Vehicle mirror with secondary lighting lens for ground illuminator
First Claim
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1. A ground illuminator mounted in a motor vehicle rearview mirror to illuminate an area external to the rearview mirror, the ground illuminator comprising:
- a housing enclosing a light source, the housing having an opening through which light from the light source is emitted;
a primary lens in register with the opening and positioned to transmit light from the light source;
a secondary lens also in register with the opening in the housing and positioned between the light source and the primary lens;
at least one mounting leg on one of the primary lens and the secondary lens and at least one mounting recess on the other of the primary lens and the secondary lens aligned with the at least one mounting leg, wherein the primary lens is mounted to the secondary lens by insertion of the at least one mounting leg into the aligned at least one mounting recess anda thermal protector located between the primary lens and the secondary lens to minimize the heat generated by the light source from being directly transmitted to the primary lens.
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Abstract
A ground illuminator for an external vehicle rearview mirror comprises an electrical light bulb installed in a housing having a transparent primary lens. A secondary lens it is interposed between the housing and the primary lens, and is spaced from the primary lens. The spacing between the lenses reduces the thermal conductivity between the lenses and provides a channel for airflow between the lenses, thereby minimizing the temperature of the primary lens due to illumination of the light bulb.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A ground illuminator mounted in a motor vehicle rearview mirror to illuminate an area external to the rearview mirror, the ground illuminator comprising:
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a housing enclosing a light source, the housing having an opening through which light from the light source is emitted; a primary lens in register with the opening and positioned to transmit light from the light source; a secondary lens also in register with the opening in the housing and positioned between the light source and the primary lens;
at least one mounting leg on one of the primary lens and the secondary lens and at least one mounting recess on the other of the primary lens and the secondary lens aligned with the at least one mounting leg, wherein the primary lens is mounted to the secondary lens by insertion of the at least one mounting leg into the aligned at least one mounting recess anda thermal protector located between the primary lens and the secondary lens to minimize the heat generated by the light source from being directly transmitted to the primary lens. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification