Abstract:
A head lamp for a vehicle includes a light source, a main lens refracting at least a portion of light emitted from the light source to irradiate a low beam or a high beam in front of the vehicle, a decoration lens surrounding the main lens in part or in whole and transmitting at least a portion of light emitted from the light source to form an optical image in the vicinity of the main lens, a main reflector reflecting at least a portion of light emitted from the light source toward the main lens, and a sub reflector provided abut to or near the main reflector and reflecting at least a portion of light emitted from the light source toward the decoration lens. The head lamp can improve overall aesthetic of vehicles equipped therewith.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0156903 filed on Dec. 17, 2013, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a head lamp for a vehicle that is mounted on a front surface of the vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In general, a vehicle includes various vehicular lamps having an illumination function for easily verifying an object positioned around the vehicle and a signal function for notifying a driving state of the vehicle to drivers of other vehicles or road users. 
         [0004]    In recent years, various car makers have expressed brand features of the car makers in respective components of the vehicle. Some car makers have expressed the brand features by a method of adding a function of expressing special images of the makers in a head lamp of the vehicle. 
         [0005]    A head lamp decoration used at present is configured by a method of adding a separate decoration lamp module to the vicinity of a high beam module or a low beam module that radiates a high beam or a low beam. 
         [0006]    However, adding a decoration lamp module in which a separate light source is consumed to the head lamp in the related art inevitably increases the size of the head lamp or downsizes the high beam module or the low beam module and as the decoration lamp module is added, manufacturing cost of the head lamp increases. Further, a separate light source is added, and as a result, a problem in which a power burden of a battery of the vehicle increases also occurs. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a head lamp for a vehicle that can secure a head lamp decoration function by using a light source that generates a low beam or a high beam without adding a separate light source for a head lamp decoration. 
         [0008]    A head lamp for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a light source, a main lens, a decoration lens, a main reflector, and a sub reflector. The main lens refracts at least a portion of light emitted from the light source to irradiate a low beam or a high beam in front of the vehicle. The decoration lens surrounds the main lens in part or in whole and transmitting at least a portion of light emitted from the light source to form an optical image in the vicinity of the main lens. The main reflector reflects at least a portion of light emitted from the light source toward the main lens. The sub reflector is provided abut to or near the main reflector and reflecting at least a portion of light emitted from the light source toward the decoration lens. 
         [0009]    An optic corresponding to the optical image may be formed in the decoration lens. The optic may be formed on a rear surface of the decoration lens. 
         [0010]    The main reflector may be formed by a curved panel opened toward the main lens and the sub reflector may suitably be provided abut to a top portion of the main reflector to reflect light toward the decoration lens. Alternatively, the sub reflector may be provided near a top portion of the main reflector to reflect light toward the decoration lens. 
         [0011]    The main reflector may be formed by a curved panel opened toward the main lens and an opening groove may be formed on a top portion of the main reflector. The sub reflector may include a first sub reflector provided abut to or near a top portion of the opening groove and a second sub reflector provided abut to near the first sub reflector. The first sub reflector may reflect light toward the second sub reflector and the second sub reflector may reflect toward the decoration lens the light from the first sub reflector. The first sub reflector may extend from a top portion of the main reflector. The second sub reflector may be positioned behind the decoration lens. 
         [0012]    A reflection surface of the sub reflector may be color-coated. 
         [0013]    The decoration lens may be provided at each of left and right sides the main lens, the second sub reflector may be provided at each of left and right sides of the main reflector, and the first sub reflector may extend upwardly and symmetrically from the center of the opening groove. 
         [0014]    The lamps according to the present invention provide many advantageous effects. For example, they can generate optical images by using a light source that generates the low beam or high beam without having to use a separate light source and without degrading lighting performance of the low beam or high beam. Since a separate light source is not used, overall energy efficiency of vehicles equipped therewith can be increased. 
         [0015]    The technical objects of the present invention are not limited to the aforementioned technical objects, and other technical objects, which are not mentioned above, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a head lamp for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a lens unit of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the lens unit of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the lens unit of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of reflectors of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  illustrates a layout relationship of a light source, a shield, and reflectors of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a diagram schematically illustrating an optical path of light emitted from a light source of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an optical image expressed in a decoration lens of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention will only be defined by the appended claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. 
         [0026]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
         [0027]    It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on”, “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
         [0028]    It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. 
         [0029]    Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
         [0030]    Embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures). As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, these embodiments should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, an implanted region illustrated as a rectangle will, typically, have rounded or curved features and/or a gradient of implant concentration at its edges rather than a binary change from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, a buried region formed by implantation may result in some implantation in the region between the buried region and the surface through which the implantation takes place. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
         [0031]    Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and this specification and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
         [0032]    Hereinafter, a head lamp for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings. 
         [0033]      FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic configuration of a head lamp for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the head lamp  1  for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a lens unit  10 , a main reflector  20 , sub reflectors  30  and  40 , a support plate  50 , a shield  60 , and a light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ). 
         [0034]      FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4  are front, side, and bottom views of a lens unit of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 , respectively. The lens unit  10  includes a main lens  11  and a decoration lens  12 . The main lens  11  is positioned at the center of the lens unit  10  and the decoration lens  12  is disposed to surround the main lens  11 . The decoration lens  12  extends from the main lens  11  and may be formed integrally with the main lens  11 . 
         [0035]    The main lens  11  as a lens that radiates a low beam or a high beam to a front side of the vehicle may have a circular boundary as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and the decoration lens  12  as a lens in which a decoration image is expressed may have a boundary having an approximately inverted triangular shape in which the low beam or the high beam is diffused to both sides of the main lens  11 . The shapes of the main lens  11  and the decoration lens  12  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  are non-limiting examples, and various designs and various designs may be adopted. 
         [0036]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the main lens  11  as a lens that radiates the low beam or high beam to a front side of the vehicle may adopt a spherical lens or an aspheric lens that is projected to be further convex to the front side than the decoration lens  12  in order to concentrate light in an optical pattern satisfying a visibility angle regulation of the low beam or high beam and radiate the concentrated light to the front side of the vehicle. The decoration image of the decoration lens  12  needs to be expressed without the need of concentrating lighting on the front side of the vehicle. The decoration lens  12  may be formed by a plane and/or a curve having an area corresponding to the decoration image. 
         [0037]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , optics  13  and  14  corresponding to the decoration image to be expressed on the decoration lens  12  may be formed on a rear surface of the decoration lens  12 . The optics  13  and  14  may be formed on a front surface of the decoration lens  12 . Alternatively, they may be formed on the rear surface of the decoration lens  12 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the optics  13  and  14  may be recessed inside the decoration lens  12  or projected outside the decoration lens  12 . 
         [0038]    A non-limiting example of the first optic  14  is a plurality of circular optics formed in a region adjacent to the main lens  11  and having a small interval from each other while forming concentricity with the main lens  11 . A non-limiting example of the second optic  13  is a plurality of curved optics forming the concentricity with the first optic  14  and having a larger interval from each other than the first optics  14  formed outside the first optic  14 . Designs of the optics  13  and  14  illustrated in  FIG. 4  are not limited thereto, and they may vary according to design or user needs. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of reflectors of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 . The reflectors include the main reflector  20  and the sub reflectors  30  and  40 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the main reflector  20  is provided in the rear side of the main lens  11 . The main reflector  20  may be formed by an approximately semi-spherical curved panel opened toward the main lens  11 . Further, an opening groove  21  which is recessed from the front side is formed on the top of the main reflector  20 . A curved surface of the main reflector  20  may reflect light radiated from the light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ) to make a focus at a position adjacent to a cut-off plate  61  (see  FIG. 7 ) of the shield  60  to be described below. 
