WO2025013933A1 - Optical component, vehicle lamp, and method for manufacturing optical component - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, a reflector (16) comprises: a first reflector (17) constituted by a resin material; a shade (18) constituted by a metal material and assembled to the first reflector (17); and a second reflector (19) constituted by a metal material and assembled to the first reflector (17). The first reflector (17) has: a plate-like body section (17b) in which is formed an opening (17a) through which light emitted from a light source passes; and an upper reflection part (17d) which is provided around the opening (17a) and reflects part of the light passing through the opening to the front of a vehicle. The body section (17b) has: first fixing parts (17e) with which the shade (18) is assembled and fixed from a first direction; and second fixing parts (17f) with which the second reflector (19) is assembled and fixed from a second direction different from the first direction.

Description

Optical component, vehicle lamp, and method for manufacturing optical component

This disclosure relates to optical components, for example, optical components used in vehicle lighting fixtures.

　Conventionally, there is known a vehicle headlamp that includes a light-emitting element array made up of multiple semiconductor light-emitting elements, each configured to be able to illuminate multiple individual illumination areas divided in the left-right direction above the horizontal line. For example, a vehicle headlamp has been devised that includes a light-emitting element array in which multiple light-emitting elements configured to be able to be individually lit, each of which has an individual illumination area that constitutes a high-beam light distribution pattern, are mounted in a row on a substrate, a projection lens that is arranged in front of the light-emitting element array, and a reflector that is arranged below the light-emitting element array (see Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. WO 16/013447

However, the reflector in the vehicle headlamp mentioned above is a single component made entirely of metal, which increases the weight of the part and tends to increase the material cost. On the other hand, when sunlight enters from outside through the projection lens and is concentrated inside the lamp, the light-concentrating part becomes very hot, so heat resistance is required for the part that can become the light-concentrating part.

One exemplary objective of the present disclosure is to provide a new optical component that is lightweight while still meeting desired performance requirements such as light distribution and heat resistance.

In order to solve the above problems, an optical component according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first reflector made of a resin material, a shade made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector, and a second reflector made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector. The first reflector has a plate-shaped main body having an opening through which light emitted from a light source passes, and a first reflecting portion provided around the opening and reflecting a portion of the light passing through the opening toward the front of the vehicle. The shade is provided so as to cross the opening when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and forms a cut line in the light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of the light passing through the opening, and the second reflector is provided on the opposite side of the first reflecting portion across the shade so as to block a portion of the opening, and has a second reflecting portion that reflects a portion of the light passing through the opening toward the front of the vehicle. The main body has a first fixing portion to which the shade is attached and fixed from a first direction, and a second fixing portion to which the second reflector is attached and fixed from a second direction different from the first direction.

In this embodiment, by constructing the first reflector from a resin material, the optical components can be made lighter than when the entire component is made of metal materials. On the other hand, by constructing the shade and the second reflector from metal materials, heat resistance can be improved.

The first fixing portion is a pair of bosses that are thermally crimped, and the shade may have a positioning hole into which one of the pair of bosses fits to position it relative to the main body, and a long hole into which the other of the pair of bosses fits. This makes it difficult for the shade attached to the first fixing portion to deform due to heat, even if there is a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the first reflector made of a resin material and the shade made of a metal material.

The second fixing portion may be provided below the first fixing portion in the vertical direction of the vehicle and on both sides of the opening in the vehicle width direction.

The second fixing portion is a pair of bosses that are thermally crimped, and the second reflector may have a positioning hole into which one of the pair of bosses fits to position it relative to the main body, and an elongated hole into which the other of the pair of bosses fits. This makes it difficult for the second reflector attached to the second fixing portion to deform due to heat, even if there is a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the first reflector made of a resin material and the second reflector made of a metal material.

The shade may be fixed to the first fixing part with its rear end in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction extending into the opening. This allows the depth of the shade to be extended even if the tip of the shade cannot be extended forward due to restrictions on the desired light distribution pattern. Therefore, the overall strength of the shade can be ensured even if the shade is thin.

