VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICE

• US 20100135036A1
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Takeo, Wagatsuma, Yuji, Matsuba, Yoshiaki
• Application Number:
  US12/565,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20100135036A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/516
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/143 the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/25 Projection lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/322 the reflector using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An optical axis O′ of a lens section of an optical member is inclined downward relative to a horizontal direction (an optical axis O of each LED) from a light emitting section of each LED. Therefore, an area at and below a horizontal position of a lighting device is illuminated by the lens section while each LED is arranged at an optically ideal position relative to the lens section. Also, reflection surfaces of upper and lower reflector sections and of the optical member are respectively set based on parabolas P1 and P2 different from each other with focal points F1 and F2 positioned at each LED. Therefore, the area at and below the horizontal position of the lighting device is illuminated respectively by the reflector sections while each LED is arranged at an optically ideal position relative to the reflector sections.

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting device comprising a light source whose optical axis is set in a horizontal direction, and an optical member configured to control emitted light from the light source,

wherein the optical member comprises:

a lens section provided on the optical axis of the light source and configured to emit incident light from the light source by changing the incident light by refraction;

an upper reflector section integrated with the lens section and made of a light transmissive material, and configured to emit incident light from the light source by totally reflecting the incident light at an upper reflection surface formed above the lens section; and

a lower reflector section integrated with the lens section and made of a light transmissive material, and configured to emit incident light from the light source by totally reflecting the incident light at a lower reflection surface formed below the lens section,

an optical axis of the lens section being inclined downward relative to the horizontal direction from the light source,

the upper reflection surface being an aspheric surface with a focal point positioned at the light source or vicinity of the light source, and

the lower reflection surface being an aspheric surface different from the upper reflection surface with a focal point positioned at the light source or vicinity of the light source.

2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1,

wherein a refraction section configured to refract the incident light from the light source downward and guide the incident light to outside an illumination light path is formed at a lower portion of an incident surface of the lens section.

3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1,

wherein an emission surface of the lens section is a curved surface having curvatures in a vertical direction and in the horizontal direction.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1,

wherein a refraction section configured to refract the incident light from the light source downward and guide the incident light to outside an illumination light path is formed at a lower portion of an incident surface of the lens section, and

an emission surface of the lens section is a curved surface having curvatures in a vertical direction and in the horizontal direction.

5. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1,

wherein an antireflection layer is formed on an incident surface of the optical member through which the emitted light from the light source is introduced.