Rear window stop lamp for motor vehicles

• US 5,241,457 A
• Filed: 07/30/1992
• Issued: 08/31/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Morikawa, Masaru, Sasajima, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Richard R.
• Application Number:
  US07/923,006
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 362/80.1, 362/800, 362/237, 362/240, 362/241, 362/244
• US Class Current: 362/503
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2696 Mounting of devices using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/302 mounted in the vicinity, e.g. in the middle, of a rear window
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/15 Strips of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/26 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S43/235 - F21S43/255
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/40 characterised by the combination of reflectors and refractors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A rear window stop lamp for a motor vehicle, which is energizable when the brake of the motor vehicle is applied, has a resin-molded body attached to the interior side of a rear window glass sheet. The resin-molded body has at least one cavity having a curved reflecting surface. An LED chip is disposed in the cavity substantially at a focal point of the curved reflecting surface. A transparent resin-molded body surrounds the LED chip. A light distribution lens plate covers an opening of the cavity for directing rearwardly a light beam emitted from the LED chip and reflected by the curved reflecting surface. The light distribution lens plate comprises a Fresnel lens. A printed electric wire board is embedded in the resin-molded body for energizing LED units. The printed electric wire board is made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is closer to that of the rear window glass sheet than to that of the resin-molded body. A thermal expansion inhibiting plate, also embedded in the resin-molded body, is made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is closer to that of the rear window glass sheet than to that of the resin-molded body.

Claims

1. A rear window stop lamp for a motor vehicle, which is energizable when a brake of the motor vehicle is applied, comprising:

a resin-molded body adapted to be directly mounted on an interior side of a rear window glass sheet of the motor vehicle, said resin-molded body having a plurality of cavities defined therein and having respective curved reflecting surfaces;

a plurality of LED chips disposed in said cavities, respectively, and positioned substantially at respective focal points of said curved reflecting surfaces;

a plurality of transparent resin-molded bodies surrounding said LED chips, respectively;

said cavities, said curved reflecting surfaces, said transparent resin-molded bodies, and said LED chips jointly constituting respective LED units;

a light distribution lens plate covering openings of said cavities for directing rearwardly light beams emitted from said LED chips and reflected by said curved reflecting surfaces; and

a printed electric wire board embedded in said resin-molded body for energizing said LED units, said printed electric wire board being made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is closer to that of the rear window glass sheet than to that of the resin-molded body.

2. A rear window stop lamp according to claim 1, wherein said light distribution lens plate comprises a Fresnel lens for directing rearwardly light beams emitted from said LED units.

3. A rear window stop lamp according to claim 2, wherein said Fresnel lens comprises a plurality of segments.

4. A rear window stop lamp according to claim 1, wherein said printed electric wire board comprises a plurality of segments.

5. A rear window stop lamp for a motor vehicle, which is energizable when a brake of the motor vehicle is applied, comprising:

a resin-molded body adapted to be directly mounted on an interior side of a rear window glass sheet of the motor vehicle, said resin-molded body having a plurality of cavities defined therein and having respective curved reflecting surfaces;

a plurality of LED chips disposed in said cavities, respectively, and positioned substantially at respective focal points of said curved reflecting surfaces;

a plurality of transparent resin-molded bodies surrounding said LED chips, respectively;

said cavities, said curved reflecting surfaces, said transparent resin-molded bodies, and said LED chips jointly constituting respective LED units;

a light distribution lens plate covering openings of said cavities for directing rearwardly light beams emitted from said LED chips and reflected by said curved reflecting surfaces; and

a printed electric wire board embedded in said resin-molded body for energizing said LED units, and a thermal expansion inhibiting plate embedded in said resin-molded body, said thermal expansion inhibiting plate being made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is closer to that of the rear window glass sheet than to that of the resin-molded body.

6. A rear window stop lamp according to claim 5, wherein said thermal expansion inhibiting plate comprises a plurality of segments.

7. A rear window stop lamp according to claim 5, wherein said printed electric wire board comprises a plurality of segments, and said thermal expansion inhibiting plate comprises a plurality of segments.