VEHICLE DOME AND READING LIGHT

• US 20120286661A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Gardner, Cornel Lewis, Singer, Jeffrey, Lovejoy, Megan
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47

Abstract

A vehicle dome and reading light assembly for a vehicle includes a lighting device assembled to the interior of the vehicle and capable of generating plural light colors. A first switch is actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a first color light and a first light intensity to serve as a dome lamp. A second switch is actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a second color light at a second light intensity to serve as a map or reading lamp.

Claims

1. A vehicle dome and reading light assembly comprising;

a lighting device assembled to the interior of a vehicle and capable of generating plural light colors;

a first switch actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a first color light at a first light intensity to serve as a dome light; and

a second switch actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a second color light at a second light intensity to serve as a reading light.

2. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the lighting device comprises an LED package.

3. The light assembly of claim 2, wherein the LED package comprises a plurality of LEDs of different colors.

4. The light assembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality of LED of plural colors comprises a red, green, and blue LED.

5. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the first color is a yellowish white and the second color is a bluish white.

6. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the lighting device comprises a white light and a bluish light, wherein the first color comprises the white light and the second color comprises a mix of the white light and bluish light.

7. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the first intensity is provided with a first pulse width modulation and the second intensity is provided at a second pulse width modulation.

8. A vehicle dome and reading light assembly comprising:

a lighting device assembled to the interior of a vehicle to serve as a dome light and a reading light;

a first switch actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a first light at a first light intensity to serve as the dome light; and

a second switch actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a second light at a second light intensity to serve as the reading light.

9. The light assembly of claim 8, wherein the first light has a first color and the second light has a different second color.

10. The light assembly of claim 9, wherein the lighting device comprises an LED package comprising a plurality of different colors.

11. The light assembly of claim 9, wherein the first color is a yellowish white and the second color is a bluish white.

12. The light assembly of claim 9, wherein the lighting device comprises a white light and a bluish light, wherein the first color comprises the white light and the second color comprises a mix of the white light and bluish light.

13. The light assembly of claim 8, wherein the first intensity is provided with a first pulse width modulation and the second intensity is provided with a second pulse width modulation.

14. A method of controlling a light assembly in a vehicle to provide dome and reading lights, said method comprising:

generating with the lighting device a first color light at a first light intensity to serve as the dome light; and

generating with the lighting device a second color light at a second light intensity to serve as the reading light.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of generating the first light intensity comprises providing a first pulse width modulation to the lighting device, and the step of generating a second light intensity comprises providing a second pulse width modulation to the lighting device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of generating a first color comprises generating a white light and the step of generating a second color comprises providing a mix of white light and bluish light.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of generating a first color comprises generating a yellowish white light and the step of generating a second color comprises generating a bluish white light.