Vehicle lighting assembly and lighting method

• US 10,132,460 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Johnson, Aaron Bradley, Dellock, Paul Kenneth, Helwig, Stephen Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Breval, Elmito
• Application Number:
  US15/783,331
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/28 for indicating front of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/30 for indicating rear of vehicle, e.g. by means of reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/486 for indicating that vehicle is in a parked state
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/535 to prevent rear-end collisions, e.g. by indicating safety distance at the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/16 Light sources where the light is generated by photoluminescent material spaced from a primary light generating element
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/26 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S43/235 - F21S43/255
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/31 Optical layout thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/33 characterised by their material, surface treatment or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/40 characterised by the combination of reflectors and refractors

Abstract

An exemplary vehicle lighting assembly includes, among other things, a lens, a light source, a phosphor layer, and a reflective layer that is separate from the lens and is disposed between the phosphor layer and the light source. An exemplary vehicle lighting method includes, among other things, activating a light source to charge a phosphor layer, and reflecting light from the phosphor layer through a lens using a reflective layer between the phosphor layer and the light source. The reflective layer is separate from the lens. The lens includes geometric features that reflect light.

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting assembly, comprising:

a lens including geometric features that reflect light;

a light source;

a phosphor layer; and

a reflective layer that is separate from the lens and is disposed between the phosphor layer and the light source.

2. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens includes at least one first area with an array of the geometric features, and at least one second area free of the geometric features.

3. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 2, wherein the geometric features are molded-in.

4. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 3, wherein the geometric features are reflex cubes.

5. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 2, wherein the at least one first area comprises a plurality of first area strips, and the at least one second area comprises a plurality of second area strips, the first area strips and second area strips arranged in an alternating fashion across the lens.

6. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 2, further comprising an outer lens layer of the lens covering the at least one first area and the at least one second area.

7. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises at least one Light Emitting Diode.

8. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a light pipe, a light blade, or both.

9. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the phosphor layer is molded together with the lens.

10. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflective layer is a vacuum metallized material.

11. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflective layer comprises a metalized aluminum material condensed on a polymer-based material.

12. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to activate the light source in response to a signal indicating that a vehicle not having the light source is approaching the vehicle having the light source.

13. The vehicle lighting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to activate the light source to charge the phosphor layer when a vehicle having the vehicle lighting assembly is parked.

14. A vehicle lighting method, comprising:

activating a light source to charge a phosphor layer; and

reflecting light from the phosphor layer through a lens using a reflective layer between the phosphor layer and the light source, the reflective layer separate from the lens, the lens includes geometric features that reflect light.

15. The vehicle lighting method of claim 14, further comprising covering at least a portion of the light source, the phosphor layer, and the reflective layer with a lens.

16. The vehicle lighting method of claim 15, wherein the lens includes at least one first area with an array of the geometric features, and at least one second area free of the geometric features.

17. The vehicle lighting method of claim 16, wherein the geometric features are molded-in reflex cubes.

18. The vehicle lighting method of claim 16, further comprising charging the phosphor layer with light that passes through the at least one second area from another light source external to a vehicle having the light source having at least a portion covered by the lens.

19. The vehicle lighting method of claim 14, wherein the light source resides within a first vehicle, and further comprising activating the light source in response to a second vehicle approaching the first vehicle.

20. The vehicle lighting method of claim 14, further comprising activating the light source to charge the phosphor layer when a vehicle having the light source is parked.