Lighting device for vehicle

• US 9,103,959 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Jeong, Byeongho
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney, Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US13/718,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20140104862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 362/244, 362/245, 362/249.01, 362/249.02, 362/296.1, 362/296.07, 362/311.12, 362/331, 362/335, 362/346, 362/507, 362/543, 362/545, 362/555, 362/556, 362/602, 362606-613, 362/621, 362/623, 362/628, 362/311.07, 362326-328, 362/347, 362538-540, 362/558, 362/616
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/237 rod-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/245 emitting light from one or more of its major surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/247 with a single light source being coupled into the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/30 characterised by reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/40 characterised by the combination of reflectors and refractors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/12 Combinations of only three kinds of elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/003 Lens or lenticular sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

A lighting device for a vehicle may include one or more light sources and one or more light conducting rods including a lens through which light radiated from the light source enters and a light outlet surface through which light entering an inside through the lens exits to an outside, in which the lens includes a light inlet surface configured to refract the light entering from the light source in parallel and a light outlet surface configured to collect parallel light passing through the light inlet surface to an upper portion of the light conducting rod, and a reflective body configured to reflect the light collected at the upper portion of the light conducting rod toward the light outlet surface of the light conducting rod may be installed on the light conducting rod, thereby improving light efficiency.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a vehicle comprising:

a light source; and

a light conducting rod having;

a lens through which light radiated from the light source enters; and

a first light outlet surface through which light entering inside through the lens exits to an outside of the light conducting rod,

wherein the lens includes;

a light inlet surface refracting in parallel the light entering from the light source; and

a second light outlet surface collecting parallel light passing through the light inlet surface to a portion of the light conducting rod, wherein the portion of the light conducting rod is located at a first focus of light passing through the second light outlet surface, and

a reflective body reflecting the light collected at the portion of the light conducting rod toward the first light outlet surface of the light conducting rod,

wherein the reflective body is installed on the surface opposite the light-emitting surface of the light conducting rod,

wherein the light inlet surface and the second light outlet surface are formed so as to have a curvature of a hyperbola, and

wherein the light source is positioned at a second focus of the light inlet surface.

2. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the light source is disposed co-axially in a longitudinal direction of the light conducting rod.

3. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the first light outlet surface is formed at a position facing the portion of the light conducting rod.

4. A lighting device for a vehicle, including:

a light source;

a first reflective body shaped of a parabola and reflecting incident light emitted from the light source;

a second reflective body shaped of a parabola and reflecting the incident light reflected from the first reflective body in parallel; and

two light conducting rods changing a direction of light reflected from the second reflective body to be incident in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the two light conducting rods,

wherein a focus of the parabola of the first reflective body is the same as a focus of the parabola of the second reflective body; and

wherein the light source is positioned at a focus of a parabola forming a hyperbola together with the parabola of the first reflective body.

5. The lighting device of claim 4, wherein the second reflective body includes an opening to receive the light from the light source.

6. The lighting device of claim 4, wherein respective two light conducting rods are formed to have different lengths.

7. The lighting device of claim 4, wherein the respective two light conducting rods are formed in a shape of a rectangle.

8. The lighting device of claim 4, wherein a third reflective body changing a direction of light incident in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the two light conducting rods, is installed inside each of the two light conducting rods.

9. The lighting device of claim 8, wherein the third reflective body is formed so as to extend from one vortex of a rectangle to another vortex in a diagonal direction of the rectangle.

10. The lighting device of claim 9, wherein the third reflective body includes a reflective surface shaped of saw teeth and changes the direction of the light incident in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the two light conducting rods.

11. The lighting device of claim 10, wherein a longest side of the reflective surface is disposed at 45 degrees with respect to a direction of an incident light.