Vehicle lighting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713858-B2
Application number	US-202117911427-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2021
Priority date	Mar 24, 2020
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A projection lens has a first lens body including a first incidence section located at a side facing a first light source and an emission section located at a side opposite to the first incidence section, and a second lens body including a second incidence section located at a side facing the second light source, a refractive index of the second lens body is smaller than a refractive index of the first lens body, and a structure in which the first lens body and the second lens body abut each other while having first boundary surfaces, which are provided between the emission section and the second incidence section, and second boundary surfaces, which are provided between the first incidence section and the second incidence section from a boundary line with respect to the first boundary surfaces, interposed therebetween is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle lighting comprising:
a first light source configured to emit first light;
a second light source that is disposed adjacent to the first light source and that is configured to emit second light in a same direction as the first light; and
a projection lens configured to project the first light and the second light in a same direction,
wherein the projection lens has a first lens body including a first incidence section located at a side facing the first light source and an emission section located at a side opposite to the first incidence section, and a second lens body including a second incidence section located at a side facing the second light source,
a refractive index of the second lens body is smaller than a refractive index of the first lens body,
a structure in which the first lens body and the second lens body abut each other while having first boundary surfaces, which are provided between the emission section and the second incidence section, and second boundary surfaces, which are provided between the first incidence section and the second incidence section from a boundary line with respect to the first boundary surfaces, interposed therebetween is provided,
among the first light that has entered inside of the first lens body from the first incidence section, the first light reflected at the second boundary surface is emitted to an outside of the first lens body from the emission section, and
among the second light that has entered inside of the second lens body from the second incidence section, the second light that has passed through the first boundary surface and the second light that has passed through the second boundary surface are emitted to the outside of the first lens body from the emission section.

2. The vehicle lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the emission section has a lens surface configured to condense the first light and the second light in a direction in which the boundary line extends and in a direction in which the first light source and the second light source are aligned.

3. The vehicle lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the projection lens has a third lens body located at a side facing the emission section,
the emission section has a lens surface configured to condense the first light and the second light in a direction in which the boundary line extends, and
the third lens body has a lens surface configured to condense the first light and the second light emitted from the emission section in a direction in which the first light source and the second light source are aligned.

4. The vehicle lighting according to claim 3 , wherein the third lens body is integrally assembled to the first lens body in a state in which an air layer is provided between the third lens body and the emission section.

5. The vehicle lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the first light source and the second light source are provided on a same surface of a same substrate.

6. The vehicle lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the first light projected by the projection lens forms a first light distribution pattern including a cutoff line defined by the boundary line on an upper end thereof, and
the second light projected by the projection lens forms a second light distribution pattern located above the first light distribution pattern.

Assignees

• Stanley Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nishimura Shota

Classifications

• F21S41/265 Primary

  Composite lenses; Lenses with a patch-like shape · CPC title

• F21S41/663

  by switching light sources (by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162) · CPC title

• F21W2102/135

  the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21S41/143 Primary

  the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device · CPC title