Lamp assembly having variable focus and directionality
First Claim
1. A lighting assembly adjustable between flood and spot lighting conditions for selectively illuminating the interior passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, said assembly comprising:
- a housing for attaching said assembly to a supporting member in an interior compartment;
a light source carried in said housing for projecting light along a light path;
a power input operatively connected to said light source for selectively energizing said light source;
an optical member positioned to influence said light path and moveable between a flood position wherein light from said light source is dispersed over a generally wide area within the passenger compartment and a spot position wherein light from said light source is focused over a generally narrow area within the passenger compartment; and
a switch responsive to movement of said optical member for automatically interrupting said operative connection between said power input and said light source when said optical member is moved to said flood position and automatically restoring said operative connection when said optical member is moved to said spot position to energize said light source and thereby illuminate the passenger compartment with a focused beam of light.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A lighting assembly (10) is adjustable between flood and spot lighting conditions for selectively illuminating an interior passenger compartment in a motor vehicle. The assembly (10) includes a housing (16) which clamps to a supporting member, such as a headliner (12), via a sleeve (18) interacting with a rotary cam lock (22). An LED light source (26) is orbitally supported within the housing (16) for projecting light in a directionally adjustable manner. A lens (50) is disposed in the light path (28) and is moveable between an extended spot position for task lighting and a retracted flood position for general illumination within the interior compartment. A switch (74) is responsive to movement of the lens (50) into its spot position for automatically energizing the LED (30). The switch (74) opens, thus de-energizing the LED (30) when the lens (50) is returned to its flood condition. A lighting control circuit (78, 78′) is responsive to an override signal, such as from a door switch (80, 80′), for independently activating the light source (26) when the lens (50) is in its flood position. The light source (26) is supported for orbital movement within the housing (16) by a gimbal mechanism which includes an inner gimbal (38) carried in a cross (40). Pintals (42, 44) establish intersecting perpendicular axis (A,B) to accomplish the orbital movement. A latch mechanism (64) cooperates with leaf springs (62) by controlling movement of the lens (50) between its flood and spot conditions by a repeated push impulse applied by the finger of an operator. The switch (74) is incorporated into the leaf springs (62).
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A lighting assembly adjustable between flood and spot lighting conditions for selectively illuminating the interior passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, said assembly comprising:
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a housing for attaching said assembly to a supporting member in an interior compartment;
a light source carried in said housing for projecting light along a light path;
a power input operatively connected to said light source for selectively energizing said light source;
an optical member positioned to influence said light path and moveable between a flood position wherein light from said light source is dispersed over a generally wide area within the passenger compartment and a spot position wherein light from said light source is focused over a generally narrow area within the passenger compartment; and
a switch responsive to movement of said optical member for automatically interrupting said operative connection between said power input and said light source when said optical member is moved to said flood position and automatically restoring said operative connection when said optical member is moved to said spot position to energize said light source and thereby illuminate the passenger compartment with a focused beam of light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A lighting assembly adjustable between flood and spot lighting conditions for selectively illuminating the interior passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, said assembly comprising:
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a housing for attaching said assembly to a supporting member in an interior compartment;
a light source carried in said housing for projecting light along a light path;
a power input operatively connected to said light source for selectively energizing said light source;
an optical member disposed in said light path and moveable between a flood position wherein light from said light source is influenced by said optical member to disperse the light over a generally wide area within the passenger compartment and a spot position wherein light from said light source is influenced by said optical member to focus over a generally narrow area within the passenger compartment; and
said optical member disposed within said housing for orbital movement in both of said flood and spot positions while said light source remains energized. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for selectively illuminating the interior passenger compartment of a motor vehicle between flood and spot lighting conditions, said method comprising the steps of:
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supporting a light source in an interior compartment;
projecting light from the light source along a light path;
selectively varying the focus of the light path between a flood condition wherein the light is dispersed over a relatively wide area in the passenger compartment and a spot condition wherein light is focused over a relatively narrow area within the passenger compartment; and
automatically energizing the light source in response to said varying the focus of the light path to the spot condition and automatically de-energizing the light source in response to said varying the focus of the light path to the flood condition. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification