Light guiding lens and vehicle lighting unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016356446-A1
Application number	US-201615171435-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A light guiding lens and vehicle lighting unit are shown. According to one aspect, an elongated light guiding lens guides and emits light emitted from LEDs. The light guiding lens includes a first rod extension and a second rod extension connected with each other, and a flange protruding from the first rod extension. The flange includes a plurality of light incident portions to introduce light into the flange. The light incident portions guide light toward the first rod extension along a light guiding direction and lies in the direction toward the second rod extension, the light guiding direction defining an acute intersecting angle with the extending direction of the first rod extension. The first rod extension includes reflecting surfaces to internally reflect the light incident on the light incident portions and guided inside the flange.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An elongated light guiding lens guiding and emitting light emitted from a plurality of LEDs, the light guiding lens comprising:
a first rod extension and a second rod extension connected with each other; and a flange protruding from the first rod extension, wherein the flange includes a plurality of light incident portions corresponding to the respective LEDs and introducing light emitted from the LEDs into the flange, the light incident portions are disposed at different sites in a crossing direction intersecting with an extending direction of the first rod extension at an acute angle, the light incident portions guide light emitted from the respective LEDs inside the flange toward the first rod extension along a light guiding direction which is perpendicular to the crossing direction and lies in the direction toward the second rod extension, the light guiding direction defining an acute intersecting angle with the extending direction of the first rod extension, and the first rod extension includes a plurality of reflecting surfaces to internally reflect the light incident on the light incident portions and guided inside the flange along the extension direction toward the second rod extension.

2 . The light guiding lens according to claim 1 , wherein the light incident portions collimate the light emitted from the respective LEDs and guide the collimated light inside the flange along the light guiding direction.

3 . A vehicle lighting unit comprising:
a plurality of LEDs; and the light guiding lens according to claim 1 .

4 . The vehicle lighting unit according to claim 3 , wherein the LEDs are aligned to an identical direction and implemented on a single planar LED substrate.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd
• Stanley Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okada Naoyuki
• Nakaarai Masato

Classifications

• G02B6/001

  the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre · CPC title

• F21S43/249

  with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide · CPC title

• F21S41/141

  Light emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21S43/315

  using total internal reflection · CPC title

• F21S43/237 Primary

  rod-shaped · CPC title