Lighting device for vehicle

• US 20080180967A1
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Totani, Chiharu, Misawa, Akihiro, Oba, Tatsuya, Arakawa, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,883,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/518
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0088 Details of electrical connections B60Q1/305 takes precedence; electrical connection of the light source itself F21S41/192, F21S43/195
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2696 Mounting of devices using LEDs
• 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 45/37 specially adapted for signal lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection

Abstract

A lighting device for a vehicle includes: a light source; a light guide member that has a light-introducing part provided in a back surface side through which the light of the light source is introduced and finally emits the light from a front surface side; a part near the light-introducing part being thicker than an edge part of the light guide member, a plurality of reflecting parts and connecting parts being alternately formed continuously toward a direction separate from the light-introducing part in the back surface side, the reflecting parts respectively reflecting on interfaces the introduced light reaching there to form the light in the direction of the front surface of the light guide member; and a housing that is connected to a position between the edge part of the back surface of the light guide member and the light-introducing part and attached to the back surface side of the light guide member to house the light source.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a light source;

a light guide member, including,

a light-introducing part provided in a back surface side of the light guide member and through which the light of the light source is introduced so as to emit the light from a front surface side of the light guide member,

a part near the light-introducing part being thicker than an edge part of the light guide member, and

a plurality of reflecting parts and connecting parts being alternately formed continuously toward a direction separate from the light-introducing part in the back surface side, said reflecting parts respectively reflecting on interfaces the introduced light reaching there to form the light in the direction of the front surface of the light guide member; and

a housing, connected to a position between the edge part of the back surface of the light guide member and the light-introducing part and attached to the back surface side of the light guide member to house the light source.

2. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the housing is attached to the back surface side of the light guide member by a part of the connecting parts.

3. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the part of the connecting parts is a rib shaped protruding part.

4. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the part of the connecting parts is provided in the vicinity of the light-introducing part.

5. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of reflecting parts and the connecting parts are formed in order of the connecting parts and the reflecting parts in the direction separate from the light-introducing part;

and

the housing is connected to the connecting part that is continuous to the light-introducing part.

6. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting parts and the connecting parts are formed over the edge of the light guide member from the light-introducing part.

7. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a layer made of a light reflecting material is formed on the surface of the reflecting part.

8. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a layer made of a light reflecting material is formed on all the back surface of the light guide member except the light-introducing part and the connecting part to which the housing is connected.

9. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light source is an LED lamp.

10. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light source is comprised of a first lamp and a second lamp;

the lighting device further comprises a tall/stop lamp part that emits the light of the first lamp, and a turn lamp part that emits the light of the second lamp and is provided in the lower part of the tail/stop lamp part;

the housing houses the first lamp and the second lamp;

the tail/stop lamp part communicates with the turn lamp part in the housing, and

the housing has a first vent hole in the vicinity of the first lamp and a second vent hole in the vicinity of the second lamp.

11. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the tail/stop lamp part is provided with the light guide member;

as the light guide member is more separated from the lower end of the light guide member, the thickness of the lens is smaller continuously and stepwise.

12. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the lights of outer lights incident on the light guide member through the front surface of the light guide member that directly advance to the lower end of the light guide member are totally reflected on the interface of the lower end.

13. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the first lamp is arranged so that a light-emitting side thereof is opposed to the lower surface of the light guide member, the first lamp is provided with a heat sink having rib shaped fins and the fins are parallel to the forward and backward direction of the light guide member.

14. The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first lamp and the second lamp are LED lamps.