Lamp device for vehicle

• US 6,821,001 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Nakata, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso, Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsidulko, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/051,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20020136012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 362/309, 362/328, 362/329, 362/308, 362/268, 362/297, 362/348, 362/296, 362/341, 362/347, 362/350, 362/516, 362/520
• US Class Current: 362/308
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/255 Lenses with a front view of circular or truncated circular outline
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/28 Cover glass
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/336 with discontinuity at the junction between adjacent areas

Abstract

A shape of a vertical cross section and a shape of a horizontal cross section in a lens are formed in a recess shape. Accordingly, even when a prism is not formed, a light transmitting through the lens is largely refracted and an interior section is hard to be visible. As a result, it is not necessary to finish a surface of a reflection surface of a reflector so as to have an optical performance equal to or more than an optical performance required for reflection with taking an appearance into consideration, and a working operation can be easily executed in comparison with the conventional one.

Claims

1. A lamp device for a vehicle comprising:

a light source;

a reflector in which a reflection surface is a free curved surface;

a lens having no prism; and

a reflected light by said reflector transmitting through said lens so as to be irradiated to an external section in accordance with a target light distribution pattern,

wherein said lens is formed in a recess shape in a vertical cross section and a horizontal cross section, and wherein the reflection surface of said reflector is structured such that a vertical cross section of the reflection surface and a horizontal cross section of the reflection surface each substantially have a shape that is part of an oval larger than a front surface and a back surface of said lens.

2. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a free curved surface formed on the reflection surface of said reflector is a non-uniform rational B-spline surface (NURBS).

3. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a torus curved surface or a free curved surface is formed on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of said lens.

4. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a torus curved surface or a free curved surface is formed on the front surface and the back surface of said lens.

5. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a torus curved surface or a free curved surface is formed on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of said lens.

6. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a torus curved surface or a free curved surface is formed on the front surface and the back surface of said lens.

7. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lens comprises a first recess shape on the front surface of the lens and a second recess shape on the back sure of the lens.

8. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lens comprises a first surface having the recess shape and a second surface having a convex shape.

9. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the first surface is disposed facing the reflector.

10. The lamp device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lens is disposed in an inclined manner with respect to an optical axis on which the light source is disposed and in which the optical axis bisects the reflector.