Vehicle lamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016377253-A1
Application number	US-201615178766-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 10, 2016
Priority date	Jun 24, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A reflecting surface of a reflector has a structure where a plurality of reflecting elements are arranged in rows in an up-and-down direction, and the reflecting elements are arranged as a plurality of sets in a left-and-right direction. The surface of each reflecting element is composed of a curved surface having a horizontal section curvature larger than a vertical section curvature. Thus, a horizontally long light distribution pattern may be easily formed by light reflecting from each reflecting element. Each reflecting element is connected to each of four reflecting elements which are adjacent thereto in the left-and-right direction and are shifted therefrom in the up-and-down direction, through a boundary line extending from a vertical plane in an inclined direction in the left-and-right direction. Thus, the horizontally long light distribution pattern formed by the light reflecting from each reflecting element becomes a bright light distribution pattern having four chipped corners.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle lamp comprising:
a light emitting element; and a reflector configured to reflect light from the light emitting element forward, wherein a reflecting surface of the reflector has a structure in which a plurality of reflecting elements are arranged in rows in an up-and-down direction, and the plurality of reflecting elements arranged in rows are arranged as a plurality of sets in a left-and-right direction, the plurality of reflecting elements are arranged to be shifted from each other in the up-and-down direction in adjacent respective sets, each of the reflecting elements is connected to at least one reflecting element which is adjacent thereto in the left-and-right direction and is shifted therefrom in the up-and-down direction, through a boundary line extending from a vertical plane in an inclined direction in the left-and-right direction, and a surface of each of the reflecting elements is composed of a curved surface which has a curvature of a horizontal section larger than a curvature of a vertical section.

2 . The vehicle lamp of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reflecting elements are arranged to be shifted from each other by a half pitch in the up-and-down direction, the left-and-right direction, or both directions in the respective sets.

3 . The vehicle lamp of claim 1 , wherein each of the reflecting elements has an outer shape having a greater up-and-down width than a left-and-right width.

4 . The vehicle lamp of claim 1 , wherein the reflector is disposed below the light emitting element, and
the light emitting element is disposed such that a light emitting surface of the light emitting element faces downwards.

5 . The vehicle lamp of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of sets of light emitting elements and reflectors are arranged.

Assignees

• Koito Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsumoto Masakazu
• Suzuki Takayuki

Classifications

• F21W2107/00

  Use or application of lighting devices on or in particular types of vehicles · CPC title

• F21V7/048

  with facets structure · CPC title

• F21S43/31 Primary

  Optical layout thereof · CPC title

• F21V7/09

  with a combination of different curvatures · CPC title

• F21S41/335 Primary

  with continuity at the junction between adjacent areas · CPC title