JP2002539026A - Indicator and illuminator using semiconductor light emitting emitter package - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract A car lamp assembly 209 includes a housing 202 and an LED lamp 218 held in the housing. The signal mirror 100 includes a mirror 222 and an LED lamp. The LED lamp has a heat absorbing member 400.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Cross-reference of related applications]

This application filed Mar. 1, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
J. Roberts, et al.
Semiconductor light emitting emitter package (SEMICONDUCTOR RADIATI)
ON EMITTER PACKAGE), US Provisional Patent Application Ser.
/ 124,493. This application is based on the disclosure of a "Semiconductor Light-Emitting Emitter Package" by Jhon K. Roberts, et al. Indicators and illuminators (INDICAT)
ORS AND ILLUMINATORS USING A SEMICON
No. 09 / 425,792, entitled "DUCTOR RADIATION EMITTER PACKAGE".

[0002]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to illuminators and indicators, and to improved vehicle components and assemblies that incorporate a solid state light emitting emitter package.

[0003]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The vehicle is equipped with an assembly having a number of different components and associated illuminators and / or signal lamps. There has been great interest in using electroluminescent semiconductor devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), illuminators and signal indicators. This is because they offer many advantageous possibilities compared to other conventional low voltage light sources. Other light sources are relatively inefficient, such as, for example, conventional tungsten incandescent lamps, require high voltages for operation, such as fluorescent and gas discharge lamps, or are damaged, such as incandescent lamps There are many drawbacks that are easy to do. Therefore, these selectable light sources may be used in applications where limited power or low voltage is available, or where high voltage is not available for safety reasons, or where large shocks or vibrations occur. Is not optimal. LEDs, on the other hand, are extremely shock resistant, thus providing a significant advantage over incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, which can shatter when subjected to mechanical or thermal shock. LEDs can also provide 1,000 to 2,000 hours for incandescent lamps or 5,000 to 10,000 hours for fluorescent lamps,
It has an operating life of 200,000 hours to 1,000,000 hours.

Because of these and other advantages, LEDs have become popular in a wide variety of optoelectronic applications. Visible LEDs of all colors including white
Used as status indicators in dashboards and consoles of cars, trucks, buses, minivans, sports cars, aircraft, etc. In each of these applications, L
The low intensity luminous flux emitted by the ED limits the relative visibility of the indicator, especially under high ambient lighting conditions.

High-intensity visible signal devices such as vehicle CHMSLs (brake lights mounted above center), brake lights, external directional lights, danger flash lights, external signal mirrors, etc. Yellow, red and red-orange emitting visible LEDs have been used. In each of these applications, the limited luminous flux emitted by each individual LED in the row activates eight or more individual LEDs simultaneously to achieve the desired beam intensity and distribution. Need that.

A multi-color combination of a plurality of high intensity visible LEDs is used as a source of projected white light for illumination purposes. Such illuminators can be used, for example, as car or aircraft map lights or as car or aircraft reading or personal lights, cargo lights,
It can be used as a number plate illuminator, back light and external mirror paddle light. Also, in some of these cases, the "white" L of the phosphor enhancement as illuminator
ED can also be used. In these illuminator applications where the high beam intensity is important for effective radiant illumination, the limited luminous flux emitted by individual and independent LEDs is the desired beam intensity, color and light distribution. A number of individual LEDs need to be activated simultaneously to achieve the state.

[0007] Infrared (IR) emitting LEDs are being used in remote control and communications such as VCRs, TVs, DVD players, CD players and other audiovisual remote controls. Similarly, desktops, laptops, hand-held computers,
IrDA devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAS), printers, network adapters, pointing devices ("mouse", "trackball")
Etc.) High intensity IR emitting LEDs are being used for communication with peripherals such as keyboards and the like. The signal range and quality depend on the amount of light generated by the LED lamp emitter. The limited luminous flux generated by current IRLEDs has a detrimental effect on the performance of existing IR transmitters and designs that incorporate IRLEDs into devices.

In all of the above-mentioned applications, the limited amount of luminous flux generated by semiconductor emitter packages depends on the performance, design, size, weight, freedom, cost and other aspects of the devices in which these packages are employed. Has a harmful effect on as a result,
Many efforts have been made to develop higher intensity LEDs. Despite the increased light output realized as a result of these efforts, and despite all the efforts made to develop products that enhance the performance of the embedded LEDs, high brightness LEs
D and products employing these LEDs suffer from high cost, great complexity, limited current carrying capacity, and / or incompatibility with common manufacturing methods.

An example application in an automotive environment where LEDs impose significant limitations on design and performance is in car signal mirrors, such as those that provide auxiliary turn signals. Signal mirrors typically have one or more mirrors in the mirror assembly to generate an information signal.
Adopt more than one lamp. In general, the external signal mirror employs a lamp assembly located behind the dichroic mirror, so that the signal light passes through the mirror or through the rear mirror body housing, so that the signal lamp is independent of the mirror. It is a target. Examples of such signal mirrors are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,361,190, 5,788,357, and 5,497,306. Although signal mirrors with built-in LEDs are becoming popular, these mirrors have not yet been widely adopted. One reason that this penetration is limited is due to the large capacity, complexity, significant weight, and significant cost of implementing external signal mirrors.

[0010] The external rear mirror typically includes a body housing mounted on the car, a mirror assembly, and an adjustable support mechanism for holding the mirror assembly, so that the driver adjusts the angle of the mirror. can do. Also, other components, such as one or more antennas (for accessories such as remote keyless access), a motor to adjust the angle of the mirror, and in some cases, electronics, may be included in the mirror body. It is common to provide within. Directly contrary to this desire to provide multiple components within the exterior rear mirror body, car designers have made the rear mirror as small and aerodynamic as possible, resulting in wind noise and vehicle noise. We want to minimize the effect of the mirror on style. as a result,
There is no large volume available in the mirror housing to place additional components. Further, it is desirable that the weight of the mirror be as low as possible to reduce vibration and related deleterious effects on the rear mirror. For these reasons, designers face significant challenges when trying to design signal mirrors.

[0011] US Patent No. 5,361, issued November 1, 1994 to Roberts et al. Entitled "MIRROR ASSEMBLY".
, 190, describe an LED signal mirror. This US Patent No. 5,36
No. 1,190 discloses a through-mirror signal indicator in which a light source is located behind a dichroic mirror. The dichroic mirror transmits light within a certain spectral band and attenuates light outside the spectral band. A light source located behind the dichroic mirror emits light in the spectral passband of the dichroic mirror so that visual signals from the light source can be seen from the front of the mirror. However, this mirror attenuates light that is not within the narrow passband of the dichroic mirror. While the ability to pass light through the entire area of the mirror is a significant advantage, dichroic mirrors have several disadvantages that limit their commercial popularity. These signal mirrors employ large rows of LEDs to generate optical signals. Such an LED string is heavy, requires a large support structure for the rear mirror, and is costly. Furthermore, LED
Are large and require a large mirror body to receive the rows, as well as other mirror structural elements of the mirror. Another significant disadvantage of dichroic mirrors is that they are expensive to manufacture, difficult to mass produce, and their performance tends to change with aging.

[0012] US Patent No. 5, entitled "MIRROR ASSEMBLY" issued August 4, 1998 to Muth et al.
No. 788,357 discloses an assembly of translucent mirror signal lights. U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,357 discloses an attempt to resolve the physical features associated with the earlier dichroic mirror properties, such as the signal mirror disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,190. Is described. In particular, U.S. Pat.
No. 357 points out that the manufacturing cost of a dichroic mirror is extremely high. Furthermore,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,357 attempts to eliminate the difficulty of providing acceptable reflectivity and heat scattering for a dichroic mirror while maintaining sufficient brightness and achromatic appearance. Has been made. In particular, U.S. Patent No. 5,788,357,
A through-mirror structure using a translucent non-dichroic mirror with a light source located behind it is employed. This translucent mirror can provide about 1% to about 8% of the wide visible light band.
%. Like U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,190 for LED signal lamps, this patent includes a large LE mounted on a substrate of relatively large dimensions.
Group D is disclosed. Thus, the lamp bank is heavy and requires a large structural support for the mirror, which limits the types of applications for which the mirror can be used. In order to avoid large LED strings, US Pat.
No. 7 teaches the use of lamps other than LEDs.

[0013] Todd Patrick on March 5, 1996
) Issued for the "External VEHIIC safety light
LE SECURITY LIGHT), US Pat. No. 5,497,306.
Discloses a signal mirror assembly having a lamp module mounted to a body housing of an external rear mirror. This principle embodiment describes the difficulties encountered when trying to accept an incandescent lamp. In particular,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,306 describes a lamp housing assembly that is removably mounted on the body housing of an external mirror to facilitate signal lamp replacement and maintenance. Such a structure is costly,
It is large and limits the designer's freedom of design. Further, this design requires a change in the design of the mirror housing to provide sufficient volume to receive the mirror, removable light module and any associated electronics. The enlargement of the mirror housing is something that the manufacturers of automobiles generally want to avoid.

[0014] These difficulties encountered when designing signal mirrors are representative of the types of problems that exist in many other components and assemblies that employ LEDs. Components and assemblies that produce brighter, more robust and / or more easily identifiable lighting and / or signals are needed, and for many applications, better lighting and / or compact volume. Or something that provides a signal is needed.

[0015] What is considered the subject of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the appended claims. The present invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, are described by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like components are designated with like reference numerals, and in which:
I can best understand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The improved components and assemblies incorporate a solid state light emitting package, such as an LED, and are easily visible, strong signal indicators, strong communication signals and / or strong communication signals. Generates bright illumination light. Further, means for increasing the power of the semiconductor light emitting package or improving the performance of the device have been incorporated into some components and assemblies.

