LED vehicle lamp including reflector with paraboloidal sections

• US 7,281,833 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Kiyohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron; Ismael
• Application Number:
  US10/686,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20040136196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 362/487, 362516-518, 362520-522, 362/545, 362/247, 362/607, 362/308, 362/346, 362/348, 362/330, 362/339, 359/851, 359/853
• US Class Current: 362/545
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/40 characterised by the combination of reflectors and refractors

Abstract

A vehicle lamp includes a set of alternatively provided first and second reflection surfaces that reflect the light emitted by a first and second respective diodes toward a lamp lens. Each of the first and second reflection surface is a part of a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of a respective one of the first and second diodes such that the paraboloids corresponding to reflection surfaces that are farther from the their respective diodes have longer focal lengths.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising:

a light emitting diode that emits light;

a lamp lens having a light emission area;

a plurality of reflection surfaces that reflect the light emitted by the light emitting diode;

a plurality of mirror finished surfaces that are arranged so as not to reflect the light emitted by the light emitting diode but to reflect an outside light incident from the lamp lens; and

an inner housing having an inner surface facing the light emission area, wherein

the reflection surfaces and the mirror finished surfaces are alternately provided over the inner surface of the inner housing,

the reflection surfaces are arranged mostly within a range of an illumination angle of the light emitted by the light emitting diode,

each of the reflection surfaces is a part of a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of the light emitting diode such that the paraboloids corresponding to the reflection surfaces that are farther from the light emitting diode have longer focal lengths, and

each of the mirror finished surfaces is arranged to follow along and parallel to a segment that connects the light emission source of the light emitting diode to one of boundaries between the reflection surfaces and the mirror finished surfaces.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of linear Fresnel prism elements arranged between the light emitting diode and the reflection surfaces, wherein

the linear Fresnel prism elements transmit the light emitted by the light emitting diode mostly along the direction the light is emitted in a cross section that includes the reflection surfaces, the mirror finished surfaces, and the light emitting diode, and refract and transmit the light emitted by the light emitting diode as almost parallel lights in a cross section orthogonal to the light reflection direction of the reflection surfaces.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp lens includes:

an outer lens; and

an inner lens, wherein a plurality of at least one of concave portions or convex portions are provided, in portions of the inner lens almost corresponding to ranges in which reflected lights from the reflection surfaces are incident, respectively, in such a manner that the concave portions recess on an opposite side to a reflection surfaces-side and the convex portions project on the reflection surfaces-side.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp lens includes:

an outer lens;

an

inner lens, wherein a plurality of at least one of concave portions or convex portions are provided, in portions of the inner lens almost corresponding to ranges in which reflected lights from the reflection surfaces are incident, respectively, in such a manner that the concave portions recess on an opposite side to a reflection surfaces-side and the convex portions project on the reflection surfaces-side; and

a plurality of light diffusion prism elements arranged on at least one of outer surfaces or inner surfaces of at least either the convex portions or the concave portions of the inner lens.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light emitting diodes are provided, wherein

each of the light emitting diodes and the reflection surfaces are integrated into an arrangement, so that there are a plurality of the arrangements, wherein

each of the arrangements is positioned at a different location in a light reflection direction of the reflection surfaces.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein

a 0°

axis of the light emitting diode is inclined toward a reflection surfaces-side relative to an optical axis of the reflection surfaces.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein

the reflection surfaces have different optical axis directions.

8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein

each of the reflection surfaces is divided into a plurality of reflection surfaces.

9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein

each of the mirror finished surfaces is divided into a plurality of zigzag surfaces.

10. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein

each of the mirror finished surfaces is arranged on the segment on a side opposite to a light reflection direction of the reflection surfaces.

11. A vehicle lamp comprising:

at least one light emitting diode that emits light;

a lamp lens having a light emission area;

a plurality of reflection surfaces that reflect the light emitted by the at least one light emitting diode;

a plurality of mirror finished surfaces arranged so as not to reflect the light emitted by the light emitting diode but to reflect a light incident from outside the lamp lens; and

an inner housing having an inner surface facing the light emission area, wherein

the reflection surfaces and the mirror finished surfaces are alternately provided over the inner surface of the inner housing,

the reflection surfaces are arranged mostly within a range of an illumination angle of the light emitted by the at least one light emitting diode,

each of the reflection surfaces is defined by a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of the at least one light emitting diode such that the paraboloids corresponding to the reflection surfaces that are farther from the at least one light emitting diode have longer focal lengths, and

each of the mirror finished surfaces is arranged to follow along and parallel to a segment that connects the light emission source of the at least one light emitting diode to one of boundaries between the reflection surfaces and the mirror finished surfaces.

12. The vehicle lamp according to claim 11, wherein

each of the mirror finished surfaces is arranged on the segment on a side opposite to a light reflection direction of the reflection surfaces.

13. A vehicle lamp comprising:

a first light emitting diode that is arranged at a first location and that emits light in a first area;

a second light emitting diode that is arranged at a second location different from the first location and that emits light in a second area;

a lamp lens having a light emission area;

a plurality of first reflection surfaces that reflect the light emitted by the first light emitting diode toward the lamp lens;

a plurality of second reflection surfaces that reflect light emitted by the second light emitting diode toward the lamp lens;

a plurality of first linear Fresnel prism elements arranged between the first light emitting diode and the first reflection surfaces;

a plurality of second linear Fresnel prism elements arranged between the second light emitting diode and the second reflection surfaces; and

an inner housing having an inner surface facing the light emission area, wherein

the first reflection surfaces and the second reflection surfaces are alternately provided over almost entire of the inner surface of the inner housing,

the first reflection surfaces are arranged mostly in the first area,

the second reflection surfaces are arranged mostly in the second area,

each of the first reflection surfaces is a part of a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of the first light emitting diode such that the paraboloids corresponding to the first reflection surfaces that are farther from the first light emitting diode have longer focal lengths, and

each of the second reflection surfaces is a part of a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of the second light emitting diode such that the paraboloids corresponding to the second reflection surfaces that are farther from the second light emitting diode have longer focal lengths, wherein

the first linear Fresnel prism elements transmit the light emitted by the first light emitting diode mostly along the direction the light is emitted in a cross section that includes the first light emitting diode and the first reflection surfaces, and refract and transmit the light emitted by the first light emitting diode as almost parallel light in a cross section orthogonal to a light reflection direction of the first reflection surfaces, and

the second linear Fresnel prism elements transmit the light emitted by the second light emitting diode mostly along the direction the light is emitted in a cross section that includes the second light emitting diode and the second reflection surfaces, and refract and transmit the light from the second light emitting diode as almost parallel light in a cross section orthogonal to a light reflection direction of the second reflection surfaces.

14. The vehicle lamp according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of the first light emitting diodes and the second light emitting diodes are provided, and

each of the first light emitting diodes, each of the second light emitting diodes, the first reflection surfaces, and the second reflection surfaces are integrated into an arrangement, so that there are a plurality of the arrangements, wherein

each of the arrangements is positioned at a different location in a light reflection direction of the first reflection surfaces and the second reflection surfaces.

15. The vehicle lamp according to claim 13, wherein

a 0°

axis of the first light emitting diode is inclined toward a first reflection surfaces-side relative to an optical axis of the first reflection surfaces, and

a 0°

axis of the second light emitting diode is inclined toward the second reflection surfaces-side relative to an optical axis of the second reflection surfaces.

16. The vehicle lamp according to claim 13, wherein

an optical axis direction of the first reflection surfaces differs from an optical axis direction of the second reflection surfaces.

17. The vehicle lamp according to claim 13, wherein the lamp lens includes:

an outer lens; and

an inner lens, wherein

a plurality of at least one of concave portions or convex portions are provided, in portions of the inner lens almost corresponding to ranges in which reflected lights from the first reflection surfaces are incident, respectively, in such a manner that the concave portions recess on an opposite side to a first reflection surfaces-side and the convex portions project on the first reflection surfaces-side, and

a plurality of at least one of concave portions or convex portions are provided, in portions of the inner lens almost corresponding to ranges in which reflected lights from the second reflection surfaces are incident, respectively, in such a manner that the convex portions project on a second reflection surfaces-side and the concave portions recess on an opposite side to the second reflection surfaces-side, and

the concave portions and the convex portions of the inner lens are alternately provided in the light emission area of the lamp lens almost over the entire light emission area to correspond to the first reflection surfaces and the second reflection surfaces, respectively.

18. The vehicle lamp according to claim 17, wherein the lamp lens further includes:

a plurality of light diffusion prism elements arranged on any of an outer surface or an inner surface of any one or more of the convex portions and the concave portions of the inner lens.

19. A vehicle lamp comprising:

at least one first light emitting diode arranged at a first location and that emits light in a first area;

at least one second light emitting diode arranged at a second location different from the first location and that emits light in a second area;

a lamp lens having a light emission area;

a plurality of first reflection surfaces that reflect the light emitted by the at least one first light emitting diode toward the lamp lens;

a plurality of second reflection surfaces that reflect light emitted by the at least one second light emitting diode toward the lamp lens; and

an inner housing having an inner surface facing the light emission area, wherein

the first reflection surfaces and the second reflection surfaces are alternately provided over the inner surface of the inner housing,

the first reflection surfaces are arranged in the first area,

the second reflection surfaces are arranged in the second area,

each of the first reflection surfaces is defined by a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of the at least one first light emitting diode such that the paraboloids corresponding to the first reflection surfaces that are farther from the at least one first light emitting diodes have longer focal lengths, and

each of the second reflection surfaces is defined by a rotational paraboloid having a focus on a light emission source of the at least one second light emitting diode such that the paraboloids corresponding to the second reflection surfaces that are farther from the at least one second light emitting diode have longer focal lengths,

wherein the lamp lens includes;

an outer lens; and

an inner lens, wherein

a plurality of at least one of concave portions or convex portions are provided, in portions of the inner lens almost corresponding to ranges in which reflected lights from the first reflection surfaces are incident, respectively, in such a manner that the concave portions recess on an opposite side to a first reflection surfaces-side and the convex portions project on the first reflection surfaces-side, and

a plurality of at least one of concave portions or convex portions are provided, in portions of the inner lens almost corresponding to ranges in which reflected lights from the second reflection surfaces are incident, respectively, in such a manner that the convex portions project on a second reflection surfaces-side and the concave portions recess on an opposite side to the second reflection surfaces-side, and

the concave portions and the convex portions of the inner lens are alternately provided in the light emission area of the lamp lens almost over the entire light emission area to correspond to the first reflection surfaces and the second reflection surfaces, respectively.