Lighting device for vehicles

• US 9,120,423 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Original Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Inventors: Stiller, Niklas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney, Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US13/631,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20130088883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 362240-246, 362/249.01, 362/249.02, 362/268, 362/294, 362326-331, 362373-375, 362/521, 362540-549, 362/485, 362/498, 362/499
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/26 the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/20 of different form
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting device for vehicles, particularly for tractors and trailers, with a housing to which light sources of differing light generating types can be exchangeably fastened in an installed state, wherein the light sources of differing light generating types are assigned at least one optic element for the formation of a light module, which is detachably connectable to a carrier frame of the housing, and which generated a defined light function, and wherein a single lens is placed in front of the light modules of differing light generating types in the installed state and the carrier frame.

Claims

1. A lighting device for vehicles, comprising:

a housing including a carrier frame;

a single lens affixed to said housing;

an LED module positioned within the housing behind the single lens, said LED module including at least one light emitting diode and an optic lens, said optic lens positioned in front of said light emitting diode and behind the single lens when said LED module is installed in said housing;

wherein said LED module is replaceable with a standard incandescent bulb such that the incandescent bulb illuminates through only the single lens; and

wherein one or more of a light module of a first light generating type and a second light generating type is connected by snap-fastening to the carrier frame in the installed state, and that the carrier frame is shaped as a decorative bezel limiting the light aperture of the installed light module.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the optic lens of the LED module has a circumferential fastening edge for a mechanical connection with a printed circuit board.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising a carrier frame including a number of openings, at whose edge the standard incandescent bulb is fastened.

4. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the carrier frame has a friction-locked connection with the housing.

5. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein a first opening of the carrier frame has a direction indicator function and a second opening of the carrier frame has a tail light or stop light function and a third opening of the carrier frame has a reversing light function and a fourth opening of the carrier frame has a rear fog light or license plate light function, and wherein the first opening and the second opening and the third opening and the fourth opening of the carrier frame are covered by the same lens.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the transverse extension of the standard incandescent bulb corresponds to a light active surface of the single lens.