Vehicular lighting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359167-B2
Application number	US-201716075424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 4, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

The objective of the invention is to provide vehicular lighting such that unevenness in the light distribution occurring on a road surface is minimized upon consideration of workability when performing an adjustment by aiming, or the like. This vehicular lighting forms a light distribution having a cut-off line CL, and comprises a light source (30) and a lens (50) disposed on the forward side of the light source (30). The entry surface (51) of the lens (50) wherefrom light from the light source (30) enters comprises: an upper side entry surface (54) on an upper side from the center of the entry surface (51), wherein first light diffusing portions (54a) for diffusing the light are disposed; a lower side entry surface (56) on a lower side from the center of the entry surface (51), wherein second light diffusing portions (56) for diffusing the light are disposed; and a middle entry surface (55) including the center of the entry surface, wherein third light diffusing portions (55b) and fourth light diffusing portions (55a) for diffusing the light are disposed, and having straight-through portions (55c) wherein no third light diffusing portions (55b) and no fourth light diffusing portions (55a) are disposed. The light diffusion width for each of the third light diffusing portions (55b) is larger than the light diffusion width for each of the fourth light diffusing portions (55a).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular lighting comprising:
a light source; and
a lens disposed on a front side of the light source,
the vehicular lighting forming light distribution having a cut-off line, wherein
an incident surface of the lens that light from the light source enters includes
an upper incident surface above a center of the incident surface, on which a first light diffusion part diffusing the light is arranged,
a lower incident surface below the center of the incident surface, on which a second light diffusion part diffusing the light is arranged, and
an intermediate incident surface including the center of the incident surface, on which a third light diffusion part and a fourth light diffusion part that diffuse the light are arranged, the intermediate incident surface having a plain part in which the third light diffusion part and the fourth light diffusion part are not arranged, and wherein
a diffusion width of the light of the third light diffusion part is larger than a diffusion width of the light of the fourth light diffusion part.

2. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein a diffusion width of the light of the first light diffusion part is substantially equal to the diffusion width of the light of the fourth light diffusion part.

3. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the diffusion width of the light of the third light diffusion part is substantially equal to a diffusion width of the light of the second light diffusion part.

4. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate incident surface includes
a first arrangement pattern part in which the third light diffusion part and the fourth light diffusion part are arranged substantially alternately in a horizontal direction,
a second arrangement pattern part in which substantially only the plain part is arranged in the horizontal direction, and
a third arrangement pattern part in which substantially only the fourth light diffusion part is arranged in the horizontal direction, and wherein
the intermediate incident surface includes the first arrangement pattern part substantially at a center of the intermediate incident surface in a vertical direction, and toward an outside in the vertical direction, the intermediate incident surface includes sequentially the second arrangement pattern part, the first arrangement pattern part, the third arrangement pattern part, the first arrangement pattern part, the third arrangement pattern part, the first arrangement pattern part, and the second arrangement pattern part, and the intermediate incident surface further includes the third arrangement pattern part on a top outside of the intermediate incident surface in the vertical direction and the first arrangement pattern part on a bottom outside of the intermediate incident surface in the vertical direction.

5. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the first light diffusion part is arranged on a substantially entire surface of the upper incident surface without any gaps.

6. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein
when a widest width of the lower incident surface in the vertical direction is defined as a lower incident surface width, the second light diffusion part is arranged, without any gaps, in an area having a width which is substantially half the lower incident surface width in a direction from the intermediate incident surface toward a vertically lower side, and
a remaining area of the lower incident surface is a plain part in which the second light diffusion part is not arranged.

7. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the second light diffusion part is arranged on a substantially entire surface of the lower incident surface without any gaps.

8. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , wherein
the intermediate incident surface is formed so as to position a center of the incident surface at a substantially intermediate part of a width of the intermediate incident surface in the vertical direction, and
the width of the intermediate incident surface in the vertical direction is 20% to 45% of a maximum width of an entire incident surface in the vertical direction.

9. The vehicular lighting according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a reflector that is disposed so as to cover the light source in a half dome shape and reflects light from the light source toward a side of the lens; and
a shade that is disposed between the reflector and the lens and blocks a part of light reflected by the reflector.

Assignees

• Ichikoh Industries Ltd

Inventors

• Iwasaki Kazunori

Classifications

• F21S41/43

  characterised by the shape thereof · CPC title

• F21S41/155

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

• F21S41/321

  the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated · CPC title

• F21S41/16

  Laser light sources · CPC title

• F21S41/00

  Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps (reversing lights F21S43/00) · CPC title