a cornering lamp that also functions as a fog lamp arranged at the corner portions of both left and right sides at the front end of a vehicle such as, for example, an automobile. As illustrated in
The first light source 10R can be illuminated in accordance with a fog-lamp lighting command and can emit light for forming a light distribution pattern for a fog lamp. The first light source 10R can be a semiconductor light source and can be, for example, an LED semiconductor light source package which includes a plurality of LED chips 11R having a plurality of (for example, four) light emitting elements arranged in a row.
The second light source 10L can be illuminated in accordance with a cornering-lamp lighting command and can emit light for forming a light distribution pattern for a cornering lamp. The second light source 10L can be a semiconductor light source and can be, for example, an LED semiconductor light source package which includes a plurality of LED chips 11L having a plurality of (for example, four) semiconductor light emitting elements arranged in line. Only the second light source 10L can be illuminated, only the first light source 10R can be illuminated, or both can be illuminated at the same time.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As shown in
The first reflecting surface 20, for example, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The parabola a2 set in the above manner can be moved (swept) along the cross section al to provide a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be located substantially at or set to the middle point A1 of the first light source 10R and which can extend in the horizontal direction (extending along the cross section al in
The first reflecting surface 20 configured as a parabolic cylindrical surface set as described above can form different light distribution patterns depending on whether the first light source 10R or the second light source 10L is turned on.
Specifically, when the first light source 10R is turned on, as illustrated in
A diffusion angle at which the first reflecting surface 20 diffuses light in the horizontal direction (in the left and right directions) can be set to 30 degrees or more in the left and right directions, and can be set to 60 degrees or more in the outward direction (on the left side for the left lighting fixture and on the right side for the right lighting fixture) to conform to ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) Vehicle Regulation No. 19.
When the thus formed first reflecting surface 20 is configured as a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point is substantially located at or set to the middle point Al of the first light source 10R and which extends in the horizontal direction, the first reflecting surface 20 can form the light distribution patterns P1 and P2 with a greater diffusion as compared to a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate.
Turning on both the first and second light sources 10R and 10L can enable the simultaneous use of the functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp. Since movable components (such as a conventional actuator and a mirror plate) for switching the function of a fog lamp or a cornering lamp can be eliminated, it is possible to avoid a switching malfunction from occurring when switching to or between a fog lamp and/or a cornering lamp due to a failure of movable components, which failure might occur in the conventional art. Moreover, one lighting fixture 100 (or one reflecting surface 20) can be used to enable the realization of two different lighting functions (for example, a fog lamp and a cornering lamp).
In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in
When the first light source 10R is turned on, the second reflecting surface 30R can reflect light emitted by the first light source 10R and can form a third light distribution pattern P3 superimposed on the first light distribution pattern P1.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The parabola b2 set in the above manner can be moved (swept) along the cross section b1 to provide a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be set to or located substantially at the end point A2 of the first light source 10R and can extend in the horizontal direction (extending along the cross section b1 in
When the first light source 10R is turned on, as illustrated in
A light source image of the end point A2 of the first light source 10R projected by the second reflecting surface 30R can be arranged along the upper end (the cut-off line) of the first light distribution pattern P1. This can cause the upper end of the first light distribution pattern P1 to coincide with that of the third light distribution pattern P3, which can form a light distribution configured for a fog lamp.
A diffusion angle at which the second reflecting surface 30R diffuses light in the horizontal direction (for example, the left and right directions) can be set so as to form a light distribution pattern which expands left and right with centering around 45 degree angle in the outward direction (on the left side for the left lighting fixture and on the right side for the right lighting fixture) in order to conform to ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) Vehicle Regulation No. 119. This configuration can be suitable for a fog lamp.
When the thus formed second reflecting surface 30R is configured as a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point is set to or located substantially at the end point A2 of the first light source 10R and which extends in the horizontal direction, the second reflecting surface 30R can form the light distribution pattern P3 greater in diffusion than a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate.
When the second light source 10L is turned on, the third reflecting surface 30L can reflect light emitted by the second light source 10L and can form a fourth light distribution pattern P4 superimposed on the second light distribution pattern P2.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The parabola c3 set in the above manner can be moved (swept) along the cross section c1 to provide a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point can be located substantially at or set to the end point A3 of the second light source 10L and can extend in the horizontal direction (extending along the cross section c1 in
When the second light source 10L is turned on, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the thus formed third reflecting surface 30L is configured as a parabolic cylindrical surface whose focal point is set to or located substantially at the end point A3 of the second light source 10L and which extends in the horizontal direction, the third reflecting surface 30L can form the light distribution pattern P4 that is greater in diffusion than a conventional vehicle lighting fixture in which a plurality of functions are switched using a mirror plate.
As described above, unlike the conventional art, the vehicle lighting fixture 100 of the exemplary embodiment can control the lighting of the first light source 10R and the second light source 10L to electrically switch a plurality of functions on and/or off (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) instead of mechanically switching between a plurality of functions.
Thus, with the vehicle lighting fixture 100 of the exemplary embodiment, both the first light source 10R and the second light source 10L can be turned on to allow the simultaneous use of the plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp).
The vehicle lighting fixture 100 of the embodiment does not utilize movable components (such as a conventional actuator, mirror plate and the like) for switching a plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp). Therefore, the vehicle lighting fixture 100 can avoid the problem that the plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) cannot be switched due to failure in the movable components, such as can be faced by the conventional art.
According to the vehicle lighting fixture 100 of the present embodiment, one lighting fixture 100 (one reflecting surface 20) can be used to enable the realization of the plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp).
A modified example is described below.
Although the above exemplary embodiment has been described with first and second light sources 10R and 10L that can be LEDs packaged as LED chips 11R including a plurality of (for example, four) semiconductor light emitting elements arranged in line, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to this embodiment. For example, as long as an amount of light sufficient for both a fog lamp and also a cornering lamp can be ensured, each of the first and second light sources 10R and 10L can be constituted by one LED chip.
Although the above embodiment has been described referring to the example where the vehicle lighting fixture 100 can be configured using three reflecting surfaces (for example, the first reflecting surface 20, the second reflecting surface 30R and the third reflecting surface 30L), the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a vehicle lighting fixture capable of switching a plurality of functions (for example, functions of a fog lamp and a cornering lamp) without depending on a mechanical action can be implemented using only the first reflecting surface 20.
Although the above embodiment has been described with the first light distribution pattern P1 being formed as the light distribution pattern for a fog lamp and the second light distribution pattern P2 being formed as the light distribution pattern for a cornering lamp, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the embodiment. For example, the first light distribution pattern P1 can be formed as the light distribution pattern for a head lamp and the second light distribution pattern P2 can be formed as the light distribution pattern for a cornering lamp, etc.
Although the above embodiment has been described with the first and second light sources 10R and 10L being arranged with their respective light emitting faces oriented downward when viewed from the front side of the lighting fixture, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the embodiment. For example, the first and second light sources 10R and 10L can be arranged with their respective light emitting faces oriented upward, obliquely downward or obliquely upward when viewed from the front side of the lighting fixture.
Although the above embodiment has been described with light sources and light emitting elements that can be semiconductor light sources and semiconductor light emitting elements, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to this embodiment. It should be understood that other types of light sources and light emitting elements may be used.
The foregoing embodiments are merely examples in all respects. The presently disclosed subject matter is not construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments. The presently disclosed subject matter can be implemented in other various forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristic thereof.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. All conventional art references described above are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2008-034773 | Feb 2008 | JP | national |