The signal mirror 100 (FIG. 1) is mounted on the car A. A signal mirror as used in the present invention is intended to mean a mirror associated with a signal lamp to generate a signal such as information or light visible to an observer. One example of one significant advantage that can be realized with such a signaling device is apparent from FIG.
Includes an external signal mirror 100. The driver of car B is generally in a position called a blind spot with respect to the driver of car A. Further, the driver of the car B cannot see the rear direction indicator lamp 102 because it is located far outside the optimal viewing area D for the signal lamp. Therefore, the signal indicator that generates an unrecognizable signal in the visual recognition area C warns the driver of the car A that the driver of the car A is about to change lanes, and avoids a response that may cause an accident. This is advantageous in that appropriate actions can be taken.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first element shown in FIG. 2 is denoted by the reference number 2XX, and the first element shown in FIG. 3 is denoted by the reference number 3XX (designation of this number). The method is used in all figures), first, as a whole, signal mirror 100
Will be described. The illustrated signal mirror 100 includes a rear mirror body housing 202 and a projecting portion 2 in the mirror body housing 202 from left to right in FIG.
03, a paddle LED lamp 201, a female connector 205,
Support bracket 204 for the mirror, body mounting bracket 206, motor 208 for adjusting the angle of the mirror, carrier 210 for supporting the mirror, optional mirror circuit board 212, heater 214 ', and illuminator circuit board 216, a signal indicator LED lamp 218, a heat absorber 220, a mirror 222, and a perspective groove 224. Referring to FIG. 3, the car is a mirror position control device 302.
And a controller 30 connected to receive input from the ambient light sensor 306.
4, a glare sensor 308, a braking actuator 310, a direction instruction signal actuator 312, and a heater control circuit 314. Although not shown in the drawings, it will be understood that the vehicle turn signal and braking wires can be directly connected to the LED lamp 218. The illustrated signal mirror is located outside the vehicle adjacent to the driver's seat, but it is also recognized that the signal mirror can be provided inside the vehicle or mounted at any position outside the vehicle. The signal mirror may include additional elements and functions or consist only of a mirror and a lamp, and as used in the present invention, the signal mirror may be any mirror or mirror housing that generates information or illumination light. Will also be understood to mean a lamp combination.

Stated somewhat more specifically, the rear mirror body housing 202 is typically shaped to take into account the style (FIG. 1) and overall aerodynamic principles of the car A to which the housing is mounted. Enclosure that provides the functional and aesthetic style and serves the primary function of protecting the mirror components from bouncing objects such as stones. The rear mirror body housing 202 (FIG. 2) can be molded from a polymer, stamped from a metal or metal alloy, or formed by any other suitable conventional manufacturing method. The outside of the rear mirror body housing 202 is usually painted to match the color of the vehicle A and is covered with a transparent finish coat.

The rear mirror body housing 202 includes an overhang portion 203. Although the overhang shown is located at the top front of the housing, the housing 202 can extend in other directions or include other protrusions to which the LED panel 201 can be attached. It will be appreciated that due to the small profile of the LED lamp, with minimal modification of the mirror body housing 202 and the mirror 222, the housing is receivable at virtually any location on the mirror. The LED lamp 201 is arranged below the overhang to project light downward and forward so as to illuminate the area behind the mirror and adjacent to the door of the car A. Paddle LE
D lamp 201 is connected to female connector 205, which is electrically connected to optional printed circuit board 212 via cable 219 or if optional circuit board 212 is omitted. , Cable 219 may extend directly from connector 205 to control device 304 to receive control signals from the control device. It will also be appreciated that the LED lamp 201 can operate directly with the internal dome lamp or be connected to the vehicle wiring harness so as to be able to respond to signals on the vehicle's signal bus. The connector 205 can incorporate a circuit that protects the LED lamp 201 from voltages that could damage it. The LED lamp 201 is a high-power LED lamp. In particular, the LED lamp 201 may be a phosphor emitter, a red-green-blue emitter or a binary complementary color that produces white light when combined.
It can be embodied using a complementary color emitter. Preferably, the LED lamp 201 is activated so as to be responsive upon receiving a remote keyless on-going signal or upon opening the car door.

A wide variety of components and assemblies that enhance the performance of LED lamps are described herein. While these components and assemblies can enhance the performance of any LED lamp, the LED lamps used can be high power L
An ED lamp is preferred. As used herein, a "high power LED lamp" has 90% of the LED power at the highest light intensity without auxiliary components.
An LED package that is at least about 0.1 watts. Further, any of the components and assemblies described herein can be conveniently embodied using an LED lamp having a heat absorbing member. Particularly preferred LED lamps in which the LED lamps herein are preferably manufactured, designed to optimize heat absorption and be manufacturable into components or assemblies, are incorporated by reference for their disclosure. "Semiconductor Ductor Radiation Package, filed October 22, 1999, which is included in the
No. 09 / 426,795, co-pending US Patent Application Ser. These LED lamps can be embodied using a semiconductor light emitting emitter, such as an organic light emitter or a polymer light emitter, and in particular can include one emitter or multiple emitters and are used herein. The “LED lamp” includes any semiconductor light emitting emitter package.

The rear mirror body housing 202 partially encloses a support bracket 204 attached to car A (FIG. 1) using a mounting bracket 206 (FIG. 2). The support bracket 204 and mounting bracket 206 are manufactured and mounted through conventional means.

The motor 208 is mounted on the support bracket 204. Motor 208
Is optional and adjusts the position of the mirror assembly so as to be responsive to a control signal received from the conventional mirror position controller 302 (FIG. 3). Mechanism. This control signal is input from the position control device 302 to the motor via the cable 213. The control signal is Typically, it is generated using a switch located on the door or center console of car A. The switches are arranged so that the driver can operate them. Alternatively, the motor and mirror position control may be replaced with a ball and socket support that allows manual adjustment of the mirror angle.

The mirror subassembly 209 includes, from left to right, a carrier 210, an optional mirror circuit board 212, a heater 214 ', an LED lamp 218, an optional lamp circuit board 216, and an optional A heat absorber 220, a mirror 222, and a bezel 224 are provided. The carrier 210 can be formed by any conventional suitable manufacturing method, such as stamping from a metal or metal alloy, but is preferably formed from a molded polymer.

The mirror circuit board 212 is optional and can be omitted, for example, if the signal mirror 100 does not have a significant number of circuits. If a substantial number of circuits are included, circuit board 212 can be either a flexible circuit board or a rigid circuit board. The circuit board 212 is mounted or soldered using conventional means such as direct mounting, or other techniques, to one or more integrated circuits (ICs) mounted in through holes, also known as biases. Component can be provided,
Preferably, the circuit board is thin so as to reduce the thickness and weight of the mirror assembly 209. A mirror assembly including a circuit board is disclosed in Timothy E. et al., Filed May 17, 1999, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Stinwick (Timothy E. Steinwy)
k) "External Mirror Subassembly with Combined Electronics Circuit and Mirror Elements"
Y WITH COMBINED ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
AND MIRROR ELEMENT), US patent application Ser.
/ 312,682.

The optional heater 214 ′ can be of any suitable construction. More specifically, heater 214 'can be a resistive conductor having an adhesive on one or both surfaces. Resistive conductors generate heat when a current is applied. Embodiments of the resistive conductor of the heater 214 'may be applied to the back of the mirror 222, applied to a double-sided tape, attached to the selective mirror printed circuit board 212, or etched into the conductive surface of the mirror circuit board 212. it can.

The LED lamp 218 is a high power LED, and preferably is an LED lamp that uses one or more red-orange emitter chips. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the circuit board 216 and the heat absorber 220
8 are provided. As described in more detail below, the LED lamp 218 and the heat sink 220 are connected so as to increase heat dissipation from the LED lamp, and
The D-lamp is attached to a circuit board 216, which is attached to the carrier plate 210 using a mechanical attachment mechanism such as a snap connector, adhesive, or other conventional means. The circuit board 216 is used to electrically connect the LED lamp to the control device 304 via the circuit board 212 and the cable 207a. Alternatively, if circuit board 212 is not used, cable 20
7a may be directly connected to the circuit board 216. Controller 304 responds to braking actuator 310 and / or turn signal actuator 312 with an LED.
A control signal for the ramp 218 is generated, and a flash signal is generated, especially when the left turn signal is present, and when the driver presses the brake actuator while the turn signal is not displayed, a continuous signal is generated. Generate a signal. It will be understood that the right turn signal is repeated at the signal ramp on the passenger side of car A. The signal lamp circuit board 216 can be connected directly to the vehicle's electrical system so as to receive turn signals and braking lamp signals from the vehicle's signal bus without passing through the controller 304, and for such connection. The circuit is described in more detail below with reference to FIGS.

The mirror 222 can be flat, non-spherical or convex. Mirror 222 can be a non-electrochromic single element mirror having a reflector on the first or second surface. Such mirrors are often made of transparent elements, such as glass or polymeric materials, and have a reflective coating, such as chrome, silver, or the like, that acts as a reflector. Alternatively, mirror 222
Is remarkable that it can automatically adjust its reflectivity so that it can reduce nighttime glare and provide a high level of reflectivity during the daytime when glare is not a significant problem. It may be an electrochromic mirror that provides advantages. Electrochromic mirrors amplify the difficulty of providing signal mirrors, in which LED lamps have at least one transparent, in addition to a reflector or dichroic coating, as described in more detail below. Because it must be able to pass through two pieces of glass, a conductive material and an electrochromic medium. Examples of electrochromic devices and related circuits, of which electrochromic devices are generally known and some of which are commercially available, are disclosed in the following. No. 4,902,1 to Byker.
08, Bechtel et al., Canadian Patent 1,300,945.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,778 to Becheter; U.S. Pat.
No. 280,380; Baker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,448;
Auer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,407, Tonar U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,397, Knapp U.S. Pat.
No. 4,478, Toner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,283, Toner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,267, Toner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,370, Toner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,431 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,822 to Becheter et al. Each of these patents is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and each of its disclosures is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, along with the citations contained herein. Such an electrochromic device can be utilized as a fully integrated internal / external rear mirror device or as a separate internal or external rear mirror device. Alternatively, the mirror can be utilized as a dichroic mirror, one example of which is also cited above.

The control device 304 (FIG. 3) controls the reflectance of the electrochromic mirror 222 and selectively provides a control signal for controlling the LED lamps 201 and 218. The controller 304 is preferably embodied using one or more microcontrollers and associated circuitry, and also includes, for example, an internal rear mirror of the type associated with an electrochromic rear mirror commonly mounted on a car windshield. The external mirror can receive a control signal from the control device. The controller 304 is connected to an ambient light sensor 306, typically facing the front of the vehicle, and to a rearward facing glare sensor 308, typically to sense light coming from the rear of the vehicle. The controller 304 can generate control signals for both the internal electrochromic mirror (such as the mirror 3000 in FIG. 30) and the external electrochromic mirror 222. The control device for the electrochromic mirror is disclosed in the following patent: May 1, 1992
J. on 9th H. "Automatic Rearview for Automobiles (AUTOMATIC REEARVIEW) issued to JH Bechtel et al.
MIRROR SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE
S) ", Canadian Patent No. 1,300,945, September 16, 1997.
Roberts R., filed on date Turnval (Robert R. Turnb)
ul) et al., "SERIES DRIVE CIRCUIT"
US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 825,768, and US Pat.
Robert C. by date "Individual Mirror Controller" filed by Robert C. Knapp et al.
OL SYSTEM) "PCT / US97 / 16946.
No. 5, filed on May 7, 1999 by Becheter et al., "Automatic dimming mirror using a semiconductor photosensor with integrated charge collection (AUTOMATIC).
DIMMING MIRROR USING SEMICONDUCTOR L
IGHT SENSOR WITH INTEGRAL CHARGE COL
No. 09 / 236,969, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Regardless of the type of mirror 222, the bezel 224 is sized to be mounted above and circumscribe the peripheral edge of the mirror 222. The bezel can be of any suitable construction, such as molded from an organic polymer, stamped from a metal or metal alloy, and the like. When attached to the carrier 210, the bezel 22
4 and the carrier 210 support, stabilize and protect the mirror 222 and all components related to the mirror.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the conductors 207, 207a-207c (FIG. 2), 215 have individual insulated sleeves and are tied together in a wire harness (not shown) extending from the car through a mirror mounting structure. It will be appreciated that it may be provided by conventional conductors, such as copper wire.

The signal mirror 100 is illustrated as having multiple components to show the small volume available to a mirror designer for a signal lamp. Even where large volumes are required to accommodate multiple components, it is desirable to provide multiple components in the mirror for reasons of availability, safety and convenience. In particular,
The mirror 208 allows the driver to adjust the mirror position while driving the car to open the window so that a part of the body touches the mirror and improve visibility without extending the body. I do. The electrochromic mirror provides driver with substantially unattenuated reflected light so as to attenuate glare caused by the headlights of subsequent cars at night and to improve visibility backwards during daytime. To improve the visibility of the front. The heater 214 'improves visibility through the rear mirror by removing moisture such as ice and dew from the mirror, and the signal lamp 2
18 increases the likelihood that a driver of another vehicle will be alerted by the signaling device of vehicle A.

If the mirror should have significant freedom of movement to adjust the mirror angle to reflect the driver's desired field of view, significant volume must also be provided within the mirror body housing 202. . A direct conflict with this need for a larger volume within the mirror body housing is to try to make the mirror assembly as small as possible. Two fundamental reasons for making the mirror as small as possible include improving aerodynamics and reducing wind noise. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the volume of the signal mirror 100 required by the components inside the mirror without deteriorating the function of the mirror.

More specifically, LED lamp 201 implements a low profile, very bright paddle light illuminator, and LED lamp 218 implements a small volume and extremely bright signal lamp within mirror 222. The LED lamp 218 reduces the temperature of the LED lamp by providing a low thermal resistance between the junction of the emitter and the surrounding environment, as described in the above-cited US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795. A heat absorbing member 400 (FIG. 4) capable of lowering is provided. The heat absorbing member is partially covered by an enclosing portion 402 which is transparent and has a lens 214. One or more emitters 404 are attached to the heat-absorbing member 400 below the lens, and such attachment may be made, for example, by gluing, and in particular, a thermally conductive adhesive material may be used. The LED lamps 218 are provided with high heat resistance electric conductors 234 to 236.
have. The electrical leads 234-236 are connected to the emitter or more than one emitter 404, and in particular, the three lead LED lamp 218 shown has multiple emitters. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the LED lamp 218 has two conductors, or more than two conductors, and the three conductor LED lamp is only an example. In the illustrated embodiment, where the LED lamp 218 has two emitters, the electrical lead 234 can be connected to the anode of one emitter and the electrical lead 236 can be connected to the anode of the other emitter. it can. The electrical conductor 235 can be connected to the cathodes of both emitters through a heat absorbing member, as shown in FIG. Such a configuration allows the application of each control signal to the emitter. Each of the electrical leads 234 through 236 has a high thermal resistance to the heat absorbing member, so that even during the process when a considerable amount of heat is applied to the leads, the LED lamps are not harmed. Assembling the conductors into the device using known manufacturing techniques, such as direct mounting, radial insertion, axial insertion, wave soldering, manual soldering and / or other conventional manufacturing methods be able to. As described above, the LED lamp 201 has the same structure except that it has an emitter that generates white light instead of red-orange light.

Each of the LED lamps 201, 218 can be used with or without a heat sink. The paddle LED lamp 201 is shown mounted directly on the underside of the overhang 203 and may be formed using an integrated connector such as adhesive, double-sided tape, a snap connector or any other suitable connector. Can be attached. The housing itself can provide a heat sink for the heat generated by the lamp during illumination. One advantageous embodiment uses a housing molded of a polymer that is thermally conductive. Such a material can be, for example, a commercially available polymer composite sold under the trade name CoolPoly from ChipCooler, Inc. This material can be formed into the desired shape,
The D lamp can be attached in a state where the heat absorbing member is juxtaposed to the molded housing to enable effective heat dissipation. The LED lamp 218 is mounted on a heat sink and can significantly increase its power handling capability and thus the amount of light that can be emitted. The material of Chip Coolers Inc. can be of the conductivity type E2 or the dielectric type D2. Where the heat absorbing member is not electrically isolated from the emitter tip, it is particularly beneficial to use a dielectric mold to isolate the circuit path through the heat absorbing member. The LED lamp may include an emitter that is thermally connected to the heat absorbing member, but is electrically isolated from the heat absorbing member, wherein the heat absorbing member is electrically connected by a physically attached housing member. No need to isolate.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 7, the LED lamp 218 is preferably packaged as a small module 401 including a circuit board 216 and a heat sink 220. The circuit board 216 is preferably a rigid circuit board, but can be of any suitable conventional type. Circuit board 216 includes biases 230-232 that accept leads 234-236. The conductors 234-236 are inserted into the vias by an automated device such as a radial insertion device and then soldered by a method such as wave soldering. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other manufacturing techniques are available and the above-described manufacturing techniques are merely exemplary.

The circuits 1400, 1500 on the circuit board 216 include components for the LED driver that protect the LED lamp and control the amount of current input. The circuits 1400, 1500 attached to the circuit board 216 are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. It will be appreciated that the circuit can be mounted on the circuit board 212 or anywhere on the car A.

The heat absorber 220 (FIG. 4) is connected to the rear wall 41 separating the plurality of fins 246 to 248.
0 is shown as a passive heat sink. The rear wall separates the fins for easier assembly and provides a heat conduit from the heat sink to the fins of the LED lamp. The fins 246 to 248 have a large surface area for dissipating heat,
While this surface area increases the dissipation of heat from the LED lamp 218, which can increase the amount of power that can be supplied to the LED lamp 218 without damaging the LED lamp, this results in the LED lamp being generated. Increase the amount of light that can be done. The heat sink can be of any suitable construction, and as described in more detail below, the heat sink can be active or passive. Passive heat sink 220 as illustrated in FIGS. 4-7 can be stamped from a metal or metal alloy, preferably a metal alloy having low thermal resistance and light weight. Heat absorbers are copper, brass,
It can be made of BeCu, aluminum, aluminum alloys or other metals or ceramics with excellent heat conducting properties. Alternatively, an active heat sink, such as the Peltier cooler described below, may be employed. The heat sink can be embodied using a layer change heat absorber. Also, in some applications,
It is also conceivable to provide a fan so as to significantly increase heat dissipation.

A fastener 238, shown as a conventional screw of the type made of nylon, metal or metal alloy, physically secures the heat absorbing member 400 of the lamp 208 to the heat absorbing body 220. Alternatively, a thermally conductive adhesive, adhesive tape, or LED lamp 21 may be used.
The LED lamp 218 may be attached to the heat sink 220 using any conventional suitable coupling means that provides a heat path from the heat sink member 8 to the heat sink 220.

As described in more detail in co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795, LED lamps 21 are provided by allowing improved heat dissipation.
The thermal properties of the emitter or emitters 404 that generate the light rays emitted from 8 are significantly improved. This is particularly useful with signal mirrors, which replace high-power LED lamps 218 with incandescent lamps or large LED strings.
Is possible because it allows to embody a lighter signal indicator that does not occupy a large volume in the mirror. High power LEDs are also beneficial in electrochromic mirrors where there is space for large signal indicators, which allows brighter LED lamps to use thicker semi-reflective coatings, and It provides improved reflectivity and sheet resistance to the window area, which can improve mirror performance.

The LED lamp 201 is directly mounted on the mirror housing without a heat absorber in the illustrated embodiment for the following two reasons. That is, the light of the paddle generates sufficient light in a low ambient light state without a heat absorber, and the profile of the LED lamp is low due to the absence of the heat absorber, and there is a large gap between the mirror and the mirror body housing 202. This is because, even when it is not present, it allows the mirror 222 to move freely below the lamp. If the mirror body housing 202 is made of metal or a thermally conductive polymer, the housing itself acts as a passive heat sink.
The LED lamp 201 is connected to the connector 205 as described above. The connector 205 may be embodied as described in more detail with respect to FIG.

