Touch sensor operated vehicle room lamp to be turned on and off

• US 7,547,119 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha T An T
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha T An T
• Inventors: Okano, Hirofumi, Kuwana, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne; Sharon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCMANMON, MARY ELIZABETH
• Application Number:
  US11/405,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20060245200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 362/147, 362/276, 362/438, 362/488, 362/490, 362/489, 362/493, 362/95, 362/652, 200/310, 200/312, 200/313, 200/314, 200/317
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/82 Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens

Abstract

A vehicle interior light system includes a lamp, an enclosure internally provided with the lamp, a lens attached to the front of the enclosure, a touch sensor arranged on the back surface of the lens, and a control circuit including a sensor circuit and a switching circuit. The sensor circuit is configured to detect the capacitance of a human body when the lens is touched or approached by a finger or the like. The switching circuit is configured to turn the lamp on and off in response to an output from the sensor circuit.

Claims

1. A vehicle interior light system for illuminating an interior space of a vehicle, the light system comprising:

an enclosure defining an internal space and a front opening;

a rear substrate connected to the enclosure within the internal space thereof, the rear substrate being opposed to and spaced from the front opening;

a lamp connected to the rear substrate of the enclosure so as to emit a visible light toward the front opening;

a lens attached to the front opening of the enclosure so as to cover the front opening and the lamp within the enclosure so as to allow emitted light from the lamp to illuminate the interior space of the vehicle, the lens having a back surface which faces inwardly toward the substrate within the internal space of the enclosure, and a front surface which faces outwardly toward the interior space of the vehicle;

a touch sensor positioned within the internal space of the enclosure at a sensor location in contact with or closely adjacent to the back surface of the lens so as to establish a sensor region on the front surface of the lens opposite to the sensor location;

a control circuit fixed to the rear substrate of the enclosure; and

an electrical conductor establishing electrical connection between the touch sensor and the control circuit, wherein

the control circuit includes;

a sensor circuit configured to detect the capacitance of a human body when the front surface of the lens is touched or approached by a finger or the like at the sensor region and responsively generating an output in response thereto; and

a switching circuit configured to turn the lamp on and off in response to receiving the output from the sensor circuit, and wherein

the electrical conductor comprises an electrically conductive support post for electrically connecting the touch sensor and the control circuit, the support post having one end attached to the rear substrate and having an opposite end attached to the touch sensor so as to support the touch sensor in vertically spaced relationship to the rear substrate.

2. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is positioned near the back surface of the lens within the internal space of the enclosure.

3. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light onto the back surface of the lens so as to indicate the location of the sensor region on the front surface of the lens.

4. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light onto the back surface of the lens so as to indicate the location of the sensor region on the front surface of the lens.

5. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the front surface of the lens comprises a marker for indicating the location of the sensor region on the front surface of the lens.

6. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 5, further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light onto the lens so as to indicate the location of the sensor region on the front surface of the lens.

7. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the lamp is a light-emitting diode.

8. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the lens covers the front opening over substantially the entire surface of the enclosure.

9. The vehicle interior light system according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor defines a hole therethrough, and wherein the control circuit comprises an auxiliary lamp which projects a spot light through the hole and onto the back surface of the lens so as to indicate the sensor location on the front of the lens.

10. A vehicle interior light system for illuminating an interior space of a vehicle, the light system comprising:

an enclosure defining an internal space and a front opening;

a rear substrate connected to the enclosure within the internal space thereof, the rear substrate being opposed to and spaced from the front opening;

a lamp connected to the rear substrate of the enclosure so as to emit a visible light toward the front opening;

a lens attached to the front opening of the enclosure so as to cover the front opening and the lamp within the enclosure so as to allow emitted light from the lamp to illuminate the interior space of the vehicle, the lens having a back surface which faces inwardly toward the substrate within the internal space of the enclosure, and a front surface which faces outwardly toward the interior space of the vehicle;

a touch sensor which defines a hole therethrough and is positioned within the interior space of the enclosure at a sensor location in contact with or closely adjacent to the back surface of the lens so as to establish a sensor region on the front surface of the lens opposite to the sensor location;

a control circuit fixed to the rear substrate of the enclosure;

an electrical conductor establishing electrical connection between the touch sensor on the lens and the control circuit on the rear substrate; and

an auxiliary lamp mounted on the control circuit and configured to project a spot of light through the hole in the touch sensor onto the back surface of the lens so as to indicate the location of the sensor region on the front surface of the lens, and wherein

the control circuit includes;

a sensor circuit configured to detect the capacitance of a human body when the front surface of the lens is touched or approached by a finger or the like at the sensor region and responsively generating an output in response thereto; and

a switching circuit configured to turn the lamp on and off in response to receiving the output from the sensor circuit, and wherein

the electrical conductor comprises an electrically conductive support post for electrically connecting the touch sensor and the control circuit, the support post having one end attached to the rear substrate and having an opposite end attached to the touch sensor so as to support the touch sensor in vertically spaced relationship to the rear substrate.