Vehicle light

• US 8,439,538 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Hatta, Sadaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): SEMBER, THOMAS M
• Application Number:
  US13/082,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20110249459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 362/516, 362/517, 362/544, 362/545, 362/547, 362/237, 362/240, 362/241, 362/247, 362/249.02, 362/294, 362/373, 362/297, 362/346, 362/345
• US Class Current: 362/517
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/147 the main emission direction of the LED being angled to the optical axis of the illuminating device
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/47 Passive cooling, e.g. using fins, thermal conductive elements or openings
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/48 with means for conducting heat from the inside to the outside of the lighting devices, e.g. with fins on the outer surface of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks

Abstract

A vehicle light can achieve the same or similar heat dissipation performance as that of a conventional vehicle light while having a smaller height than that of the conventional vehicle light, thereby improving space utilization efficiency for a limited installation space of a vehicle body. The vehicle light can include a housing, a cover lens attached to the housing to define a lighting chamber between itself and the housing. A heat dissipation member can be attached to the housing. An optical system can be disposed within the lighting chamber. The optical system can include a heat conduction member including an LED attached surface and a support member fixed to the LED attached surface at one end thereof and to the housing or the heat dissipation member at the other end thereof. An LED light source can be attached to the LED attached surface, and a reflector can be provided for receiving and reflecting light emitted from the LED light source towards the cover lens so that the reflected light passing through the cover lens forms a predetermined light distribution pattern.

Claims

1. A vehicle light comprising:

a housing;

a cover lens attached to the housing to define a lighting chamber between the cover lens and the housing, the lighting chamber including a first space and a second space;

a heat dissipation member attached to the housing;

a first optical system disposed within the first space of the lighting chamber; and

a second optical system disposed within the second space of the lighting chamber, wherein

the first optical system includes

a first heat conduction member including a first LED attached surface facing a direction toward the second space, and a first support member, the first LED attached surface being located at one end of the support member, and at least one of the housing and the heat dissipation member being located at an other end of the support member,

a first LED light source attached to the first LED attached surface so as to have an illumination direction in the direction toward the second space, and

a first reflector disposed in the illumination direction of the first LED light source and configured to receive and reflect light when emitted from the first LED light source towards the cover lens so that reflected light from the first reflector passing through the cover lens forms a predetermined light distribution pattern, and

the second optical system includes

a second heat conduction member including a second LED attached surface facing a direction toward the first space, and a second support member, the second LED attached surface being located at one end of the second support member, and one of the housing and the heat dissipation member being located at an other end of the second support member,

a second LED light source attached to the second LED attached surface so as to have an illumination direction directed in the direction toward the first space, and

a second reflector disposed in the illumination direction of the second LED light source and configured to receive and reflect light when emitted from the second LED light source towards the cover lens so that reflected light from the second reflector passing through the cover lens forms a predetermined light distribution pattern.

2. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the lighting chamber is divided into an upper space and a lower space and the upper space corresponds to the first space and the lower space corresponds to the second space.

3. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein

the first reflector is configured to reflect light emitted from the first LED light source towards the cover lens so that reflected light from the first reflector passing through the cover lens forms at least one of a high beam light distribution pattern and a low beam light distribution pattern, and

the second reflector is configured to reflect light emitted from the second LED light source towards the cover lens so that reflected light from the second reflector passing through the cover lens forms at least one of the high beam light distribution pattern and the low beam light distribution pattern.

4. The vehicle light according to claim 3, further comprising a controller configured to control power to the first LED light source and the second LED light source such that the first LED light source and the second LED light source are not simultaneously turned on.

5. The vehicle light according to claim 2, further comprising a controller configured to control power to the first LED light source and the second LED light source such that the first LED light source and the second LED light source are not simultaneously turned on.

6. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein

the first reflector is configured to reflect light emitted from the first LED light source towards the cover lens so that reflected light from the first reflector passing through the cover lens forms at least one of a high beam light distribution pattern and a low beam light distribution pattern, and

the second reflector is configured to reflect light emitted from the second LED light source towards the cover lens so that reflected light from the second reflector passing through the cover lens forms at least one of the high beam light distribution pattern and the low beam light distribution pattern.

7. The vehicle light according to claim 6, further comprising a controller configured to control power to the first LED light source and the second LED light source such that the first LED light source and the second LED light source are not simultaneously turned on.

8. The vehicle light according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control power to the first LED light source and the second LED light source such that the first LED light source and the second LED light source are not simultaneously turned on.

9. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the first heat conduction member includes an elongate portion attached to at least one of the housing and the heat dissipation member, and the elongate portion is bent at one end and extends towards the support member, and terminates at an opposite end.

10. The vehicle light according to claim 9, wherein the one end of the elongate portion is located closer to the second space than the opposite end of the elongate portion.

11. The vehicle light according to claim 9, wherein the one end of the elongate portion is located further from the second space than the opposite end of the elongate portion.

12. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the first LED attached surface is substantially planar, and the one end of the first support member extends from the planar first LED attached surface to the other end of the first support member which is attached to at least one of the heat dissipation member and the housing.