The LED lamp 218 is assembled in the mirror assembly 209 as follows. The LED lamp 218 and the circuit board 216 are mounted on the carrier 210 using an adhesive, adhesive tape, an integral snap connector or a mechanical fastener such as a screw.
(FIG. 2) or attached to an optional circuit board 212 (as shown in FIG. 8). The surface 217 of the recess 226 is preferably oriented such that the parallel mounted LED lamp modules are mounted at a desired angle to the surface of the mirror 222 after the mirror assembly 209 is fully assembled. .

In an alternative embodiment, the heat sink 220 and the circuit board 216 may be attached to the rear surface 51 of the element 712 of the mirror 222 using adhesive, adhesive tape, or the like, as shown in FIGS.
2 can be attached. In this alternative structure, the heat sink 220 is L
The ED lamp 218 is used as a mounting structure for supporting the rear surface 512 of the mirror, and the LED lamp 218 is connected to the mirror 222 as shown in FIGS.
Orient to the desired angle with respect to the rear surface. This desired angle α is generally known in the art to be between 0 and 70 °, and is preferably between about 20 and 50 ° so that the signal indicator can be seen in view C (FIG. 1). Since glass is a reasonably good thermal conductor, it helps to dissipate heat from the heat sink. If greater thermal conductivity is desired, a metal heat sink made of polished stainless steel, copper, aluminum, etc., can be laminated to the large surface area of the glass to help dissipate heat.

The mirror subassembly 209, in particular the mirror 222, and its relationship with the LED lamp 218 for providing a signal mirror or illuminator will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. Since some of the layers of the mirror 222 are very thin, the scale of the mirror 222 in the drawing has been modified for clarity in the drawing. Further, to clarify the description of such a structure, the front side of the front glass element (FIG. 7)
May be referred to as a first surface, and the inner surface of the front glass element may be referred to as a second surface. The inner surface of the rear glass element may be referred to as a third surface, and the rear surface of the rear glass element may be referred to as a fourth surface.

There are two general types of electrochromic mirrors, third and fourth surface reflectors. The structure of the third surface reflector can comprise a wide variety of structures depending on the particular properties desired for the electrochromic mirror, in particular the window 223. FIGS. 7 and 9 through 13 illustrate some of these various structures. 9, 12, and 13 illustrate some of the various structures of the fourth surface reflector.

Referring first to FIG. 7, the illustrated mirror subassembly 222 comprises, from left to right, the following: a carrier 210, an optional circuit board 212, and a heater 214 ′. , LED lamp 218 and rear transparent mirror element 70
0, reflector / electrode 703, electrochromic medium 706, front transparent conductive material 708, optional color suppression material 710, and front transparent element 712. Preferably, the reflector / electrode material of layer 703 is chromium, chromium-molybdenum-nickel alloy, nickel-iron chromium alloy, silicon, tantalum, stainless steel, nickel titanium, rhodium, molybdenum, silver, silver alloy, platinum, Provide one or more layers that can be a wide variety of metals, oxides and metal oxides, such as palladium, gold or combinations thereof. The reflector / electrode can include one or more lower layers 702 to improve certain properties, such as adhesion strength to the transparent base layer 700. Mirror 222 is disposed around the inner perimeter of the electrochromic medium 706, the transparent conductive material layer 708, and the coating on the transparent element, located in the chamber defined by the reflector / electrode 703. A sealing material (not shown). Mirror 222 includes a layer of transparent conductive material 708 disposed behind a front element 712 (second surface) that selectively has one or more color suppression lower layers 710. The transparent element of the mirror 222 is glass as a whole,
“Electrochromic Rear Mirror with Built-in Third Surface Metal Reflector and Display / Signal Light, filed May 14, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
VIEW MIRROR INCORPORATEING A THERDSUR
FACE METAL REFLECTOR AND A DISPLAY / S
No. 09 / 311,955 entitled "IGNAL LIGHT".
It can be formed using the materials and techniques as described in the article.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the window 223 is the highest intensity optical axis 72 of the lens 214.
Aligned with zero, the light emitted by the LED lamp 218 penetrates the window 223 and generates an indicator signal. The window 223 is an XCEL control laser (XCEL Cont.) Located in Orlando, Florida.
forming by any conventional means, such as laser etching using a 50 watt Nd: YAG laser, such as that manufactured by Rol Laser, or by mechanical scraping, chemical etching, sandblasting, masking during coating, etc. Can be. The overall shape of the window may be directional, such as a circle, an ellipse, a square, an arrow, an arrowhead, or a row of openings that together form a directional arrow.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, the window 223 is formed by inserting the opening 2 into each other.
25 and a reflective strip 227. FIG. 7 shows only the interdigitated openings of layer 704, but these openings extend through one or more intermediate layers 703 and extend through transparent substrate 700. It will be appreciated that is possible. All reflectors / electrodes are window 2
Remove from 23 (so as not to leave inter-inserted openings)
It is contemplated that such a design would allow for a change in color of the electrochromic medium formed between the window region 223 and the mirror if the reflector / electrode is not removed. Will be difficult. At the portion of the electrochromic mirror remote from window 223, one electrochromic material is oxidized at one electrode for each corresponding electrochromic material reduced at the other electrode, and the mirror exhibits a uniform color. Have. However, in the window region where there is no reflector / electrode, the oxidation or reduction (depending on the polarity of the electrode) that occurs at the second surface electrode 708 that traverses directly from the window 223 occurs with a uniform distribution. , The reduction or oxidation on the third surface is not uniform due to the absence of the electrode area. Because of the non-uniformity, the generation of light absorbing components is concentrated at the edge of the area of the window 223, which results in a color difference that is not aesthetically pleasing to the driver. By providing a reflector / electrode strip 227 in the area of the window 223 of the mirror,
The generation of light absorbing components (second and third surfaces) in the area of the window 223 will be much closer to the uniformity found in other areas of the mirror with perfectly balanced electrodes.
Thus, there may be either a portion of the window where the reflector / electrode is present and other portions where the reflector / electrode is not present, or sufficient transmission to function as a signal mirror for the LED lamp 218. It is preferred to design the reflector / electrode so that the electrochromic reaction proceeds in a uniform manner, while allowing for the amount.

Preferably, the window region 223 in which no reflective material is present comprises 50% or more of the opening along the central axis of the window 223, while the region occupied by the reflective material is 50% along the periphery. %. The openings shown are elliptical, but alternatively, the sides of the reflective strip edges are straight, or have a larger radius at the center than at the ends, or the strip is The window 223 may not extend the entire height, and the strip 227 may alternatively extend from the top and bottom edges of the window 223 into the opening. By providing a reflective strip 227 that is narrower than the edge at the center of the window, it can provide the conductive field required for electrochromic functionality to minimize bleaching, while providing the most critical area That is, the degree of interference with the signal beam from the LED lamp 218 at the center of the window is minimized. In this way, optimization of the transmission of the light beam of the LED lamp 218 can be realized without detrimentally affecting the color of the electrochromic mirror 222 in the area of the window 223.

The reflectivity of the mirror 222 in the window 223 can be changed, for example, by changing the width of the reflective strip 227 or changing the thickness of the reflector / electrode by changing the proportion of the area where no reflective material is present. Variations (described in more detail below) allow for further control. Further, in the signal light area 223, the reflective strip 2
The electrode material of the reflector used to form 27 may be different from the electrode material of the reflector used in other parts of the mirror. For example, a reflector electrode material having a higher reflectivity can be used in the signal lamp area 223.

Referring to FIG. 10, the reflector / electrode 1000 need not have a reflective strip but can include a window 223 having a continuous layer of conductive material. For example, the reflector / electrode can include a first base layer 1002 applied directly to the front side of a transparent back element 700 and a second layer 1004 intermediate the first layer 1002. . First layer 1002 and second layer 1004 are preferably made of a material that has a relatively low sheet resistivity and is at least partially permeable. The material forming layers 1002, 1004 can also be partially reflective. If the LED lamp 218 behind the partially transmissive window 223 must often be viewed under bright ambient conditions or directly under daylight, materials with low reflectivity or other dark, black or transparent coatings of electrical conductivity It is desirable to keep the reflectance of the region of the window 223 at a minimum value by using a material having

The material forming layer 1002 must exhibit sufficient adhesion to glass or other materials capable of forming transparent element 700, while layer 102
The material forming 04 must exhibit sufficient adhesion to the material of layer 1002 and provide sufficient adhesion between applied layer 1006 and perimeter seal 802 (FIG. 8). Thus, it is preferable that the material used for the layer 1002 is basically a material selected from the group consisting of chromium, chromium molybdenum nickel alloy, nickel iron chromium alloy, silicon, tantalum, stainless steel, and titanium. . In the most preferred embodiment, layer 1002 is made of chromium. The materials used to form the second layer 1004 include, but are not limited to, molybdenum, rhodium, nickel, tungsten, tantalum, stainless steel, gold,
Preferably, it is a material selected from the group consisting of titanium and its alloys. In a most preferred embodiment, the second layer 1004 is formed from nickel, rhodium and molybdenum. If the first layer 1002 is formed of chromium, the layer 10
02 preferably has a thickness in the range of 5 Angstroms to 15 Angstroms. In particular, it is contemplated that the thickness of layer 1004 will be selected based on the material used to allow 10-50% light transmission through both layers 1002, 1004. Thus, for the second layer 1004 formed of rhodium, nickel or molybdenum or a combination thereof, the layer 1004 preferably ranges from 50 to 150 angstroms. Preferably, the thickness of the layers 1002, 1004 is chosen to be thin enough to provide sufficient transmission, but these layers also provide sufficient electrochromic media in the cavity 706 near the window 223. It must be thick enough to provide sufficient conductivity to make it lighter or darker. Thus, the coating 1006 should have a sheet resistivity of less than 100 ohms / square, preferably less than 60 ohms / square.
Layer 1002 can be a transparent conductor such as ITO, in which case the reflective layer can be applied to the entire transparent conductor layer except for the window region.

