Patent ID: 7824088

Claim:
A projector-type vehicle lighting apparatus comprising: a reflector having an elliptical reflection surface; a semiconductor light source including a light emitting unit arranged at or in a vicinity of a first focal point of the elliptical reflection surface; a second reflector including a second reflection surface, and a vertical plate portion including an opening to accommodate the semiconductor light source; a heat sink being configured so that a plurality of fins are provided integrally to extend in a vertical direction with respect to a back surface of a planar plate and in a direction parallel to an up-and-down direction with appropriate clearances being provided therebetween; a projection lens having a horizontal optical axis; and a planar reflection surface that is arranged between the projection lens and a lens focal point of the projection lens in such a manner that the planar reflection surface intersects with the horizontal optical axis, the planar reflection surface reflecting a predetermined light distribution pattern toward the projection lens, wherein the lens focal point exists as a pseudo lens focal point at a symmetric position with respect to the planar reflection surface, the pseudo lens focal point is located at or in a vicinity of a second focal point of the elliptical reflection surface, the horizontal optical axis is bent at the planar reflection surface to coincide with a vertical pseudo optical axis that intersects at right angles with the horizontal optical axis, the vertical pseudo optical axis coincides with an optical axis of the elliptical reflection surface, and the projection lens projects the predetermined light distribution pattern reflected by the planar reflection surface to a predetermined direction, wherein the semiconductor light source is attached to the heat sink via a substrate of the semiconductor light source in such a manner that a surface of the substrate is in the vertical direction, and the heat sink is arranged in the vertical direction.