JP2008078087A - Vehicle headlamp - Google Patents

Abstract

In a conventional vehicle headlamp that uses an LED as a light source for passing light distribution, a light source for running light distribution often uses a metal halide discharge tube, a halogen light bulb, etc. It caused a sense of incongruity by causing changes.
According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle headlamp including a plurality of lamp units each having an LED as a light source. The plurality of lamp units are mainly projector-type lamp units. The first lamp unit 2 forms a light distribution shape dedicated to the low beam by a fixed light shielding plate, and the light shielding plate is movable. The light distribution shape for the low beam, the light distribution shape for the high beam, The problem can be solved by using the vehicular headlamp 1 configured by combining two types with the second lamp unit 3 that can be switched.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp for lighting such as a headlight and a fog light, and more specifically, in addition to lighting for passing light distribution, the lighting for driving light distribution is turned on and light distribution for traveling is provided. In this case, for example, it is intended to prevent a driver, an oncoming vehicle, or the like from causing a sense of incongruity due to a difference in the color of a light source such as a halogen bulb and the other a metal halide discharge lamp.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a conventional headlamp 90 of this type, and the first lamp unit 80 for obtaining a passing light distribution is formed as a projector type, and a blue light source is used as a light source. A so-called white light emitting LED 81 in which the periphery of the LED is covered with a yellow light emitting phosphor is employed.

  In addition, the second lamp unit 70 for light distribution for traveling is configured such that a metal halide discharge lamp or a halogen bulb 72 is installed at the focal point of the reflecting surface 71 formed as a rotating paraboloid. On the first lamp unit 80 side, since it is currently impossible to satisfy the specified brightness with one lamp unit, a plurality of lamp units are employed so as to obtain the required brightness. ing.

On the other hand, since a sufficient amount of light can be obtained on the second lamp unit 70 side, one lamp is employed. With this configuration, since the light from the white light emitting LED 81 and the light from the metal halide discharge lamp 72 are both white light having a high color temperature, they are unified even when both lamps 80 and 70 are turned on simultaneously. It is said that a feeling can be given.
JP-A-2005-141917

  However, in the headlamp 90 having the conventional configuration described above, the light source employed in the second lamp unit 70 is the metal halide discharge lamp 72, which generates direct light, whereas The light source employed in the lamp unit 80 is an LED covered with a phosphor, and produces slightly diffused light by the phosphor described above.

  Further, the color of the light from the first lamp unit 80 and the color of the lamp from the second lamp unit 70 are different in nature, and the light from both the lamp units 80 and 70 cannot be completely unified. There was a problem of solving this problem.

  Further, while the life of the metal halide discharge lamp is about 7000 hours, the LED may be considered to be substantially infinite. For this reason, the second lamp unit 70 using the metal halide discharge lamp as the light source has a light source on the side. It is indispensable to provide a replacement mechanism, and there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated.

  As a specific means for solving the above-described conventional problems, the present invention is a vehicle headlamp composed of a plurality of lamp units each having an LED as a light source, and the plurality of lamp units are separated from the light source. The lamp unit mainly includes a projector-type lamp unit configured to reflect and collect light with a reflector and irradiate the reflected light forward through a projection lens provided in front of the reflector. The first lamp unit, one of which forms a light distribution shape dedicated to the low beam with a fixed light shielding plate, and the light shielding plate is movable, and has a light distribution shape for the low beam and a light distribution shape for the high beam. The problem is solved by providing a vehicular headlamp characterized by comprising two types of combinations with a switchable second lamp unit.

  According to the present invention, the first lamp unit that forms a light distribution shape dedicated to the low beam and the light shielding plate are movable, and the light distribution shape for the low beam and the light distribution shape for the high beam can be switched. Both the two lamp units have the same color as the light emitted from both lamp units by adopting a light beam that combines a blue light-emitting LED and a yellow light-emitting phosphor. As a result, it is possible to solve the problem on the assumption that a perfect sense of unity is obtained, and further, there is an advantage that a light source replacement mechanism can be omitted.

  Below, this invention is demonstrated in detail based on embodiment shown in a figure.

  What is denoted by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention. The vehicle headlamp 1 includes four first lamp units 2 and four second lamp units 3. In the present invention, the number used for the lamp units 2 and 3 is not limited, and the ratio of the lamp units 2 and 3 used is not limited. Absent.