The metal used to form the coating 1000 contributes to the total reflectance of the reflector electrode 1001. Thus, the layer of reflective material 1006 need not be as thick as required if layers 1002, 1004 are replaced by a single cover layer.
For example, in the case of silver or a silver alloy used to form layer 1006 with multiple electrode mirrors, the thickness may range from 50 Angstroms to 150 Angstroms, while layers 1002, 1004 are a single layer. In this case, the thickness of the reflective layer 1006 needs to be in the range of 30 Å to 800 Å. The inclusion of layers 1004, 1002 can reduce some of the costs associated with providing reflective layer 1006. Further, the coating 1002
The use of a reflective metal during the formation of the window allows for some degree of reflectivity within the window 223, thereby providing a much more aesthetically pleasing appearance than when no reflective material is present in the window 223. Will be provided. Ideally, coating 1
002 shall provide a reflectivity in the range of 30 to 40% within the window 223. If the reflectivity in the window 223 is excessively high, bright light will tend to negate the signal from the lamp 218, eliminating the contrast between the light of the signal lamp and the light reflected outward from the coating 1002 by the sun. there is a possibility.

From the above description, it is recognized that there is a reciprocal relationship between the reflectance and the transmittance, and the window portion 223 having a higher transmittance transmits more light but does not reflect as well. Let's do it. Furthermore, thicker electrode layers provide lower sheet resistance,
There is a reciprocal relationship between transmittance and sheet resistance. Lower sheet resistance improves the performance of the electrochromic medium in terms of both rapid transition time, color and brightness uniformity. Providing a thicker electrode thus improves sheet resistance at the expense of transmittance. Using the high power LED lamp 218 disclosed in detail in US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795, a mass-producible signal mirror with a thicker reflector / electrode layer in the window area can be realized. Yes, while providing better reflectivity and sheet resistance, the signal indicator still produces a visible level of bright light both night and day. In addition, by utilizing the preferred lamp 218, to achieve the desired light output, use thicker layers for the reflector / electrode and improve the speed and uniformity in tinting and brightening. It may allow or equalize the dimensions of the reflector / electrode layer and provide enhanced light for signal or illumination. By utilizing a heat sink to increase light output, a single LED lamp 218 and window 223 can be used to provide a signal mirror, even in the case of an electrochromic mirror using a semi-reflective coating. Can be used

Another alternative configuration of the electrochromic mirror is shown in FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. 11 is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 10 except that a thin silver or silver alloy layer 1106 is formed on the conductive coating 1000 in the window 223. By providing only a thin reflective material layer 1106 in the window 223, it is possible to provide sufficient transmittance through the window 223 while increasing the reflectivity and conductivity in that region. Layer 1106 can have a thickness in the range of 40 to 150 Angstroms, while layer 1006 of reflective material in other areas of the mirror can be as thick as 200 to 1000 Angstroms. The window 223 is first provided while a part of the reflective layer 1106 is provided.
Area, and then removing the mask while depositing the remaining portion of layer 1106, a thin layer of reflective material 1106 can be formed. Conversely, a mask can be applied over window 223 while first depositing a thin layer of reflective material and then depositing the remaining portion of reflective layer 1106. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the reflective layer 116 can be deposited to its full thickness and then removed in a region of the window 223 by removing a portion of the layer 116 without masking the window. A portion can be formed in the layer 1106.

In the area behind the window 223, the layers 1002, 1
Only by forming 004 thinner (indicated as thin layers 1102 and 1104), a modification of the form shown in FIG. 11 can be embodied. Therefore, the thin layer 1202 has 5
Layer 1002 has a thickness of 100 to 10 Angstroms.
The thickness can be in the range of 00 Angstroms. Similarly, layer 1204 can be formed of the same material as layer 1004, but with a thickness of about 50-150.
While in the range of Angstroms, layer 1004 can be as thick as 100 to 1000 Angstroms. Thus, in this alternative structure, it is possible to optimize the sheet resistance and reflectivity in other areas without having to worry about the transmittance in the area of the window 223, Sheet resistance and reflectivity and transmittance can be optimized.

Referring again to FIG. 7, the coating 721 can be any one or combination of a light control film, a black or dark paint layer, and a heater. A light control membrane available from the 3M Company under the trade name LCF-P can be used, which is also a thin plastic membrane enclosing a plurality of closely spaced black microlouvers. Such light control films are used in conventional signal mirrors of US Pat. Nos. 5,361,190 and 5,788,357, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. It is disclosed to be. As disclosed in these patents, such light control films can have a thickness of 0.730 mm (0.030 inches) and a microlouver spacing of about 0.1270 mm (about 0.005 inches). . The microlouvers are typically black and in various angular positions to provide a suitable viewing angle. A lamp 218 is mounted parallel to the mirror surface,
Even before the emitted light strikes the light limiting film, even if the highest intensity optical axis of the lamp is perpendicular to the mirror, such a light control film will direct the light from the LED lamp 218 into region C (FIG. 1) Permits transmission at an appropriate viewing angle so that it can be viewed within. Further, the light control film 721 also has a function of obstructing the light projected from the LED lamp 218 from traveling outside the appropriate viewing angle C and entering the line of sight of the car A driver. In this way, the light control film can be located completely above and in front of the mirror surface within the radiation of the LED lamp 218. In addition, other forms of optical elements, such as holograms, can be used to form such light control films. Alternatively, element 712 can be a reflective grating, prism, holographic optical element, or the like.

If element 721 is a coating of opaque paint, such a coating prevents light from lamp 218 from transmitting through mirror 220 to viewing angle C (FIG. 1).
It is preferable not to extend in front of the ED lamp 218. Alternatively, such a coating of paint may extend completely in front of the LED lamp 218, provided that the desired transmission path of the LED lamp 218 is formed on its surface of the window 730. It is a condition that some form of louver or an equivalent structure is provided. For example, the thickness of such paint coatings can be screen printed, molded,
Punching or laser ablation can be used to control the formation of effective louvers. In addition, the reflector / electrode 7
03 or layers 906, 908, the element 721 is the LED lamp 2
In the upper region of 18 there can be a coating of black paint with similar bars or stripes, this element prevents ambient light from entering the field of view of the driver of the car C, while at the same time at the angle C When viewed, the reflector / electrode 703 is oriented with respect to the LED lamp 218 and the reflective strip 227 so as to provide a proper angle transmission path to the car B so that the rays of the lamp 218 can be seen. You. In addition, the reflector /
The bar 227 of the electrode 703 is configured such that the minimum width changes, and the minimum width decreases as the distance from the driver increases, so that the peripheral transmission through the window portion 223 toward the driver is reduced, or As will be explained, less pronounced edge colors can be defined.

If element 721 is a mirror heating element, that heating element would be provided in place of the separate heater 212 described above. By removing the heater 212 and the circuit board 210, a significant amount of weight can be removed from the mirror, which helps to reduce the total weight of the mirror. If a heating element 721 is used, the heating element 721 may be provided on an adhesive material such as
The mirror can be mounted to extend across the entire fourth surface of the mirror except for the zero region. The window region is formed by an opening formed at an appropriate position so as to allow light transmitted from the LED lamp 218 and transmitted at an appropriate angle to be visible within the viewing angle C. Can be provided.

FIG. 9 illustrates one alternative electrochromic mirror having fourth surface reflectors 906, 908. In this configuration, the electrode 904 on the third surface is formed of a transparent material similar to the electrode 708 and is deposited on a selective color suppressing material 902 similar to the color suppressing material 710. Layer 906 is a protective coating well-known in the art deposited on a reflector coating 908 deposited on the fourth side of the mirror. The reflector layer can be aluminum nickel, chromium, rhodium, stainless steel, silver, silver alloy, platinum, palladium, gold or a combination thereof. Window 223 is aligned with the highest intensity optical axis 920 of emitter 404 and lens 214 such that the highest intensity optical axis extends through the center of window 223. Although FIG. 9 illustrates alternating openings 225, the windows 223 may be provided with a semi-reflective coating or two-sided coating, either completely free of reflective material or in accordance with the teachings described herein. It should be understood that a color coating may be provided.

FIG. 12 illustrates a mirror having a transparent element 1200 and a reflector coating 1204. Although the reflector coating is shown on the back of the transparent element, this coating can also be provided on the front. The transparent element 1200 can be the second element of a two-part mirror, such as an electrochromic mirror, or this element can be just the transparent element of a standard single-element mirror Can be. In the case of an electrochromic mirror, the illustrated reflective coating is applied to a fourth surface, while in the case of a single-element mirror, the illustrated reflective coating is applied to the second surface of the mirror. The reflective coating 1202 has an opening 1204 through which light generated by the lamp 218 provides a signal indication. In each case, the aperture 1204 has a maximum transmittance, but no reflectance, and therefore,
Light generated by lamp 218 travels through the reflective layer without substantial attenuation.

FIG. 13 illustrates a mirror having a dichroic layer 1302 disposed on the surface of a transparent element 1200. Although the reflective coating is shown on the back of the transparent element, the coating may be provided on the front. The dichroic layer 1502 transmits light within a predetermined pass band and attenuates light outside the pass band. An advantage of using the dichroic layer 1302 in the signal mirror is that red is the preferred lamp color for the signal mirror, and a commercially useful dichroic layer passes only red and infrared light. is there. Two-color materials have several disadvantages, some of which are expensive to manufacture,
It is difficult and easily deteriorates with time. Opaque coating 1 with window 223
304 is provided on the mirror at the back of the mirror. This opaque coating can be a paint coating, such as black paint, and provides a barrier to direct light generated in the direction of the driver that would otherwise be in the way of the driver. I do.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a mirror subassembly 800 is shown in an exploded view. Although shown as an electrochromic mirror, mirror 2 can be a dichroic mirror or a non-electrochromic mirror, such as a conventional mirror.
22 may be assembled such that the front transparent element 712 and the rear transparent element 700 are held in a rectangle separated by a seal 802 and the electrochromic medium is positioned therebetween. To assemble the other components of the mirror subassembly, an adhesive, preferably an adhesive tape or film or double-sided foam adhesive tape, is provided between the circuit board 212 and the carrier plate 210 and the circuit board 212
Mount on top. The recess 226 of the carrier plate 210 is
1 so that when the circuit board 212 adheres to the carrier 210, the lamp module is acceptable. As mentioned above, the circuit board 212 is an optional element and can be omitted. If the circuit board 212 is omitted, the heater 214
The mirror with the 'is attached to the carrier plate 210 using an adhesive, adhesive tape or film or double-sided foam adhesive tape. The bezel 224 may be pot formed on the carrier plate 210 or snap connected between the bezel and the rear carrier, attached with fasteners such as screws or clips, heat staked,
Or it can be attached by any other suitable conventional means. Once assembled, the carrier plate 210 is attached to the motor 208 by (
2), the mirror assembly 209 is assembled in the mirror body housing 202.

