Vehicle interior illumination apparatus

• US 7,677,774 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kojima Press Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kojima Press Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Ando, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney; Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US12/330,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 362/205, 362/231, 362/240, 362/249.05, 362/251, 362/394, 362/395, 362/471, 362/478, 362/479, 362/488, 362/490, 200/600
• US Class Current: 362/488
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/82 Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens

Abstract

A vehicle interior illumination apparatus includes a first type touch switch which turns illumination ON and OFF when a human body touches a surface of an illumination lens on a vehicle compartment side, and a second type touch switch which switches between linkage and non-linkage between ON and OFF of illumination and a state of a door when the human body moves on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side. The first type touch switch includes a first transparent electrode on a surface of the illumination lens on the light source side for detecting touch of the human body on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side, and the second type touch switch includes a plurality of second transparent electrodes on the surface of the illumination lens on the light source side for detecting movement of the human body on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side.

Claims

1. A vehicle interior illumination apparatus, comprising:

a light source;

an illumination lens through which light from the light source transmits;

a first type touch switch for turning illumination ON and OFF when a portion of a human body touches a surface of the illumination lens on a vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens; and

a second type touch switch for switching between a linkage mode in which ON and OFF of the illumination and a state of a door are associated with each other and a non-linkage mode in which ON and OFF of the illumination and a state of a door are not associated with each other, when the portion of the human body moves along the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens.

2. The vehicle interior illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first type touch switch includes a first transparent electrode on a surface of the illumination lens on the light source side of the illumination lens for detecting touch of the portion of the human body on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens, and

the second type touch switch includes a plurality of second transparent electrodes on the surface of the illumination lens on the light source side of the illumination lens for detecting movement of the portion of the human body on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens.

3. The vehicle interior illumination apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

a plurality of light sources are provided, and the illumination lens is a common illumination lens including a plurality of regions through which light from the plurality of light sources transmits, respectively, and

the first type switch includes a first group of transparent electrodes on each of the regions on the common illumination lens on the light source side of the illumination lens for detecting touch of the portion of the human body on each of the regions on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens, and

the second type switch includes a second group of transparent electrodes on the surface of the common illumination lens on the light source side of the illumination lens for detecting movement of the portion of the human body on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens.

4. A vehicle interior illumination apparatus, comprising:

a light source;

an illumination lens through which light from the light source transmits; and

a touch switch which turns illumination ON and OFF when a portion of a human body moves in a first direction along a surface of the illumination lens on a vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens and which switches between a linkage mode in which ON and OFF of illumination and a state of a door are associated with each other and a non-linkage mode in which ON and OFF of illumination and a state of a door are not associated with each other, when the portion of the human body moves in a second direction which is different from the first direction along the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens.

5. The vehicle interior illumination apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the touch switch includes a plurality of transparent electrodes arranged in each of the first direction and the second direction on the surface of the illumination lens which is used for illumination on the light source side of the illumination lens, for detecting movement of the portion of the human body in the first direction and/or the second direction on the surface of the illumination lens on the vehicle compartment side of the illumination lens.