The second reflector may be fixed to the second fixing part with its rear end in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction extending into the opening.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle lamp. This vehicle lamp includes a light source in which a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged, the optical component described above, and a projection lens that projects light emitted from the light source and passing through an opening of the optical component toward the front of the vehicle. The optical component is configured to form a first light distribution pattern by light that passes between the first reflector and the shade, and to form a second light distribution pattern by light that passes between the shade and the second reflector.

In this case, even if sunlight enters from outside through the projection lens and is concentrated inside the lamp, the shade made of metal components is highly heat resistant and does not easily deform, making it possible to achieve a highly accurate light distribution pattern.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing an optical component. The method is a method for manufacturing an optical component that includes a first reflector made of a resin material, a shade made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector, and a second reflector made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector. This method includes the steps of preparing a first reflector having a plate-shaped main body having an opening through which light emitted from a light source passes and a first reflecting portion provided around the opening and reflecting a portion of the light passing through the opening forward of the vehicle; a first assembly step of assembling a shade that is provided across the opening when viewed from the front of the vehicle and forms a cut line in the light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of the light passing through the opening to a first fixing portion provided on the main body from below in the vertical direction of the vehicle; and a second assembly step of assembling a second reflector that is provided on the opposite side of the first reflecting portion across the shade so as to block a portion of the opening and has a second reflecting portion that reflects a portion of the light passing through the opening forward of the vehicle to a second fixing portion provided on the main body from the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

In this embodiment, even if the shade falls off the first reflector, the second reflector can prevent it from falling downward.

Any combination of the above components, or conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between manufacturing methods, devices such as lamps and lighting, light-emitting modules, light sources, etc., are also valid aspects of this disclosure.

This disclosure makes it possible to realize new lightweight optical components.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the vehicle lighting unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lighting unit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reflector shown in FIG. 4 as seen from another direction. FIG. 6 is a front view of the first reflector. FIG. 7 is a front view of the reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side view of the reflector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a top view of the shade according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a front view of the second reflector according to the present embodiment.

Below, the present disclosure will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments do not limit the invention but are merely examples, and all of the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of a vehicle lamp unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle lamp unit shown in FIG. 2. The vehicle lamp unit 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a vehicle headlamp provided at the front of a vehicle, and is configured to be able to form both low beam and high beam light distribution patterns. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a reflector according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reflector shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from another direction.

The vehicle lighting fixture 100 comprises a lamp body 2, an outer lens 4 that covers the opening of the lamp body 2, a vehicle lighting unit 10 provided in a lamp chamber 6 surrounded by the lamp body 2 and the outer lens 4, and an aiming mechanism 8 that holds the vehicle lighting unit 10 so that it can be aimed. The vehicle lighting unit 10 comprises a projection lens 12 that projects light emitted from the light source forward of the vehicle, a lens holder 14, a reflector 16, a circuit board 20, a heat sink 22, and a fan 24.

The lens holder 14 has a substantially cylindrical lens holding portion 14a and three legs 14b protruding from the lens holding portion 14a toward the rear of the vehicle. The projection lens 12 is a transparent member in which a lens body portion 12a that controls the optical path of light emitted from the light source and a flange-shaped mounting portion 12b that protrudes outward from the outer periphery of the lens body portion 12a are integrally formed. The projection lens 12 is held in the lens holder 14 by aligning the mounting portion 12b of the projection lens 12 with the lens holding portion 14a of the lens holder 14 and fixing them with screws 26. The projection lens 12 is manufactured by injection molding using a resin material that is highly transparent and heat resistant, such as acrylic or polycarbonate.