  FIG. 2 shows a second lamp unit 3 that is the gist of the present invention. This second lamp unit 3 basically includes an elliptical reflecting surface 31, a movable shade 32, a projection lens 33, and the like. However, the ellipsoidal reflecting surface 31 is appropriately set upward so that more light is incident on the projection lens 33.

  The movable shade 32 is tilted forward by a solenoid 34, and when tilted, the projection lens 33 causes more light that is upward after projection to enter the projection lens 33. Thereby, switching from the passing light distribution to the traveling light distribution is performed.

  In addition, what is indicated by reference numeral 35 in the figure is an LED, and as described above, the blue light emitting LED chip is covered with a yellow light emitting phosphor (not shown), and when it is lit, A white color is obtained with a mixed color of yellow from the phosphor. Reference numeral 36 denotes a heat sink, which is provided to cool the heat generated by the LED 35 during lighting.

  FIG. 3 shows the first lamp unit 2. In this first lamp unit 2, only the upper half of the elliptical reflecting surface 21 is provided horizontally, whereby the LED 25 is also mounted upward. It has been. And since a horizontal mirror is provided at the focal point of the projection lens, the reflected light from the elliptical reflecting surface 21 is projected in a range from the horizontal to the downward direction after reaching the projection lens 23. The LED 25 is of a known configuration that always projects a passing light distribution when the LED 25 is turned on.

  The vehicular lamp 1 according to the present invention in which each of the lamp units 2 and 3 is formed as described above has eight lamp units 2 when the solenoid 34 of the second lamp unit 3 is not driven. 3, the passing light distribution is projected from all three. At this time, since the lamp units 2 and 3 all use the LEDs 25 and 35 as light sources, the color of light and the degree of diffusion are exactly the same, so that the viewer does not feel uncomfortable.

  Then, when the solenoid 34 of the second lamp unit 3 is driven, the amount of upward light from the second lamp 3 increases, and far-distance irradiation is performed to obtain travel light distribution. At this time, the color of the light and the degree of diffusion are not changed at all, and even when the light distribution is low, the viewer feels uncomfortable like the conventional two types of light sources. There is no.

  4 is a front view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this second embodiment, the side where the movable shade 32 is provided, that is, the aperture of the projection lens 33 of the second lamp unit 3 is shown. Is greatly formed. At this time, the ellipsoidal reflecting surface 31 or the LED 35 (see FIG. 2) may be enlarged simultaneously. By doing in this way, naturally the light quantity from the 2nd lamp unit 3 increases, and the objective of the traveling light distribution of facilitating confirmation of a distant place can be achieved more reliably.

  FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the vehicle headlamp 1 according to the present invention, and the two types of lamp units 2 and 3 have different diameters of the lenses 23 and 33, respectively. By doing so, the distance visibility when traveling light distribution is slightly reduced, but the change in light distribution shape when switching between passing light distribution and traveling light distribution becomes significant, and the driver It is possible to provide a clear switching feeling.

1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a 2nd lamp unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a 1st lamp unit. It is a front view which shows the 2nd Example of the vehicle headlamp which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the 3rd Example of the vehicle headlamp which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle headlamp 2 ... 1st lamp unit 21 ... Elliptic reflection surface 23 ... Projection lens 25 ... LED
3 ... Second lamp unit 31 ... Elliptic reflecting surface 32 ... Movable shade 33 ... Projection lens 34 ... Solenoid 35 ... LED
36 ... heat sink

Claims (4)

  A vehicle headlight composed of a plurality of lamp units each having an LED as a light source, the plurality of lamp units reflecting and condensing light from the light source by a reflector, and the reflected light is directed in front of the reflector. Mainly a projector-type lamp unit configured to irradiate forward through a provided projection lens. One of the lamp units forms a light distribution shape dedicated to a low beam by a fixed light-shielding plate. It consists of two types of combination of one lamp unit and a second lamp unit that has a light-shielding plate that can be moved and can switch between a low-beam light distribution shape and a high-beam light distribution shape. A vehicular headlamp characterized by that.   In the first lamp unit for low beam and the second lamp unit capable of switching between low beam and high beam, the light quantity on the second lamp unit side is set large. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1.   3. The projection lens according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit has a different aperture. The vehicle headlamp according to any one of the above.   The first lamp unit and / or a part of the second lamp unit is mixed with a third lamp unit having a reflecting surface of a paraboloidal system. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 3.

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