Vehicle lamp

• US 10,227,036 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Saito, Norikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eide, Eric T
• Application Number:
  US14/908,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20160169471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0041 of several lamps in relation to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1415 Dimming circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/34 for indicating change of drive direction B60Q1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/148 the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/321 the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/50 characterised by aesthetic components not otherwise provided for, e.g. decorative trim, partition walls or covers
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/50 characterised by aesthetic components not otherwise provided for, e.g. decorative trim, partition walls or covers
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/10 Protection of lighting devices cooling of lighting devices F21S45/40; waterproofing of lighting devices F21S45/50
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/42 Forced cooling
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle lamp has a lamp housing, a lamp unit having a light source and disposed in a lamp chamber formed as an internal space of the lamp housing, and a controller configured to output a drive current that drives a light emission of the light source. The controller has a temperature detector. The controller is configured to control a current amount of the drive current on the basis of a detection result of the temperature detector. The controller is disposed above the light source.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp configured to be disposed on a vehicle, comprising:

a lamp housing;

a lamp unit having a light source and disposed in a lamp chamber formed as an internal space of the lamp housing; and

a controller configured to output a drive current that drives a light emission of the light source,

wherein the controller comprises a temperature sensor,

wherein the controller is configured to control an amount of the drive current on the basis of a sensing result of the temperature sensor,

wherein the controller is disposed above the light source with respect to an orientation of the vehicle lamp when disposed on the vehicle,

wherein the controller comprises a circuit board including the temperature sensor,

wherein the circuit board and the light source are connected via a cable,

wherein a distance between the circuit board and a top of the lamp housing is shorter than a distance between the circuit board and the light source when disposed on the vehicle,

wherein the controller comprises a case that covers an entirety of the circuited board,

wherein the case has a flat shape, and

wherein a largest surface of the case is a horizontal surface facing downwards with respect to the orientation of the vehicle lamp when disposed on the vehicle.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the controller is disposed above the light source so as to coincide with a vertical line that passes through the light source with respect to the orientation of the vehicle lamp when disposed on the vehicle.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat, and

wherein the controller is arranged so that a flat one surface is a horizontal surface facing downward.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1,

wherein the lamp chamber is formed as a substantially bilaterally-symmetrical space, and

wherein the light source is disposed at the center in a left-right direction of the lamp chamber.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein light sources different from the light source are respectively arranged at both left and right sides of the controller.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2,

wherein the controller is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat, and

wherein the controller is arranged so that a flat one surface is a horizontal surface facing downward.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2,

wherein the lamp chamber is formed as a substantially bilaterally-symmetrical space, and

wherein the light source is disposed at the center in a left-right direction of the lamp chamber.

8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3,

wherein the lamp chamber is formed as a substantially bilaterally-symmetrical space, and

wherein the light source is disposed at the center in a left-right direction of the lamp chamber.

9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6,

wherein the lamp chamber is formed as a substantially bilaterally-symmetrical space, and

wherein the light source is disposed at the center in a left-right direction of the lamp chamber.

10. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein light sources different from the light source are respectively arranged at both left and right sides of the controller.

11. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein light sources different from the light source are respectively arranged at both left and right sides of the controller.

12. The vehicle lamp according to claim 4, wherein light sources different from the light source are respectively arranged at both left and right sides of the controller.

13. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein light sources different from the light source are respectively arranged at both left and right sides of the controller.

14. The vehicle lamp according to claim 9, wherein light sources different from the light source are respectively arranged at both left and right sides of the controller.

15. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the controller is positioned, with respect to the light source, in a direction that heat from the light source rises.

16. The Vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the case is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

17. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the case is disposed in the lamp housing.