The reflector 16 in this embodiment is an optical component that is made partly of a resin material and partly of a metal material in order to reduce costs and weight. The reflector 16 includes a first reflector 17 made of a resin material, a shade 18 made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector 17, and a second reflector 19 made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector 17.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the first reflector 17. The first reflector 17 has a plate-shaped main body portion 17b in which an opening 17a is formed through which light emitted from the light source passes, side reflecting portions 17c that are provided to protrude forward from both the left and right sides of the opening 17a, and an upper reflecting portion 17d in which the inner surface of the beam-shaped portion above the opening 17a serves as a reflective surface. In the first reflector 17 according to this embodiment, the side reflecting portion 17c and the upper reflecting portion 17d form the first reflecting portion. As a result, the light emitted from the light source that passes through the opening 17a and heads toward the side reflecting portion 17c can also contribute to the formation of the light distribution pattern.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the reflector 16 according to this embodiment. The shade 18 is disposed across the opening 17a when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and forms a cut line in the light distribution pattern by blocking part of the light passing through the opening 17a. The second reflector 19 is disposed on the opposite side of the shade 18 from the upper reflecting portion 17d so as to block part of the opening 17a (the lower part of the opening 17a in FIG. 6), and has a lower reflecting portion 19a that reflects part of the light passing through the opening 17a to the front of the vehicle. As a result, by making the first reflector 17 out of a resin material, the weight of the entire reflector 16 can be reduced compared to when the entire reflector is made of a metal material. On the other hand, by making the shade 18 and the second reflector 19 out of a metal material, heat resistance can be improved.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the reflector 16 according to this embodiment. The main body 17b has a first fixing portion 17e to which the shade 18 is attached and fixed from a first direction D1, and a second fixing portion 17f to which the second reflector 19 is attached and fixed from a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. The first direction D1 is a direction from the front to the rear of the vehicle lighting unit 10. The second direction D2 is a direction from the bottom to the top of the vehicle lighting unit 10. The first fixing portion 17e is provided below the pair of side reflecting portions 17c in the vertical direction of the vehicle and on both sides of the opening 17a in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the first fixing portion 17e is a pair of bosses that are thermally caulked, and the tips are provided facing downward in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

9 is a top view of the shade 18 according to this embodiment. The shade 18 has a positioning hole 18a into which one of a pair of bosses, which are the first fixing portion 17e, is inserted to position the shade 18 relative to the main body portion 17b, and a long hole 18b into which the other of the pair of bosses is inserted. The bosses are inserted into the holes and melted to fix the shade 18 in a predetermined position relative to the first reflector 17. This makes it difficult for the shade 18 attached to the first fixing portion 17e to deform due to heat, even if there is a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the first reflector 17 made of a resin material and the shade 18 made of a metal material (e.g., aluminum). In addition, even if sunlight is incident from the outside through the projection lens 12 and concentrated inside the lamp, the shade 18 made of a metal member has high heat resistance and is difficult to deform, so a highly accurate light distribution pattern can be realized.

The second fixing portion 17f of the first reflector 17 is provided below the first fixing portion 17e in the vertical direction of the vehicle and on both sides of the opening 17a in the width direction of the vehicle. Specifically, the second fixing portion 17f is a pair of bosses that are thermally crimped, and their tips are provided toward the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the second reflector 19 according to this embodiment. The second reflector 19 has a positioning hole 19b into which one of a pair of bosses, which are the first fixing portion 17e, is inserted to position the second reflector 19 relative to the main body, and an elongated hole 19c into which the other of the pair of bosses is inserted. The bosses are inserted into the respective holes and melted, thereby fixing the second reflector 19 in a predetermined position relative to the first reflector 17. This makes it difficult for the second reflector 19 attached to the second fixing portion 17f to deform due to heat, even if there is a difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between the first reflector 17 made of a resin material and the second reflector 19 made of a metal material.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the shade 18 is fixed to the first fixing part 17e with its rear end 18c in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction extending into the opening 17a. This allows the depth of the shade 18 to be extended even if the tip 18d of the shade cannot be extended forward due to restrictions on the desired light distribution pattern. Therefore, even if the shade 18 is thin (for example, the thickness of the tip 18d is 0.6 to 1.4 mm, and the thickness of the rear end is 0.4 to 0.8 mm), the overall strength can be ensured. Also, the second reflector 19 is fixed to the second fixing part 17f with its rear end 19d in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction extending into the opening 17a.

