Light emitting device and vehicle lamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10151441-B2
Application number	US-201514870708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Oct 8, 2014
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A light emitting device includes a planar light emitting body configured to emit light in a planar shape, and a transparent member configured to control the light from the planar light emitting body. The transparent member has a light incidence surface arranged so as to face a light emitting surface of the planar light emitting body and configured to cause the light from the planar light emitting body to be incident on the transparent member and a light emission surface configured to emit, to the outside, the light which is propagated in the transparent member. The transparent member is formed so as to extend in a predetermined direction and formed such that a distance between the light incidence surface and the light emission surface changes in accordance with a position in the predetermined direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light emitting device comprising:
a plurality of planar light emitting bodies configured to emit light in a light emitting direction; and
a transparent member configured to control the light from the planar light emitting bodies, the transparent member having a light incidence surface and a light emission surface, the light incidence surface arranged so as to face light emitting surfaces of the planar light emitting bodies and configured to cause the light from the planar light emitting bodies to be incident on the transparent member, the light emission surface configured to emit, to the outside, the light which is propagated in the transparent member,
wherein the planar light emitting bodies are sequentially arranged in an extending direction,
wherein the transparent member is formed so as to extend in the extending direction, and formed such that a distance between the light incidence surface and the light emission surface changes in accordance with a position in the extending direction.

2. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the light incidence surface is formed in a wave shape.

3. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent member has a bent portion between the light incidence surface and the light emission surface.

4. The light emitting device according to claim 3 , wherein the bent portion is spaced from the light emission surface in the normal direction of the light emitting surfaces of the planar light emitting bodies.

5. The light emitting device according to claim 3 , wherein the light emission surface is bent with respect to a predetermined direction transverse to the light emitting direction.

6. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein an air layer is provided between the light emitting surfaces of the planar light emitting bodies and the transparent member.

7. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a diffusion sheet for diffusing the light emitted to the outside from the light emission surface, wherein the diffusion sheet is located on at least a portion of the light emission surface.

8. The light emitting device according to claim 7 , wherein the diffusion sheet is a frosting sheet.

9. A vehicle lamp comprising the light emitting device according to claim 1 as a light source.

10. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the light incidence surface is formed in a staircase shape in the extending direction.

11. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one planar light emitting body among the plurality of planar light emitting bodies is offset with respect to another planar light emitting body in the light emitting direction.

12. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one planar light emitting body among the plurality of planar light emitting bodies is inclined with respect to another planar light emitting body, with respect to the light emitting direction.

13. A vehicle lamp comprising:
a planar light emitting body curved along a vehicle width direction; and
a transparent member which propagates the light from the planar light emitting body, wherein the transparent member is disposed so as to face a light emitting surface of the planar light emitting body, and has a light incidence surface on which the light from the planar light emitting body is incident and a light emission surface for emitting the light propagated in the transparent member to the outside, wherein
the transparent member is a plate-shaped light guide which is three-dimensionally curved and extends in the vehicle width direction and in a vehicle length direction, and
the transparent member is formed so that a distance between the light incidence surface and the light emission surface changes in accordance with a position in the vehicle width direction.

Assignees

• Koito Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ito Toru
• Shido Masaya
• Otsubo Takayuki

Classifications

• F21S43/243

  emitting light from one or more of its extremities · CPC title

• F21W2107/10

  for land vehicles · CPC title

• F21Y2115/20

  Electroluminescent [EL] light sources · CPC title

• F21S43/247

  with a single light source being coupled into the light guide · CPC title

• F21S43/145 Primary

  Surface emitters, e.g. organic light emitting diodes [OLED] · CPC title