Patent ID: 9328885
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: F21S,F21V,G02B

Claim Text:
1. A vehicle lighting unit for emitting light in a front direction, the vehicle lighting unit comprising: a light source mounted on a substrate; and an elongated light guide configured to receive light emitted from the light source and guide the light along a lengthwise direction of the light guide so as to emit light from a front surface of the light guide, the light guide having a first light guiding section and a second light guiding section that extend in a first direction and a second direction, respectively, and a bending section between the first and second light guiding sections, the first direction and the second direction crossing each other when viewed from a front side of the vehicle lighting unit so that the light guide bends at the bending section, wherein the first light guiding section is configured to extend leftward or rightward along a horizontal direction as the first direction from a right or left end of the bending section in the horizontal direction, the second light guiding section is configured to extend upward or downward along a vertical direction as the second direction from a upper or lower end of the bending section in the vertical direction, the light guide has a rear surface configured to include a rim portion with a predetermined width, a recessed section surrounded by the rim portion and formed along an entire length of the light guide, and a plurality of incident sections formed at a rear portion of the bending section corresponding to the light source, with a plurality of prism cuts formed in a bottom face of the recessed section, the plurality of incident sections are a first incident section formed at the left or right end disposed on the side opposite to the direction in which the first light guiding section extends when viewed from its front side, and a second incident section formed at the upper or lower end disposed on the side opposite to the direction in which the second light guiding section extends when viewed from its front side, the light guide has a front surface configured to include a chamfered inclined surface with a predetermined inclined angle with respect to the front surface and a peripheral surface of the light guide, the inclined surface configured to include a first reflection surface arranged at the right or left end of the bending section so as to face to the first incident section when viewed from its front side and a second reflection surface arranged at the upper or lower end of the bending section so as to face to the second incident section when viewed from its front side, the first reflection surface configured to internally reflect light from the light source toward the first light guiding section substantially in the first direction, the second reflection surface configured to internally reflect the light from the light source toward the second light guiding section substantially in the second direction, the light source includes a first light source and a second light source, the first light source being disposed at a rear of the first reflection surface of the bending section while facing forward, and the second light source being disposed at a rear of the second reflection surface of the bending section while facing forward, and the first light guiding section and the second light guiding section independently become luminous by the first light source and the second light source.