Touch sensor operated vehicle room lamp to be turned on and off

• US 20060245200A1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha T An T
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha T An T
• Inventors: Kuwana, Isamu, Okano, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,547,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/488
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/82 Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens

Abstract

A vehicle interior light system includes a lamp, an enclosure internally provided with the lamp, a lens attached to the front of the enclosure, a touch sensor arranged on the back surface of the lens, and a control circuit including a sensor circuit and a switching circuit. The sensor circuit is configured to detect the capacitance of a human body when the lens is touched or approached by a finger or the like. The switching circuit is configured to turn the lamp on and off in response to an output from the sensor circuit.

Claims

1. A vehicle interior light system comprising:

a lamp;

an enclosure internally provided with the lamp;

a lens attached to the front of the enclosure;

a touch sensor arranged on the back surface of the lens; and

a control circuit including;

a sensor circuit configured to detect the capacitance of a human body when the lens is touched or approached by a finger or the like; and

a switching circuit configured to turn the lamp on and off in response to an output from the sensor circuit.

2. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is affixed to the back surface of the lens.

3. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is positioned near the back surface of the lens and is vertically arranged on the same substrate as that on which the control circuit is mounted.

4. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light onto the lens so as to indicate the position of the touch sensor.

5. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein a marker for indicating the position of the touch sensor is formed on the surface of the lens.

6. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the lamp is a light-emitting diode.

7. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the lens is configured to cover substantially the entire surface of the enclosure.

8. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light onto the lens so as to indicate the position of the touch sensor.

9. The vehicle interior light system according claim 3, further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light onto the lens so as to indicate the position of the touch sensor.