Illuminating device for motor vehicles

• US 5,570,951 A
• Filed: 03/31/1995
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Bertling, Johannes-Gerhard, Schoettle, Peter, Boebel, Doris
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F.
• Application Number:
  US08/414,807
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 362/61, 362/80, 362/231, 362/242, 362/244, 362/246, 362/259, 362/800
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/125 Coloured light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/153 arranged in a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/28 Cover glass
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/002 using microoptical elements for redirecting or diffusing light
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1819 Plural gratings positioned on the same surface, e.g. array of gratings plural diffractive elements positioned sequentially along the optical path G02B27/4272
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

An illuminating device for motor vehicles has a plurality of light sources formed as semiconductor light sources, each of the semiconductor light sources emitting light of only one color and light colors emitted by different semiconductor light sources are different. The semiconductor light sources include several semiconductor light sources which emit light of a same color. The semiconductor light sources are distributed so that the lights emitted by all semiconductor light sources produce a light of a uniform color which exits the illuminating device.

Claims

1. An illuminating device for motor vehicles, comprising a plurality of light sources formed as semiconductor light sources, each of said semiconductor light sources emitting light of only one color and light colors emitted by different semiconductor light sources are different, said semiconductor light sources including several semiconductor light sources which emit light of a same color and said semiconductor light sources being distributed so that the lights emitted by all semiconductor light sources produce a light of a uniform color which exits the illuminating device, each of said semiconductor light sources being provided with a transparent cover having optical elements by which the lights emitted by the individual semiconductor light sources are superposed over one another to provide color mixing.

2. An illuminating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said covers are further provided with optical elements which influence the light emitted by said semiconductor light sources for forming a predetermined light intensity distribution.

3. An illuminating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said covers of all said semiconductor light sources are identical;

and further comprising a joint transparent light disc which covers said semiconductor light sources and is provided with optical elements by which the light emitted by said semiconductor light sources is influenced for forming a predetermined light intensity distribution.

4. An illuminating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said optical elements are formed as diffraction optical elements, on which an expansion direction of the light emitted by said semiconductor light sources is changed by diffraction.

5. An illuminating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said semiconductor light sources are formed as light diodes.

6. An illuminating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said semiconductor light sources are formed as laser diodes.