Vehicle lamp

• US 6,409,371 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Aikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi, Jacob Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/919,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20020018349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 362/539, 362/810, 362/293, 362/520, 362/509, 362/494, 362/231, 362/61, 359/891, 156/297, 156/303.1, 156/300
• US Class Current: 362/520
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/255 Filters
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/00 Refractors for light sources characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/504
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1089 of discrete laminae to single face of additional lamina

Abstract

A vehicle lamp includes: a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a colorless transparent front lens; a light source disposed in the lamp chamber; and a printed sheet disposed inwardly of the front lens. The printed sheet includes a colorless transparent sheet main body of synthetic resin having a pattern consisting of a predetermined colored transparent layer printed on an internal surface of the front lens. The colored transparent layer and a convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer are formed in a laminated fashion as a lower layer and an upper layer, respectively, on an external surface of the sheet main body. A plating-like printed layer and a light shielding layer are formed in a laminated fashion as a lower layer and an upper layer, respectively, on an internal surface of the sheet main body at a location matching the location of the convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp in which a lamp chamber is defined by a lamp body and a colorless transparent front lens mounted in a front opening of said lamp body, in which a light source is disposed in said lamp chamber, and in which a printed sheet is disposed inwardly of said front lens, said printed sheet comprising:

a sheet main body of colorless synthetic resin having a colored transparent layer printed in a predetermined pattern on a surface of said sheet main body;

a convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer;

a plating-like printed layer; and

a light shielding layer,

wherein said colored transparent layer as a lower layer and said convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer as an upper layer are formed in a laminated fashion on at least a part of an external surface of said sheet main body of said printed sheet, and

wherein said plating-like printed layer as a lower layer and said light shielding layer as an upper layer are formed in a laminated fashion on an internal surface of said sheet main body at a location matching the location of said convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1,

wherein said convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer is formed on a part of a surface of said colored transparent layer formed on the whole area of the external surface of said sheet main body, and

wherein a colored opaque layer is formed between said colored transparent layer and said convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer, and said colored opaque layer has a color different from that of said colored transparent layer.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1,

wherein a colored opaque layer is formed between said colored transparent layer and said convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer, and

wherein said colored opaque layer has a color different from that of said colored transparent layer and is provided with a gradation function in which a density of the color of said colored opaque layer change s gradually.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2,

wherein a colored opaque layer is formed between said colored transparent layer and said convex three-dimensional colorless transparent layer, and

wherein said colored opaque layer has a color different from that of said colored transparent layer and is provided with a gradation function in which a density of the color of said colored opaque layer changes gradually.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1,

wherein said colored transparent layer is provided with a horizontal stripe-like patterned portion in which a plurality of horizontally extending string-like portions are arranged sequentially in a vertical direction and substantially parallel with one another, and

wherein said light source is constituted by an incandescent bulb which emits white light.

6. A printed sheet disposed inwardly of a front lens of a vehicle lamp comprising:

a sheet main body having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a colored transparent layer printed in a predetermined layer and laminated into the top surface of said sheet main body;

a convex three-dimensional transparent layer laminated onto said colored transparent layer;

a plating-like printed layer laminated onto the bottom surface of said sheet main body; and

a light shielding layer laminated onto said plating-like printed layer at a location that matches the location of said convex three-dimensional transparent layer.

7. The printed sheet according to claim 6, wherein said convex three dimensional transparent layer is the same length as said sheet main body.

8. The printed sheet according to claim 6, further comprising a colored opaque layer interposed between said colored transparent layer and said convex three-dimensional layer, said colored opaque layer being a color different than the color of said colored transparent layer.

9. The printed sheet according to claim 8, wherein a density of the color of said colored opaque layer changes gradually along a length of said colored opaque layer.

10. A method for forming a printed sheet for a lens of a vehicle lamp comprising:

forming a sheet main body of synthetic resin having a top surface and a bottom surface;

laminating at least one colored transparent layer onto the top surface of the sheet main body;

laminating a convex three-dimensional transparent layer onto the colored transparent layer;

laminating a plating-like printed layer onto the bottom surface of the sheet main body; and

laminating a light shielding layer onto the plating-like printed layer at a location matching the location of the convex three-dimensional transparent layer.