US 7,553,054 B2
Vehicular lamp unit
Takayuki Yagi, Shizuoka (Japan)
Assigned to Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on May 31, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/755,799.
Claims priority of application No. 2006-151196 (JP), filed on May 31, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2007/0279924 A1, Dec. 06, 2007
Int. Cl. F21V 21/00 (2006.01); F21V 9/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 362—545  [362/507; 362/487; 362/543; 362/241] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicular lamp unit comprising:
a light emitting element, which is disposed on an optical axis extending in forward and backward directions of the lamp unit so as to be directed downward, and which has a plurality of light emitting chips disposed with a predetermined arrangement so as to be adjacent to each other; and
a reflector, which reflects light emitted from the light emitting element to a forward direction and which has a reflection surface having a section along a vertical plane containing the optical axis, the section formed of a parabolic shape having a focal point on the optical axis,
wherein the plurality of light emitting chips are configured by a plurality of special light emitting chips which front end edges are aligned on a horizontal line orthogonal to the optical axis passing through the focal point of the parabolic section and at least one general light emitting chip disposed on a backward side from the plurality of special light emitting chips, and
wherein light emitting chips in each of at least two sets of light emitting chips, each set being selected so as to include at least one special light emitting chip of the plurality of special light emitting chips, are simultaneously lighted in a lighting mode corresponding to the respective set.