The LED lamp 218 can be controlled directly from the control device 304 or from the direction signal of the electric device of the car A. Circuit 140 for operating LED lamp 218
0 is disclosed in FIG. This circuit is mounted on circuit board 212 or circuit board 216. The circuit 1400 has an input 207a for connection to the direction signal bus of the vehicle electrical system, but this circuit may be connected to the controller 304. Capacitor C1 protects the circuit by providing a path to ground for high frequency energy in cases such as a sudden increase in power. Diode D1 is biased in the opposite direction to isolate input 207 if the voltage at input 207 drops below the voltage at terminal 1402. NPN transistors Q1-Q3 and associated resistors provide a cascade current source for LED lamp 218. L
ED lamp 218 has a cathode connection common to conductor 235 and anode conductors 236, 237 connected to terminal 1402 via respective resistors.
There are two emitters 404, 404 '. Although two emitters are disclosed, an LED lamp may include a single emitter or more than one emitter. The cascade current source produces a substantially constant current at the collector of transistor Q3, with about half of that current flowing through each of the emitters 404, 404 '. Further, this circuit provides additional protection from excessive current. In particular, if the collector current of transistor Q3 is large enough to saturate transistor Q1, the low collector voltage acting on transistor Q1 will
2, Q3 is deactivated, which causes the emitters 404, 4
Block the current through 04 '. Although the circuit is disclosed as including an NPN transistor, it will be understood that other transistor elements such as PNPs, MOSFETs or combinations of different transistors can be used.

The circuit 1500 of FIG. 15 is one alternative of the circuit 1400. Circuit 1500
Differs from the circuit 1400 in that the emitters 404, 404 'of the LED lamp 218' are connected in series. The anode conductor 234 of the emitter 1502 is connected to the terminal 1402 through the resistor R3, and the cathode conductor 23 of the emitter 1504 is connected.
6 is connected to the collector of the transistor Q3. The collector 235 of the heat absorbing member connected to the cathode emitter 404 and the anode of the emitter 404 ′ is connected to the junction of the optional resistors 1506, 1508. Terminal 235 floats.
Connecting the LED lamp emitters 404, 404 'in series within the LED lamp 218' (FIG. 15) is the case for the common cathode in the LED lamp 218 (FIG. 14), ie, the emitters 404, 404 'are parallel. There is an advantage that less power is required than in the case of disposing. For example, circuit 1500 operates at 1.75 watts for a blink signal having a 75% duty cycle and time less than 1 second, while circuit 1400 operates at 3.9 watts for the same signal input.

The series emitter LED lamp 218 ′ can include optional registers 1506, 1508 each connected in parallel with a respective one of the emitters 404, 404 ′. These registers 1506, 1508 provide the emitters 404, 40 of the LED lamp 218 'if the currents through the emitters need to be different.
4 'is used to reduce the current through one or both of the
Only one of the resistors may be used so that the current through only one can be reduced.
One example where it is desirable to have different currents is in applications where the LED lamp 218 'generates white light from a complementary color emitter. In such a case, the ratio of the current through the emitter would need to be different to correspond to each different operating characteristic of the emitter and to achieve the desired white light. The resistors 1506, 1508 can be manufactured by depositing a thick film on the printed circuit board 216, which is laser etched to achieve the desired resistance, and the desired film attached to the heat sink. A separate resistor or circuit board 212 (if used) for the resistors can be implemented. Further, instead of the resistors 1506, 158, the relative current through each of the emitters can be controlled, thereby controlling the current / color intensity of the light generated by the LED lamp 218 '. A source or current absorber can be connected to lead 235.

Another application where it is desirable to have a separate controller is when a single LED lamp 218 is used to generate different light features. For example, LED
The lamp 218 can be controlled to generate yellow light under some circumstances and white light under other circumstances. To achieve this, the LED lamp only needs to have an emitter chip that emits blue and yellow light. Emitter tips that produce yellow light can be illuminated to produce ancillary turn signals, while both emitter chips that produce blue and yellow light produce keyhole / paddle light. Can be illuminated. In this way, both lighting functions can be generated from a single LED lamp.
Other color combinations such as red-orange and white, infrared and visible light, etc.
It will be appreciated that it could be generated from the ED lamp 218.

In operation, when the driver turns the steering wheel column turn signal actuator 312, an intermittent signal appears at input 207 a, which is generated by controller 304 or a vehicle signal in a conventional manner. Generated on the bus. In response to the pulse at input 217, circuits 1400, 1500 cause LED lamps 218,
Control the current through the 218 'emitter. LED lamps 218, 218 '
It emits light during the on-period of the pulse and does not emit light during the off-period of the pulse. Thus, the LED lamps 218, 218 'are synchronized with the direction signal of the vehicle,
A blink signal is generated having the same duty cycle as the main turn signal lamp of the vehicle. The controller 304 can control the LED lamps 218, 218 'to repeat the braking light in response to the braking light signal. In addition, transistors Q1-Q3 provide protection against excess current. In particular, while the basic current input to transistor Q1 is large enough to saturate transistor Q1, the small collector current acting on transistor Q1 deactivates transistors Q2 and Q3, which means that Deactivate the LED lamps 218, 218 '.

Thus, a signal mirror is disclosed that can be advantageously employed with a number of different mirror arrangements. Any other electrochromic, two-color, non-two-color, single-element or multi-element mirror, whether convex, aspheric or flat, may be conveniently employed with the high power LED signal lamp 218. Embodies a signal mirror that is extremely effective, small in size and light in weight, the signal mirror being designed in virtually any mirror housing with minimal impact on the mirror's primary function of providing a reflector It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
Next, a number of different embodiments of the lamp module 401 will be described that can be used with any of the mirrors described above to implement a signal mirror.

One alternative lamp module 1600 is disclosed in FIG. The lamp module 1600 is similar to the module 410 except that the leads 1602 to 1604 are bent to provide a flat mounting surface at its end, which is preferably parallel to the bottom surface of the LED lamp 218 for direct mounting. LED lamp 1601 which is substantially similar to the LED lamp 218 of FIG. The surface edges are attached to the rectangular printed circuit board 1605 using any suitable conventional technique, such as wave soldering, manual soldering, and the like. The circuit board may be of any suitable conventional construction, conveniently a double-sided circuit board, in which the LED lamps are electrically connected to a conductor layer on one side of the circuit board substrate, and the circuit 1400 or 1500 allows for attachment to a conductor layer on the opposite side of the circuit board substrate. It is further conceivable that both conductor layers have etched traces and that the traces can be connected by a bias (not shown). LED lamp 160
1 is secured to heat sink 220 by any suitable conventional means such as fasteners 238, adhesive, adhesive tape, and the like. One notable advantage of the direct mount module 1600 is that direct mounting of the IC is a more economical and more efficient manufacturing technique for achieving reliable electrical connections. However, the lamp module 160
If a thickness of 0 is a concern, the lamp module 401 (FIG. 4) can be used at a lower height but a longer length, and the LED lamp conductors 234-236 traverse to the circuit board 216. Can be extended.

Another alternative lamp module 1700 is disclosed in FIG. The lamp module 1700 is substantially the same as the lamp module 401, but has two differences. The first difference is that the circuit board 1702 is shown as a rectangular circuit board instead of a triangular circuit board 216. It will be understood that the circuit boards 216, 1605, 1702 described herein can be of any shape, and thus the shapes shown are merely examples. The shape of the circuit board is determined by the housing in which the circuit board is mounted, and the shape and dimensions of the circuit board are:
Where volume is important, it will be chosen to accommodate the electrical components of the circuits 1400, 1500 with the smallest possible volume. For components and assemblies where large volumes are available, the circuit board can be large.

A second difference of the lamp module 1700 is that the heat absorber 1704 extends across the bottom outer surface of the LED lamp 218, while the heat absorber of the lamp module 401 extends only along the tab of the heat absorbing member. is there. When the heat absorber is attached to the lens side of the LED lamp 218, a partial heat absorber 220 is required. But,
Since the heat sink 1704 extends the entire length of the LED lamp, the large surface area provided by the fins 1706 (only some of which are numbered) provides one of the LED lamps.
It provides a substantial heat dissipation path for one or more emitters 404, 404 '(FIGS. 4 and 14).

Another alternative LED lamp module 1800 is disclosed in FIG. The lamp module 1800 includes an LED lamp 218. LED lamp module 1800 differs from module 401 in that LED lamp 218 is inserted into connector 1802. The connector 1802 is connected to the terminal 1 of each of the leads 234 to 236.
Contacts 1 electrically connected to 808-1810 and mechanically engaged with these ends
803 to 1805. The contacts 1803 to 1805 are connected to the circuits 1400, 15
The circuit 1812 is connected to a wire 1813 of a vehicle wiring harness. Further, the LED lamp 218 of FIG. 18 is mounted on an active heat sink 1820 illustrated as a Peltier cooler. The Peltier cooler can be provided using any suitable commercially available Peltier cooler. The Peltier cooler has a hot surface 1822 and a cold surface 1824. The low temperature surface 1824 is disposed in contact with the heat absorbing member 400 of the LED lamp 218. The hot side of the Peltier cooler is located away from the LED lamp. The Peltier cooler connects to a passive heat sink (not shown), such as a passive heat sink 1704 (FIG. 17), to allow sufficient heat dissipation and ensure the most efficient operation of the cooler. Is preferably performed. Connector 1802 can be used to embody female connector 205 (FIG. 2).

