VEHICLE LIGHTING UNIT

• US 20160116666A1
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,726,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0041 of several lamps in relation to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0052 concentric
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0058 Stacked, i.e. one lamp located behind the other in the optical axis direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/38 using immovably-mounted light sources, e.g. fixed flashing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/20 Multi-color single source or LED matrix, e.g. yellow blinker and red brake lamp generated by single lamp
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/30 Daytime running lights [DRL], e.g. circuits or arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/15 Strips of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/239 plate-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/243 emitting light from one or more of its extremities
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/249 with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/26 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S43/235 - F21S43/255
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0051 Diffusing sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0078 : Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays

Abstract

A vehicle lighting unit can include a first LED and a second LED each having a different color; a first light guiding lens and a second light guiding lens disposed in front of the first and second LEDs, respectively, configured to guide light rays from the first and second LED, respectively, to cause the light rays to exit therethrough forward; and a diffusion lens disposed in front of the first and second light guiding lenses, configured to diffuse the light rays from the first and second light guiding lenses. The light exiting faces of the first and second light guiding lenses can be configured to be long and adjacent to each other in the vertical direction with the lengthwise directions coincide with each other. The diffusion lens can have a long shape so as to cover the entire front light exiting faces of the first and second light guiding lenses.

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting unit comprising:

a first LED and a second LED each having a different color;

a first light guiding lens and a second light guiding lens that are disposed in front of the first LED and the second LED, respectively, the first light guiding lens and the second light guiding lens configured to guide light rays emitted from the first LED and the second LED, respectively, to cause the light rays to exit through respective light exiting faces of the first and second guiding lenses forward; and

a diffusion lens disposed in front of the first light guiding lens and the second light guiding lens, configured to diffuse the light rays exiting from the first light guiding lens and the second light guiding lens while allowing the light rays to pass therethrough forward, wherein

the light exiting faces of the first light guiding lens and the second light guiding lens are each configured to be long and juxtaposed with each other in a direction perpendicular to a lengthwise direction thereof with the lengthwise directions coincide with each other, and

the diffusion lens has a long shape so as to cover the entire front light exiting faces of the first and second light guiding lenses.

2. The vehicle lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein

the first LED is configured to emit more amount of light rays than the second LED,

the vehicle lighting unit has a plurality of the second LEDs, the number of which is larger than the number of the first LEDs,

the number of the second light guiding lenses is larger than the number of the first light guiding lenses according to the numbers of the first LEDs and the second LEDs,

the second light guiding lenses are disposed such that the light exiting faces thereof are continuously arranged in its longitudinal direction,

if two or more first light guiding lenses are provided, the first light guiding lenses are disposed such that the light exiting faces thereof are continuously arranged in its longitudinal direction, and

a length of the first light guiding lens is made different from a length of the second light guiding lens so that an entire length of the light emission faces of the first light guiding lens(es) is equal to an entire length of the light emission faces of the second light guiding lenses.

3. The vehicle lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the first light guiding lens and the second light guiding lens are provided to be formed in a curved-line shape as a whole when viewed from their front side.

4. The vehicle lighting unit according to claim 2, wherein the first light guiding lens and the second light guiding lens are provided to be formed in a curved-line shape as a whole when viewed from their front side.