Vehicle lamp

• US 6,299,334 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2000
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH (PTC Inc.)
• Original Assignee: REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH (PTC Inc.)
• Inventors: Quent, Peer, Schwanz, Martina, Brautigam, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US09/487,293
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 362/487, 362/498, 362/540, 362/543, 362/544, 362/545, 362/551, 362/555, 362/511, 362/31
• US Class Current: 362/511
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2665 on rear-view mirrors lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258
• 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 43/243 emitting light from one or more of its extremities
• 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

Abstract

In a vehicle lamp (7) whose light exit opening (5) is covered by an elongate translucent light exit lens (9) which serves as a light guide for a light source (14) which is arranged at one (12) of its narrow end edges, in such a way that it guides light given off by the light source (14) in the longitudinal direction in such a fashion that a part thereof issues at the narrow end edge (20) in opposite relationship to the coupling-in side while a further part of said light is irradiated through the outside surface (10) of the light exit lens (9), to improve the light output it is provided that the light exit lens (9) is curved transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction and that its inside surface (24) has an optically effective structure (26, . . . , 26) which focuses the light issuing through the outside surface (10) in the cross-sections which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction into a preferred angular range.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp (7) whose light exit opening (5) is covered by an elongate translucent light exit lens (9) which serves as a light guide for a light source (14) which is arranged at one (12) of its narrow end edges, in such a way that it guides light given off by the light source (14) in the longitudinal direction in such a fashion that a part thereof issues at the narrow end edge (20) in opposite relationship to the coupling-in side while a further part of said light is irradiated through the outside surface (10) of the light exit lens (9), characterised in that the light exit lens (9) is curved transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction, and in that its inside surface (24) has an optically effective structure which is formed by a series of strip-shaped regions (26) of the inside surface (24) of the light exit lens,

said inside surface (24) being opposite to the outside surface (10),

said regions being arranged in mutually juxtaposed relationship in the transverse direction and extending in mutually parallel relationship in the longitudinal direction of the light exit lens (9), and each of said strip-shaped regions (26) being tilted in non-parallel relationship relative to the region of the outside surface (10), which is immediately opposite to it,

the extent (α

) of the tilt being different from one strip-shaped region (26) to another in dependence on the curvature transversely with respect to longitudinal direction of the associated region of the outside surface (10), and

said optically effective structure focusing the light, issuing through the outside surface (10) in cross-sections which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, into a preferred angular range.

2. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the vehicle lamp (7) is a side flashing lamp 7 whose light exit lens (9) in the assembled condition extends with its longitudinal direction substantially horizontally, and in that the optically effective structure focuses the light issuing through the outside surface into a region which is limited in a vertical direction with a substantially horizontally extending central plane.

3. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the tilt increases in proportion to an increasing curvature of the associated region of the outside surface (10) transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction.

4. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the strip-shaped regions (26) of the inside surface (24) of the light exit lens (9) are separated from each other by lands (28) which extend in the longitudinal direction of the light exit lens (9).

5. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the lamp is arranged in an aperture in a housing (1) of a vehicle external mirror (3).

6. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the light source (14) comprises at least one light emitting diode (15).

7. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 6 characterised in that a coupling-in location in the form of a depression (18) into which the light source (14) projects is provided at the relevant narrow end edge (12) of the light exit lens (9).

8. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that, provided at the narrow end edge (20) opposite to the coupling-in side, is a coupling-out surface (22) which is inclined relative to a plane perpendicular to a tangent to a center line of the light exit lens (9), in order to achieve light irradiation into a preferred solid angle range (β

).

9. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 8 characterised in that the coupling-out surface (22) is so inclined, relative to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light exit lens (9), that the inside and outside surfaces (24, 10) of the light exit lens (9) are of different lengths in the longitudinal direction.

10. The vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 8 characterised in that the coupling-out surface (22) is so inclined, relative to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light exit lens (9), that the inside surface (24) of the light exit lens (9) is shorter in the longitudinal direction than the outside surface (10).