To maximize reliability and freedom of manufacture / assembly, high power LED lamps are designed to optimize compatibility with solderless connection mechanisms such as connectors, sockets, headers and other receptacles. It can be. In this environment, the end of the high power LED lamp is manufactured with the dimensions of a male pin intended to mate with the female socket of the receiver. Includes those pre-soldered to printed circuit boards and others crimped to wires in wiring harnesses from companies such as Amp, Molex, Autosplice and other connector manufacturers. Suitable female sockets are available in a variety of forms. An example of a two lead LED lamp connection to a conventional auto splice receiver is shown in FIG. LED lamp 1900 is similar to LED lamp 218, but includes only two conductors 1901, 1903. Conductor 1901,
Separated portions 1906, 1908 of 1903 provide stops that limit the insertion depth of the wire. The plastic connector 1920 includes metal contacts 1922, 1923 that terminate at crimps 1926, 1927, respectively. When the pins 1902, 1904 of the wires 1901, 1903 are inserted into the socket, the contacts bite into the ends of the wires to prevent the socket from being easily disengaged due to mechanical vibration, stress, etc. In this manner, the wires 1901 and 1903 are securely held in the connector 1910. The wires 1930, 1931 are part of the car's wire harness held in the socket by crimps 1926, 1927. Lines 1930, 1931 and contacts 192
2 and 1923 connect the conductors 1901 and 1903 of the LED lamp 1900 to the electric circuit 1.
400 and 1500.

The lamp 1900 can be easily inserted into the chosen receptacle and eliminates the conventional soldering process typically required to connect mechanical components to a printed circuit board. This may be the case in applications where soldering is impractical (as in simple circuits where printed circuit boards are not used) or with proper automated insertion equipment such as direct mounting, radial or axial mounting equipment. Very useful in commercial establishments where it is not available. In one such form, by way of example only, the pins 1902, 19 of the conductors 1901, 1903 below the separation portions 1906, 1908.
The narrow portion of 04 is manufactured to have a 0.51 mm x 0.51 mm square cross section for insertion into a standard receptacle from an auto splice requiring a pin of this size. Another advantage of this configuration in some applications is the dimensional manufacturing tolerances provided by this connection method. For example, in the case of a map light or CHMSL, it is common for the high power emitter to achieve its directional and dimensional alignment through intimate contact with parts of the assembly such as the housing or support. This can typically be achieved with a snap connector working part, boss, flange or other structure integral with the housing or support member. This housing having an integrated alignment portion can be manufactured, for example, by injection molding a thermoplastic. However, due to manufacturing changes and environmental thermal expansion / contraction, the nominal dimensions and orientation of the support alignment and alignment means may change, resulting in detachment of the attached power semiconductor.

Such desorption is itself acceptable because it is common for design equipment to allow for its slight differences. However, in the most extreme cases, this causes a problem since such desorption is transmitted to the connection point at the conductor of the power semiconductor emitter. If this electrical connection is extremely hard and weak, as in the case of a PCB solder joint, the electrical connection may eventually be marginal, ie intermittent in response to its detachment. There is. Due to its flexibility in nature, the pin and socket configuration can avoid this problem in a manner that is characteristically applicable to the LED lamp components and assemblies disclosed herein. Due to the extraordinary high luminous flux emitted by these LED lamps, conventionally one or two components can be used if several rows of LEDs are needed. Since the number of electrical connections is significantly reduced compared to devices using prior art LED lamps, it is not necessary to use bulk connection techniques such as soldering to a printed circuit board (PCB) in each application. Absent. The low number of connections allows for the use of socket connectors where conventionally soldered connections were the only practical solution. Thus, in some embodiments, the LED lamps used herein may advantageously be used with socket connectors to obtain the characteristically applicable interconnect advantages associated with the high power emission of the LED lamps. Disclosed is an LED lamp having a conductor. For example, to implement connector 205 (FIG. 2), connector 1
910 can be used.

Another signal mirror 2000 (FIG. 20) comprises a thin transparent element 2008 adhered to a circuit board 2001 cut from commercially available printed circuit board material. Transparent element 2008 can be the only transparent element of a single element mirror or the second transparent element of an electrochromic mirror. The thin transparent element 2008 is preferably adhered to a layer 2006 of the circuit board 2001, which is a layer of conductive material, and is etched to include a heater element for the mirror. The intermediate layer 2004 of the circuit board is formed of a substrate material having excellent electrical insulation, as is well known in the art. The top layer 2002 of the circuit board is another conductive layer. As can be seen from FIG. 20, a hole 2012 is formed in the circuit board 2001 to receive the lens 2015 of the LED lamp 2016 and provide a light path through the printed circuit board.

The LED lamp 2016 is preferably mounted directly to the upper layer 2006 of the printed circuit board with the heat absorbing member oriented parallel to the surface of the mirror layer 2006. Optional element 20 between the lens of LED lamp 2016 and transparent layer 2008
10 so that the light emitted by LED lamp 2016 is redirected at a desired angle, such as about 20-50 °, as described above with respect to LED lamp 218 of FIG. be able to. Biasing films, light control films as commercially available from 3M, holographic optical elements, holographic diffusers,
The biasing element 2010 can be provided using any suitable commercially available means, such as a diffraction grating, Fresnel lens, or the like. Each of these elements has an LE mounted parallel to the rear face of the mirror so that light can be redirected in the desired direction.
It can be used with D lamp 2016. The reflector 2017 comprises the element 201
0 in the hole 2012 so that the intensity of the light emitted through the
016 is disposed at a position circumscribing the lens 2015.

The signal mirror 2000 takes advantage of the material properties of the printed circuit board so as to embody a thin mirror. The chip manufacturing industry has developed techniques to provide PC boards and computer disks (CDs) that are characteristically very flat and highly desirable for mirror carriers. Thin mirrors using a circuit board as a carrier are described in "Lightweight Electrochromic Mirrors" by Roberts et al. LIGHT
WEIGHT ELECTROCHROMIC MIRROR) as disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 270,153.
PC board flatness specifications are widely available in the industry and are available from any manufacturer. This flatness varies depending on the thickness and grade / quality of the PC board purchased. The PC board is selected according to the desired hardness and weight conditions for its application.

The specifications for the printed circuit board are such that each of the conductor layers 2002, 2006 must provide electrical conductivity over its entire surface area. L
A circuit connecting the ED lamp 2016 to another circuit can be etched in the upper layer 2006 of the printed circuit board 2001. One skilled in the art can cut the circuit using a removal method in which the conductive material is removed from the conductive layer using methods such as, for example, a chemical or laser etching process. It will be understood. Alternatively, the circuit layer 2002 may be added to the non-conductive substrate layer 2004 using an additional method in which a conductive material is coated on the non-conductive substrate 2004. Similarly, conductor layer 200 may be provided to provide traces of heater elements.
6 can be etched or conductive strips can be added by coating the substrate layer 2004.

The signal mirror 2000 utilizes a conductor layer 2002 of a circuit board, which can be a copper layer, for example, to provide a heat sink for the heat absorbing member 2018 of the LED lamp 2016. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat absorbing member is positioned relative to an optional spacer 2020, which must be thermally conductive. Spacers are provided to ensure thermal coupling over much of the surface area of the heat absorbing member that overlaps the conductor layer 2002;
The spacer may be any suitable material having low thermal resistance, and may be a metal spacer, an adhesive or any other suitable material. While the heat absorbing member 2018 is adhered to the spacer (if the spacer is provided by something other than an adhesive or an adhesive tape), the spacer is adhered to the conductor layer 2002. By attaching the LED lamp 2016 using a thermally conductive adhesive and spacer 2020, thermal coupling to the layer 2002 will provide an additional large heat dissipating surface for the LED lamp 2016.

The circuit board 2001 includes a circuit board conductor layer that can provide several functions for LED lamps, circuits and mirrors. The conductor layer is the LED lamp 201
Conductor traces can be provided to which six electrical conductors can be attached. The conductive layer can provide an additional heat sink to which the heat absorbing member 2018 is thermally connected, and the conductive traces in layer 2006 can provide a heater that removes moisture from the surface of the mirror. . This circuit board 2001 can also be used as a carrier for the transparent element 2008, and the transparent element can be very thin because the structure of the circuit board provides a strong and flat surface. The mirror may include first and second surface reflector coatings on the transparent element.

FIG. 21 illustrates a signal mirror that is substantially similar to signal mirror 2000, where LED lamp 2100 is mounted at the rear of circuit board 2101. While the lens 2115 of the LED lamp 2100 is shifted with respect to the emitter 2013,
The LED lamp 2100 differs from the LED lamp 2016 in that the emitter 2013 is aligned with the center of the lens 2015 of the LED lamp 2026. Because of this lens displacement, the highest intensity optical axis of lamp 2100 is oriented at an angle β with respect to the front of the transparent element, while the highest intensity optical axis 20 of LED lamp 2016.
30 is oriented at right angles to the transparent element 2008. In addition, an opaque coating 2110 may be provided on a portion of the window area of the mirror to provide a light barrier that prevents direct light transmission from the LED lamp 2100 to the driver. This angle β can be between 0 and 70 °, conveniently between 20 and 50 °, most preferably between 30 and 40 °.

Although not shown, in either the signal mirror 2000 or 2100, the circuit 14
It will be appreciated that 00, 1500 can be attached to conductor layer 2002 and electrically connected to LED lamps 2016, 2100 by traces (not shown) etched into layer 2002. Although not shown in FIG. 21, the offset lens 2115 of the LED lamp 2100 can be used in combination with the biasing element 2010 of FIG.

One Alternative Signal Mirror 2 Including LED Lamp 218 Mounted on Bezel
200 is shown in FIG. The signal mirror 2200 includes a bezel 2202
, A mirror 2204, and a carrier 2206. The mirror 2200 can be any type of mirror, including electrochromic, two-color, single-element, multi-element, flat, convex and / or aspheric. The carrier 2206 is of any suitable structure, such as molded from an organic polymer, stamped metal, and the like. The bezel 2202 can be formed from an organic polymer, stamped from metal, or any other suitable known method of manufacture, and the bezel and carrier can be of the same or different materials. it can. The bezel includes an opening 2208, shown as being located in the lower right corner of the mirror, which opening is at the bottom center, bottom left corner, top left corner, top center, top right corner, or any in between. It may be located at any position in the bezel, such as a position. Lens 2208 can be transparent or tinted and of any suitable construction, such as molded from an organic polymer. It is conceivable that the lens is formed of a red transparent plastic such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate, and a red-orange LED lamp is attached so that light can be directed outward. Lens 2210 is attached to opening 2208 of bezel 2202 using fasteners, adhesive, adhesive tape, or the like. It will be appreciated that if the lens is colored, it will be a filter.

