Light-emitting part for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035455-B2
Application number	US-201414893369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2014
Priority date	May 29, 2013
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A light-emitting part for a vehicle having a light-emitting region is described. The light-emitting part includes an irradiation body which i) includes a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body that emits light from the dot-shaped light source, and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region. The light-emitting part includes a curved plate-shaped transmissive body disposed so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body. The curved plate-shaped transmissive body includes portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps. Also included is a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap and a distance from the dot-shaped light source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light-emitting part for a vehicle comprising a light-emitting region, the light-emitting part comprising:
an irradiation body which i) comprises a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body with a light-emitting surface that emits light from the dot-shaped light source and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region; and
a curved plate-shaped transmissive body which is disposed at a front position of the irradiation body so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body as the light-emitting region;
wherein the dot-shaped light source is attached at a position adjacent to an end of the planar plate-shaped light guide body in a longitudinal direction;
wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body comprises portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps while the planar plate-shaped light guide body and the curved plate-shaped transmissive body are attached to the vehicle; and
wherein the light-emitting part for the vehicle further comprises a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap of the different gaps and a distance from the dot-shaped light source in the longitudinal direction;
wherein the surface brightness adjusting portion comprises an absorbed light adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of absorbed light from the light from the irradiation body; and
wherein the absorbed light adjusting portion includes black pigment of the curved plate-shaped transmissive body.

2. A light-emitting part for a vehicle comprising a light-emitting region, the light-emitting part comprising:
an irradiation body which i) comprises a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body with a light-emitting surface that emits light from the dot-shaped light source and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region; and
a curved plate-shaped transmissive body which is disposed at a front position of the irradiation body so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body as the light-emitting region;
wherein the dot-shaped light source is attached at a position adjacent to an end of the planar plate-shaped light guide body in a longitudinal direction;
wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body comprises portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps while the planar plate-shaped light guide body and the curved plate-shaped transmissive body are attached to the vehicle; and
wherein the light-emitting part for the vehicle further comprises a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap of the different gaps and a distance from the dot-shaped light source in the longitudinal direction;
wherein the light-emitting part further comprises a box-shaped frame of a holder which comprises an opening that faces the curved plate-shaped transmissive body and holds the irradiation body so that the planar plate-shaped light guide body is disposed near a position of the opening;
wherein the surface brightness adjusting portion comprises an absorbed light adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of absorbed light from the light from the irradiation body; and
wherein the absorbed light adjusting portion adjusts the brightness of the outer surface by changing a degree of light and darkness of color of a portion of the holder surrounding the planar plate-shaped light guide body in response to the size of the gap.

3. A light-emitting part for a vehicle comprising a light-emitting region, the light-emitting part comprising:
an irradiation body which i) comprises a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body with a light-emitting surface that emits light from the dot-shaped light source and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region; and
a curved plate-shaped transmissive body which is disposed at a front position of the irradiation body so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body as the light-emitting region;
wherein the dot-shaped light source is attached at a position adjacent to an end of the planar plate-shaped light guide body in a longitudinal direction;
wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body comprises portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps while the planar plate-shaped light guide body and the curved plate-shaped transmissive body are attached to the vehicle; and
wherein the light-emitting part for the vehicle further comprises a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap of the different gaps and a distance from the dot-shaped light source in the longitudinal direction;
wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body is a transmissive resin base having a curved surface portion; and
wherein the light-emitting part further comprises a decorative film which is disposed on one surface of the resin base;
wherein the irradiation body irradiates the light to the resin base;
wherein the decorative film comprises at least a transmitted light adjusting layer, with a non-transmissive portion that shields the light from the irradiation body and a transmissive portion that allows the light from the irradiation body to be transmitted therethrough, and a decorative layer laminated on a vehicle interior side of the transmitted light adjusting layer;
wherein the surface brightness adjusting portion is a shielded light adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of shielded light in the decorative film from the light from the irradiation body;
wherein the transmitted light adjusting layer in the decorative film corresponds to the shielded light adjusting portion; and
wherein a boundary portion of the decorative film between the non-transmissive portion and the transmissive portion in the transmitted light adjusting layer comprises a gradation portion subjected to a gradation process so that the color and the density are gradually reduced in a direction towards the boundary portion in the non-transmissive portion.

4. The light-emitting part for the vehicle according to claim 3 ,
wherein regions of the boundary portion having different colors and densities are disposed so that the colors and the densities gradually change in the gradation portion, and
wherein a region of the regions having a higher tensile expansion modulus is wider than a region of the regions having a lower tensile expansion modulus in the gradation portion.

5. The light-emitting part for the vehicle according to claim 3 ,
wherein the decorative film is stuck to follow the curved surface portion, and
wherein the gradation portion is disposed at a position deviated from a portion having a maximal tensile expansion modulus in the decorative film.

6. The light-emitting part for the vehicle according to claim 3 ,
wherein a color tone of the resin base is similar to a color tone of the non-transmissive portion in the transmitted light adjusting layer.

Assignees

• Ts Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamato Noriyuki
• Kotsuka Shoji
• Ito Yoshiaki

Classifications

• B32B7/12

  using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties · CPC title

• B32B27/36

  comprising polyesters · CPC title

• B32B2307/40

  having particular optical properties · CPC title

• B32B2255/205

  Metallic coating · CPC title

• B32B2605/00

  Vehicles · CPC title