Cover for car lamps

• US 4,872,745 A
• Filed: 02/17/1988
• Issued: 10/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Norio, Sakamoto, Toshishige, Shimada, Junichi, Ito, Toshiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Laroche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/156,839
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 350/357, 350/334, 350/330, 350/331 R, 350/353, 350/355
• US Class Current: 359/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/645 by electro-optic means, e.g. liquid crystal or electrochromic devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1524 Transition metal compounds

Abstract

A cover for car lamps comprising a transparent base and a transparent element with variable coloring intensity capable of coloring and discoloring by electric conduction, disposed on at least a part of the base.

Claims

1. A cover for car lamps comprising:

a transparent base, and

a transparent element with variable coloring intensity, the color being controlled by electric conduction, disposed on at least a part of said base, said transparent element being substantially nontransparent and colored when said lamps are turned off and substantially transparent and colorless or disclosed when said lamps are turned on.

2. A cover for car lamps as set forth in claim 1, wherein said transparent element with variable coloring intensity is an electrochromic element or a color liquid crystal.

3. A cover for car lamps as set forth in claim 2, wherein said electrochromic element is formed by ion plating method and is provided with an adhesion layer and a coating layer.

4. A cover for car lamps as set forth in claim 2, wherein said electrochromic element comprises a first electrode, an oxidative color-forming layer, an electrolyte, a reductive color forming-layer and a second electrode consecutively piled together.

5. A cover for car lamps as set forth in claim 4, wherein said oxidative color-forming layer is a material chosen from the following:

IrO_x, Cr₂ O₃, Ir(OH)_x, Ni(OH)_x, NiO, Ni, Rh(OH)_x, RhO, and Ru(OH)_x, said electrolyte is a material chosen from the following;

Ta₂ O₅, LiF, SiO₂, ZrO₂, MgF₂, CaF₂, Al₂ O₃, Y₂ O₃, Na-β

-alumina, and Li₃ N(Li⁺), and said reductive color-forming layer is a material chosen from the following;

WO₃, TiO₂, MoO₃, and Nb₂ O₅.

6. A cover for car lamps according to claim 1, wherein said cover is formed integrally with a grill of a car body.