The circuit board 20 has a first light source 20a in which a plurality of light-emitting elements 21a for mainly forming a low-beam light distribution pattern are arranged in a horizontal row, a second light source 20b in which a plurality of light-emitting elements 21b for mainly forming a high-beam light distribution pattern are arranged in a horizontal row, and a drive circuit (not shown) for driving each light-emitting element. The second light source 20b is arranged adjacent to the first light source 20a. The first light source 20a is located on the upper row side, and the second light source 20b is located on the lower row side. In other words, the light-emitting element 21a is arranged above the light-emitting element 21b. The first light source 20a and the second light source 20b are arranged so that the light emission surface faces forward of the vehicle.

The drive circuit is a combination of passive elements such as capacitors and coils, active elements such as transistors and diodes, IC chips, memory, etc., and is mounted in an area of the circuit board below the area in which the light sources 20a and 20b are mounted.

The light emitted from the first light source 20a passes through the upper region of the opening 17a of the first reflector 17 between the upper reflecting portion 17d and the upper surface 18e of the shade 18. At that time, some of the light is reflected by the reflective surfaces of the side reflecting portion 17c, the upper reflecting portion 17d, and the upper surface 18e of the shade 18, and is irradiated toward the projection lens 12 with light distribution control performed. The projection lens 12 projects the light that arrives directly from the first light source 20a and the light that has been light distribution controlled by each reflective surface as a desired light distribution pattern in front of the vehicle. As a result, on the screen in front of the vehicle, the area mainly below the horizon is irradiated with light of a low beam light distribution pattern.

Shade 18 is disposed in the area between light-emitting element 21a and light-emitting element 21b when the light source is viewed from the front of the vehicle. As a result, shade 18 functions to form a cut line in the low-beam light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of the light emitted from first light source 20a.

Similarly, the light emitted from the second light source 20b passes between the shade 18 and the second reflector 19. At that time, a portion of the light is reflected by the lower surface 18f of the shade 18 and the lower reflecting portion 19a of the second reflector 19, and is irradiated toward the projection lens 12 with light distribution control performed. The projection lens 12 projects the light that arrives directly from the second light source 20b and the light that has been subjected to light distribution control by each reflecting surface as a desired light distribution pattern in front of the vehicle. As a result, the area above the horizon on the screen in front of the vehicle is mainly irradiated with light of a high beam light distribution pattern. In this way, the projection lens 12 projects a light distribution pattern in front of the lamp using light emitted from at least one of the first light source 20a and the second light source 20b.

When each of the light sources described above is driven, heat is generated from the light sources, the components that make up the drive circuit, wiring, etc. Some of the heat generated from the light sources 20a, 20b, etc. is transferred to the heat sink 22 and released to the outside from each part of the heat sink 22, particularly the fins 22a. At this time, the cooling air generated by the rotation of the cooling fan 24 flows along the fins 22a, improving heat dissipation. The lens holder 14 is fixed to the heat sink 22 with screws 26. The reflector 16 is fixed to the heat sink 22 with screws 28, sandwiching the circuit board 20 between them.

Next, a manufacturing method for the above-mentioned reflector will be described. The manufacturing method according to this embodiment is a manufacturing method for a reflector 16 including a first reflector 17 made of a resin material, a shade 18 made of a metal material or a ceramic material and assembled to the first reflector 17, and a second reflector 19 made of a metal material or a ceramic material and assembled to the first reflector 17.

