Light guide and vehicle lamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520155-B2
Application number	US-201816053830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A light guide for a vehicle lamp includes a rod-shaped portion and a plate-shaped portion. The rod-shaped portion includes a rod-shaped light guide portion and a connecting projection portion projecting from a peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion and extending along the rod-shaped light guide portion. The plate-shaped portion includes two principal surfaces facing opposite to each other and a plate-shaped portion side surface connecting the two principal surfaces. The light guide is a multi-color molded product in which the rod-shaped portion is formed of a first resin material and the plate-shaped portion is formed of a second resin material containing a light diffusing agent. The rod-shaped light guide portion is connected to the side surface of the plate-shaped portion by the connecting projection portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light guide, comprising:
a rod-shaped portion; and
a plate-shaped portion, wherein
the rod-shaped portion includes
a rod-shaped light guide portion, and
a connecting projection portion projecting from a peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion and extending along the rod-shaped light guide portion, and

the plate-shaped portion includes
two principal surfaces facing opposite to each other, and
a plate-shaped portion side surface connecting the two principal surfaces,

the light guide being a multi-color molded product in which the rod-shaped light guide portion is formed of a first resin material, the connecting projection portion is formed of the first resin material and the plate-shaped portion is formed of a second resin material containing a light diffusing agent,
the first resin material contains the light diffusing agent at a concentration lower than that in the second resin material or contains no light diffusing agent,
the rod-shaped light guide portion being connected to the plate-shaped portion side surface by the connecting projection portion.

2. The light guide according to claim 1 , wherein
the connecting projection portion includes a bonding surface bonded to the plate-shaped portion side surface.

3. The light guide according to claim 2 , wherein the connecting projection portion includes two projection portion side surfaces disposed at respective sides of the bonding surface and connecting the bonding surface to the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion.

4. The light guide according to claim 3 , wherein one of the two projection portion side surfaces is flush with one of the two principal surfaces of the plate-shaped portion.

5. The light guide according to claim 3 , wherein the two projection portion side surfaces are flush with the respective principal surfaces of the plate-shaped portion.

6. The light guide according to claim 3 , wherein the bonding surface is inclined relative to the projection portion side surfaces.

7. The light guide according to claim 3 , wherein the plate-shaped portion has a base thickness greater than a width of the bonding surface, the width being a distance between the two projection portion side surfaces, and the connecting projection portion and a portion of the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion are bonded to the plate-shaped portion side surface.

8. The light guide according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the two projection portion side surfaces is tangent to the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion.

9. The light guide according to claim 8 , wherein one of the two projection portion side surfaces is tangent to the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion, and the bonding surface forms an obtuse angle with the one of the projection portion side surfaces that is tangent to the peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion and forms an acute angle with the other one of the projection portion side surfaces.

10. The light guide according to claim 3 , wherein a width of the bonding surface is greater than a base thickness of the plate-shaped portion, the width being a distance between the two projection portion side surfaces.

11. The light guide according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of the projection portion side surfaces includes a shelf portion bonded to the plate-shaped portion side surface.

12. The light guide according to claim 11 , wherein another shelf portion is provided on the plate-shaped portion side surface.

13. The light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting projection portion partially projects into the plate-shaped portion side surface.

14. The light guide according to claim 13 , wherein the connecting projection portion includes a bonding surface bonded to the plate-shaped portion side surface, the bonding surface includes a step, and the plate-shaped portion side surface includes a step that engages with the step in the bonding surface.

15. The light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the rod-shaped light guide portion and the connecting projection portion are an integrally molded piece.

16. The light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the rod-shaped light guide portion is curved.

17. The light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the first resin material and the second resin material have a common optical property.

18. The light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the light guide includes neither an optical step nor a reflective element.

19. A vehicle lamp, comprising: the light guide according to claim 1 ; and a light source, wherein the light source is configured to emit light, the light entering the rod-shaped light guide portion through a light-incident surface of the rod-shaped light guide portion, entering the plate-shaped portion from the rod-shaped light guide portion through the connecting projection portion, and being emitted through the principal surfaces of the plate-shaped portion by the light diffusing agent.

Assignees

• Koito Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsubara Eiji
• Kosuge Mamoru
• Yamamoto Akinori
• Sakashita Asami

Classifications

• G02B6/0095

  Light guides as housings, housing portions, shelves, doors, tiles, windows, or the like · CPC title

• G02B6/0086

  Positioning aspects · CPC title

• F21S43/245

  emitting light from one or more of its major surfaces · CPC title

• B60Q2400/20

  Multi-color single source or LED matrix, e.g. yellow blinker and red brake lamp generated by single lamp · CPC title

• G02B6/0073

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title