TURN SIGNAL LAMP FOR VEHICLE

• US 20150158416A1
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SL Corporation
• Original Assignee: SL Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Mu Youl
• Granted Patent: US 9,586,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/381 with several light sources activated in sequence, e.g. to create a sweep effect
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/15 Strips of light sources

Abstract

A turn signal lamp for a vehicle includes a light source unit including light sources arranged in a horizontal or substantially horizontal direction and a control unit configured to turn on the light sources sequentially starting from the left-most or the right-most light source of the light sources by a first time interval or intervals and reduce respective light quantities of the respective light sources by a second time interval or intervals.

Claims

1. A lamp for a vehicle comprising:

a light source unit including light sources arranged in a horizontal or substantially horizontal direction; and

a control unit configured to;

(a) turn on the light sources sequentially starting from the left-most or the right-most light source of the light sources by a first time interval or intervals; and

(b) reduce respective light quantities of the respective light sources by a second time interval or intervals.

2. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the first time interval or intervals and the second time interval or intervals are same.

3. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the control unit flickers at least one of the light sources that are turned on whenever it turns on one of the light sources that are turned off.

4. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the control unit reduces the respective light quantities to respective target light quantities.

5. The lamp of claim 4, wherein the respective target light quantities are same.

6. The lamp of claim 4, wherein at least one of the respective target light quantities is zero.

7. The lamp of claim 4, wherein one or more of the light sources, after reaching its target light quantity or their respective light quantities, hold the target light quantity or quantities until the rest of the light sources reach respective target light quantity or quantities.

8. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising switch units for adjusting the magnitude of current supplied to the light sources such that the respective light sources are connected to the respective switch units.

9. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the light sources are arranged in a vehicle width direction.

10. A lamp for a vehicle comprising:

a light source unit including a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source in series; and

a control unit configured to adjust light quantity of the first light source, light quantity of the second light source, and light quantity of the third light source over time, wherein;

(a) when the first light source is turned on, the first light source has a first predetermined light quantity,

(b) when the second light source is turned on with a second predetermined light quantity, the light quantity of the first light source is reduced by a first predetermined amount, and

(c) when the third light source is turned on with a third predetermined light quantity, the light quantity of the first light source is further reduced by a second predetermined amount and the light quantity of the second light source is reduced by a third predetermined amount.

11. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the first predetermined light quantity, the second predetermined light quantity, and the third predetermined light quantity are same.

12. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the first predetermined amount, the second predetermined amount, and the third predetermined amount are same.

13. The lamp of claim 10, further comprising at least one light source between the first light source and the third light source.