         [0040]    Meanwhile, the sub reflectors  30  and  40  include first sub reflectors  31  and  32  and second sub reflectors  41  and  42 . The first sub reflectors  31  and  32  are positioned on the top of the opening groove  21  by extending from the top of the main reflector  20  or fixed to the top of the main reflector  20 . The first sub reflectors  31  and  32  may include a pair of reflectors  31  and  32  and the pair of first sub reflectors  31  and  32  may extend to both sides toward the upper front side of the main reflector from the center of the opening groove  21  so as to be symmetric to each other around the light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ). The second sub reflectors  41  and  42  may include a pair of reflectors  41  and  42  and the pair of second sub reflectors  41  and  42  may be provided at both sides of the main reflector  20  so as to be positioned in the rear side of the decoration lens  12 , respectively. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the first sub reflectors  31  and  32  are formed in a shape to reflect some of light radiated from the light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ) toward the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  provided at both sides of the main reflector  20 , respectively and the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  may be formed in a shape to reflect light incident from the first sub reflectors  31  and  32 , respectively toward the decoration lens  12 . 
         [0041]    The main reflector  20 , the first sub reflector  30 , and the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  may be made of a material having high reflectivity or coated with a material having high reflectivity such as silver (Ag), or the like. 
         [0042]    Meanwhile, the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  positioned in the rear side of the decoration lens  12  may be subjected to colored coating. This is to express a colored image on the decoration lens  12  by exposing colors of the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  to the outside through the decoration lens  12  while the light source is turned off. In case where only the optics  13  and  14  of the decoration lens  12  are formed to be transparent and residual parts are formed to be opaque, the decoration image may be expressed as a colored image while the light source is turned off. 
         [0043]      FIG. 6  illustrates a layout relationship of the shield  60 , the light source  70 , and the reflectors  20 ,  30 ,  40  of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the support plate  50  supports the light source  70  and the shield  60 . The support plate  50  is a member of which one surface is flat and the shield  60  and the light source  70  are installed on one flat surface. In addition, the main reflector  20  may be installed on the support plate  50  so as to cover at least a part of each of the shield  60  and the light source  70 . The light source  70  may be installed in such a manner that an optical axis of the light source  70  coincides with a central axis of the main reflector  20  so as to radiate emitted light upward. The shield  60  shields some of light that is emitted from the light source  70  and reflected by the main reflector  20 , is radiated toward the main lens  11  to form a cut-off pattern of the low beam. To this end, the shield  60  may include a cut-off line  62  and a cut-off plate  61  which are recessed from the front side in order to cut off the light in the cut-off pattern. Therefore, the shield  60  may be used in a module in which the low beam is radiated through the main lens  11 , but the shield  60  may not be used in a module in which the high beam is radiated. 
         [0044]    Hereinafter, an operation of the head lamp  1  for a vehicle will be described with reference to  FIG. 7 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 7  is a diagram schematically illustrating an optical path of light emitted from a light source of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram illustrating an optical image expressed in a decoration lens of the head lamp of  FIG. 1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , some L1 of the light emitted from the light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ) is reflected by the main reflector  20  and passes through the main lens  11  to be radiated as the discharge low beam or high beam of the vehicle. When the shield  60  is present, some of the light is radiated as the low beam. When the shield  60  is not present, some of the light is radiated as the high beam. Meanwhile, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , light L2 and L3 incident in the first sub reflectors  31  and  32  in light which is not incident into the main reflector  20  but lost among the light emitted from the light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ) is reflected on the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  by the first sub reflectors  31  and  32  and thereafter, radiated toward the decoration lens  12  by the second sub reflectors  41  and  42 . Since the light L2 and L3 that passes through the decoration lens  12  forms an optical image corresponding to the shapes of the optics  13  and  14  in the decoration lens  12  by the optics  13  and  14 , an optical image as illustrated in  FIG. 8  may be observed outside the vehicle. Accordingly, the optical image is emitted to the vicinity of the main lens  11  as the decoration image under a night driving situation in which the vehicle is driven while radiating the low beam or high beam, and as a result, the aesthetic of the vehicle is improved. When the light source  70  (see  FIG. 6 ) is turned off, colors coated on the second sub reflectors  41  and  42  are observed through the decoration lens  12  outside the vehicle, and as a result, the aesthetic of the vehicle is improved even in the daytime. 
         [0046]    The head lamps according to the present invention provide advantages. For example, they can generate optical images by using a light source that generates the low beam or high beam without having to use a separate light source and without degrading lighting performance of the low beam or high beam. Since a separate light source is not used, overall energy efficiency of vehicles equipped therewith can be increased. 
         [0047]    The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The present invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.