JPH10241415A - Signal lamp for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a colored lamp with no influence on the distribution of emitted light by forming a transparent outside cover with the surface and back substantially in parallel. SOLUTION: A signal lamp for a vehicle has a reflector 32 formed for light to be passed from a bulb 30 through a center hole 36 in a non-transparent mask 34 to the outside. The mask 34 covered with a transparent colored layer 42 has a concave reflection surface 40 arranged for light from the outside of a vehicle lamp to be reflected. The color of the vehicle lamp when turned off depends on the color of the colored layer 42. Light from the bulb 30 which is not passed through the layer 42 is independent of the color thereof.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a reflector (reflector, reflector, or plate) and a light-transmitting (ie, transparent) outer cover having substantially parallel front and back surfaces, Signal light (signal light, indicator light, or indicator light)
The present invention relates to a vehicle signal lamp (vehicle signal light, vehicle indicator light, or vehicle indicator light) that controls the optical distribution of light emitted from the reflector by a reflector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Known vehicle lamps of this type (i.e.,
In vehicle lights, the reflector is in the form of a parabola that is slightly distorted to produce a divergent beam of light. Alternatively, the reflector has a pillow optical structure (pill) on its surface.
ow optics: An array of pillow-shaped areas that spreads a light beam through an outer cover, as is common in automotive signal lamps, taking the form of a true parabola with a mesh of meshes Can also. The reflector surface is easily visible through the outer cover, which is made of a material of the color required for the light emanating from the signal lamp (signal light, indicator light or indicator light).

When the vehicle signal lamp is not turned on, it is customary to configure the vehicle signal lamp so that the vehicle signal lamp has a color around the vehicle signal lamp. For example, reverse lighting (reversin
g lamp) emits white light when turned on, but is normally configured to appear red when turned off to match the appearance of the adjacent rear lamp. Such vehicle lights are commonly referred to as colored lights. Colored lights require the addition of an optical element to the outer transparent cover or lens.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to make the front and back surfaces of a light-transmitting (ie, transparent) outer cover substantially parallel to each other so that the cover has a distribution of emitted light. Colored lights that have no effect (colored lamps)
It is to provide.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a vehicle signal lamp of the type described above comprises an opaque mask having a central opening. The opaque mask is provided between the reflector and an outer cover of the mask. The light reflected by the reflector reaches the outer cover through the opening. This mask has a concave reflector (or a concave reflecting surface). The concave reflector is covered by a light-transmissive (ie, transparent) tinted layer.
The concave reflector is arranged to reflect light incident on the concave reflector from outside the outer cover.

[0006] The color of the transparent cover layer (ie, coating) is selected according to the appearance required of the vehicle light when turned off.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows a known type of vehicle signal having a bulb 10, a radiating surface reflector (in other words, a radiating surface reflector) 12 and a transparent (ie, light permeable) outer cover 14. Shows a lamp. Outer cover 1
In No. 4, the front surface 100 and the back surface 200 are parallel (that is, the sides are parallel). This ensures that the emitted light distribution is not affected (ie, the light exiting the outer cover 14 is parallel to the light entering the outer cover 14 from the bulb 10). The reflector 12 comprises a pillow optical structure such as a formation 16 having a metallized reflective coating 18 on the front.

[0009] The transparent outer cover 14 is colored according to the required color of the emitted light (eg red). Light emitted as rays 20, 22 is colored by a disk-shaped outer cover 14. Similarly, a white light ray, such as light ray 24, incident from the outside is reflected as light ray 26. The light rays 26 are colored both when entering the inside through the outer cover 14 and when exiting the outside.

Referring to FIG. 2, the signal lamp of the present invention includes a bulb 30. The bulb 30 has a reflector (reflector, mirror, or plate) having a shape between the emitting surface and the elliptical surface so as to provide a dispersed focused beam.
32. Before the reflector 32,
An opaque (ie, light impermeable) mask 34 having a central hole 36 is disposed. In front of the mask 34, a transparent (i.e. light-transmitting) cover 38 whose front surface 102 and back surface 202 are parallel (i.e., whose sides are parallel) is arranged, and this cover 38 is radiated. It does not have any effect on the light dispersion.

The mask 34 has a pillow optical structure 40 on the front surface. The pillow optical structure 40 has a metallized reflective layer. The uppermost layer of the reflective layer is provided with a transparent coating 42 colored according to the required appearance of the signal lamp when the light bulb 30 is turned off. With this structure, the light emitted from the bulb 30 is reflected by the reflector 32 and the coating 4
2 as light rays 44, 46, 48 and 50 that do not pass through. Therefore, it is not affected by the color of the coating 42. As mentioned above, the emitted light is white light, which is suitable for use as a reversing lamp. If colored light is required, replace bulb 30 with a colored bulb,
A colored filter (not shown) is fitted so as to close the central hole 36.

As indicated by ray 52, the white ray incident from outside cover 38 is reflected back to ray 54.
Becomes This light beam 54 is colored by the coating 42 on the metallized surface 40 of the mask 34.

A vehicle light (ie, a vehicle lamp) is wider and wider in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction (ie, in the vehicle lamp).
The reflector 32 is not symmetric about the optical axis of the vehicle light, since it is required to emit a (diverging) ray.
Instead, the vehicle light has an opaque, flat bottom wall 56 of the same color as the transparent coating 42. Thereby, the central hole 3
Downward incident light passing through 6 strikes colored wall 56. As a result, when the incident light is reflected next on the reflector 32 and emerges again from the central hole 36, the light is colored according to the appearance required when the vehicle light is turned off.

FIG. 3 shows a modified mask 60 that can be used in place of the mask 34 of FIG. The modified mask 60 is molded with a transparent material, and the transparent material is colored according to the appearance required when the vehicle light is turned off. The mask 60 also has a pillow optical structure and a bright (or transparent) metallized coating 62 on the rear surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a known vehicle signal lamp described in the section of the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. 1 of the vehicle signal lamp of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a modified mask used in the vehicle signal lamp shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 30 bulb 32 reflector 34 mask 36 central hole 38 transparent cover 40 pillow optical structure 42 transparent coating 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54 light beam 56 bottom wall 60 mask 62 coating

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (71) Applicant 392007692 Seton House, Warwick Technology Park, Galllows Hill, Warwicks hill CV 346DE, England (72) Inventor Francis Thompson UK Heath, Cherry Orchard 19

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle signal lamp having a reflector and a transparent outer cover having front and rear surfaces substantially parallel to each other, wherein the optical distribution of light emitted from the signal lamp is controlled by the reflector. Opaque masks 34, 60 are disposed between the reflector 32 and the outer cover 38, the mask having a central opening 36, wherein light from the reflector 32 is transmitted by the central opening 36. And the mask reaches the outer cover 38. The mask has concave reflecting surfaces 40 and 62,
A vehicle signal lamp, characterized in that the reflective surface is covered by transparent colored layers (42, 60) and is arranged to reflect light incident on the reflective surface from outside the outer cover (38). 2. The vehicle signal lamp according to claim 1, wherein the mask is a reflective layer provided on a surface closer to the outer cover and a transparent coloring provided on the reflective layer. A vehicle signal lamp comprising a coated coating (42). 3. The vehicle signal lamp according to claim 1, wherein the mask is formed of a transparent tinted material, and the mask is provided on a surface farther from the outer cover. A vehicle signal lamp having a reflective layer 62 provided.