This method includes the steps of preparing a first reflector 17 having a plate-shaped main body portion 17b in which an opening 17a through which light emitted from a light source passes, and side reflection portions 17c and an upper reflection portion 17d that are provided around the opening 17a and reflect a portion of the light passing through the opening 17a to the front of the vehicle, and a shaper that is provided across the opening 17a when viewed from the front of the vehicle and forms a cut line in the light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of the light passing through the opening 17a. The method includes a first assembly step of assembling the shade 18 to the first fixing portion 17e provided on the main body portion 17b from below in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a second assembly step of assembling the second reflector 19, which is provided on the opposite side of the upper reflecting portion 17d across the shade 18 so as to cover a part of the opening 17a and has a lower reflecting portion 19a that reflects a part of the light passing through the opening 17a to the front of the vehicle, to the second fixing portion 17f provided on the main body portion 17b from the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, even if the shade 18 falls off the first reflector 17, the second reflector 19 can prevent it from falling downward as it is, as shown in FIG. 8.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and suitable combinations and substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing order in the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and to make modifications to the embodiments such as various design changes, and embodiments to which such modifications have been made are also included in the scope of the present invention.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-114723, filed on July 12, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (8)

A first reflector made of a resin material;
a shade made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector;
a second reflector that is made of a metal material and is assembled to the first reflector;
The first reflector includes:
a plate-shaped main body having an opening through which light emitted from a light source passes;
a first reflecting portion provided around the opening and configured to reflect a portion of the light passing through the opening toward a front of the vehicle;
The shade is provided so as to cross the opening when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and forms a cut line of a light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of light passing through the opening,
the second reflector is provided on the opposite side of the first reflecting portion across the shade so as to cover a portion of the opening, and has a second reflecting portion that reflects a portion of the light passing through the opening forward of the vehicle;
The main body portion is
a first fixing portion to which the shade is assembled and fixed from a first direction;
and a second fixing portion to which the second reflector is assembled and fixed from a second direction different from the first direction. the first fixing portion is a pair of bosses that are thermally caulked;
The optical component according to claim 1 , wherein the shade has a positioning hole into which one of the pair of bosses is inserted to position the shade relative to the main body, and an elongated hole into which the other of the pair of bosses is inserted. The optical component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second fixing portion is provided below the first fixing portion in the vertical direction of the vehicle and on both sides of the opening in the vehicle width direction. the second fixing portion is a pair of bosses that are thermally caulked;
4. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the second reflector has a positioning hole into which one of the pair of bosses is inserted to position the second reflector relative to the main body portion, and a long hole into which the other of the pair of bosses is inserted. The optical component according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shade is fixed to the first fixing part with its rear end in the vehicle longitudinal direction extending into the opening. The optical component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second reflector is fixed to the second fixing part with its rear end in the vehicle longitudinal direction extending into the opening. A light source having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged thereon;
An optical component according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
a projection lens that projects the light emitted from the light source and passing through the opening of the optical component toward a front of the vehicle,
The optical component is configured to form a first light distribution pattern by light passing between the first reflector and the shade, and to form a second light distribution pattern by light passing between the shade and the second reflector. A method for manufacturing an optical component including a first reflector made of a resin material, a shade made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector, and a second reflector made of a metal material and assembled to the first reflector, comprising:
A step of preparing the first reflector including: a plate-shaped main body portion having an opening through which light emitted from a light source passes; and a first reflecting portion provided around the opening and reflecting a portion of the light passing through the opening toward a front of the vehicle;
a first assembling step of assembling the shade, which is provided so as to cross the opening when viewed from the front of the vehicle and forms a cut line of a light distribution pattern by blocking a part of light passing through the opening, to a first fixing part provided on the main body from below in a vertical direction of the vehicle;
a second assembling step of assembling a second reflector, the second reflector being provided on the opposite side of the first reflecting portion across the shade so as to cover a portion of the opening and having a second reflecting portion that reflects a portion of the light passing through the opening toward the front of the vehicle, to a second fixing portion provided on the main body portion from the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
A method for manufacturing an optical component, comprising:

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