The LAMP module 2220 located at the rear of the lens is an LED lamp 21 having a conductor bent at a right angle so that it can be inserted into the opening 2225 of the circuit board 2222.
8 is provided. The heat absorbing member 223 of the LED lamp 218 is a passive heat absorbing body 2224.
Attached to. In the illustrated embodiment, the LED lamp module 22
20 is mounted adjacent to the mirror 2204 in its gap. The LED lamp 218 is mounted parallel to the lens, and a biasing element such as a biasing device 2010 is disposed between the lamp and the lens, or the lens includes a Fresnel lens that directs light from the driver to viewing area C (FIG. 1). can do. LED lamp module 22
20 is extremely compact, resistant to vibration damage and can be mounted in the bezel, but provides a signal of sufficient strength to be easily visible in both day and night ambient light conditions. Generate sufficient light to generate.
Module 2220 can be attached to carrier 2206 in area 2240 using fasteners such as tape or snap connectors and the like. A snap connector (not shown) may be integrally formed within the bezel and extend outwardly therefrom. The snap connector snaps over the ramp 218 to hold the module 2200 on the bezel. Alternatively, area 22
30 includes an integrally molded socket, in particular, a lamp 218 and a heat sink 22.
24 may be provided and may include a female connector for mating with leads 234-236, so that circuit board 2222 may be omitted. Heat sink 2224 can be active or passive.
In addition, the LED lamp 218 mounted on the bezel can utilize the air flowing around the periphery of the mirror to increase heat dissipation. This can be done, for example, by arranging the heat absorbing member 2224 in a position juxtaposed with the peripheral edge 2232 of the bezel, the effect of which is to reduce the area of the bezel adjacent to the heat sink so as to have a low thermal conductivity. Can improve it. It is commercially available by embedding a thermally conductive material in the bezel 2202 adjacent to the heat sink, or from Chip Coolers, Inc. under the trade name CoolPoly, and more particularly, This low thermal conductivity can be achieved by molding the bezel with a thermally conductive polymer such as the polymer composite available as material E2 and dielectric material D2. Thus, an LED lamp module that includes a heat absorbing member connected to a heat absorber provides a small lamp that fits within the bezel and can generate bright light, which is more than a mirror mounted on a door. Specifically, it is provided in a package that can be expected to have a long life, even when subjected to the types of thermal and mechanical shocks experienced around the periphery of such mirrors.

The signal mirror 2300 (FIGS. 23 to 25) includes a bezel 2301 having a light pipe at one end. Lamp 218 is mounted in the bezel to provide light directly, which in the case of the bezel mounting configuration of FIG. Unlike signal mirror 2300, LED mirror 218 is located behind mirror 222 and uses light pipe 2302 to emit light through surface 2304 at the front of the mirror. The LED lamp 218 inputs light at one end of the light pipe 2302, which focuses the light on one end 2304 visible from the viewing area C. In this configuration, the LED lamp 218 illuminates the bezel itself, and the bezel can be very small because it does not need to receive the lamp on its periphery.

The light pipe 2302 can have any suitable structure, such as molded from acrylic resin, polycarbonate, or the like. As shown in FIG. 24, the light pipe is
Includes integrally formed ribs 2309 that extend the length of the light pipe and hold the mirror surface 227 in an interference fit. A high power LED lamp 218 is mounted at one end of the light pipe with the lens 230 oriented in the light pipe.
The heat absorber 1704 is attached to the rear of the LED lamp 218. The electrical leads of the LED lamp 218 can be plugged into a connector 1802 or receptacle 1910, which is preferably mounted inside a connector / socket or mounted on a circuit board to which the socket / connector is mounted. It has circuits 1400 and 1500. The mirror 222 is aspheric, convex, flat,
The light pipe 2304 may be compatible with any type of mirror commonly used for vehicles, such as an electrochromic, bi-color, single element reflector, etc., similar to the bezel lamp 2220 of FIG. is there.

The bezel arms 2312, 2314 extend substantially perpendicular to the bezel shoulder 2318 such that the bezel arm and the bezel shoulder provide a substantially U-shaped integral member. Bezel arms 2312, 2314 and shoulder 2218
Any suitable conventional manufacturing method can be used, but is preferably integrally molded of an organic polymer and the bezel is preferably made of an elastic material. U
The ends of the top and bottom arms 2312, 2314 of the figure each have protruding fingers 2313, 2315 to be inserted into respective complementary holes 2319, 2321 at the other end of the light pipe.

To assemble the bezel 2301 into the light pipe 2302, the LED lamp 218
The light pipe 2302 in which the heat absorber 1804 is assembled to the light pipe 2302 is
The mirror is slid to the end, and the mirror is moved to the rear of the light pipe 2302 and the rib 23.
09 and lightly squeezed. The light pipe 2302 can be fixed to one end of the mirror using an adhesive, a connector, an interference fit, or the like. The top and bottom arms 2312 and 2314 of the bezel fit the fingers 2313 and 2315 into the hole 2
It is attached to the light pipe by inserting it into 319, 2321. The top and bottom can be secured to the light pipe 2302 using fasteners or the like, such as adhesives, tapes or mechanical connectors. Bezel arms 2312, 2314, shoulder 2
318 and light pipe 2302 form a bezel 2301 circumscribing mirror 222. The bezel 2301 and the mirror 222 are attached to the carrier 23 using an adhesive.
16 can be fixed.

FIG. 23 also discloses an LED lamp 2320 mounted on the neck or “sail” of the mirror for use as a keyhole illuminator and / or paddle lamp. The LED lamp 2320 includes the LED lamp modules 401, 1
600, 1700, 2800, or any of its components, may be embodied and arranged to emit light through opening 2322.
LED lamp 2320 can be mounted on bracket 204 (FIG. 2) to provide a heat sink for the LED lamp. This means that LED lamp 2
This can be realized by attaching the heat absorbing member 320 to a metal mounting bracket made of a suitable heat conductive material. It may be desirable to connect the LED lamp to the bracket using a thermally conductive, non-conductive material. Alternatively, the LED lamp 2320 can be mounted to the rear mirror housing or shell 2308 or some other component within the mirror post. Circuit 1
Preferably, 400 and 1500 are mounted on a circuit board to which LED lamp 2320 is connected. If it is desired to provide a lamp below the mirror, an LED lamp 2324 on the neck or sail can be provided in place of or in addition to the LED lamp 2320. This may be desirable where the surface of the post faces the driver. In such a situation, providing a lamp on the mounting bottom surface of the post to which the mirror is mounted generates light directed to the ground adjacent to the car door, and in some cases without illuminating the car driver.
Will turn to the door handle.

Referring to FIGS. 26-28, mirror 2600 includes a keyhole illuminator 2602
And an optional LED lamp 2604. The keyhole illuminator generates light that illuminates the door handle 2702 (FIG. 27) and keyhole 2704, or, alternatively, generates light directed to the ground so that a paddle lamp can be implemented. A power LED lamp 2606 is provided. The key hole illuminator 2602 is provided in the window 261
0 has a high power LED lamp 2606 located behind it. LED lamp 2
606 may include one or multiple emitters (not shown) below the encapsulating lens 2812 (FIG. 28). The LED lamp 2606 preferably produces white light, in which case one or more phosphor emitters, binary complementary colored emitters, and red, green and blue, which are operated to produce white light. Including an emitter.

Referring to FIG. 28, the lens 2812 of the LED lamp 2606 is preferably of a relatively small diameter that produces focused light that can be aimed at the area to be illuminated. Alternatively, if a lamp were used to generate the paddle illumination light, the lens would have a large diameter that would generate substantially less focused light. The keyhole illuminator or paddle lamp is activated in response to the proximity detector, remote keyless entry, manual operation of the door handle, stop of the car, etc., and automatically after a predetermined time has elapsed. It can be switched to inactive.

The keyhole illuminator 2602 is preferably provided with a reflector 2800 to concentrate the light generated by the LED lamp 2606 on the door handle 2702 or on the side of the door attached to the keyhole 2704. Reflector 2602 (similar to reflector 2017 in FIG. 20) can be embodied using any suitable conventional structure, such as a conventional blinking light reflector structure, or The inner surface of the vessel
This can be provided by applying a highly reflective coating, such as chromium, to the interior surface of the molded organic polymer body or any other suitably structured rigid body. The reflector includes an adhesive, a fastener, a snap fitting, a mirror 222 and an LED lamp 21.
8 is held against the LED lamp 218 by any suitable means, such as using a compression fit or the like. Preferably, reflector 2800 circumscribes lens 214.

An optional LED lamp 2608 that provides an auxiliary turn / brake signal indicator to the mirror 2600 can be embodied as described above for the LED lamp 218 of FIGS. The LED lamp 2608 has a window 2612
(FIG. 26). The LED lamps 2608 and 2606 are small in size, and the two lamps are a mirror 2601 and a mirror housing main body 2603.
Can be accepted between. Each of the LED lamps preferably includes heat sinks 2814, 2804 to increase the dissipation of heat from the LED lamps, thereby increasing the current carrying capacity and output strength of the LED lamps.

Although two LED lamps 2606, 2608 are shown within mirror 2600, a single LED lamp is used to provide both paddle / keyhole illuminators and auxiliary signal indicators. be able to. In particular, an LED lamp can have a plurality of emitters of different colors. Driving the separate emitters with independent signals allows the controller to change the color of the light generated by the lamp. To provide white light, a binary complementary color (
For example, yellow and blue emitters), red-green-blue (ie, red, green and blue emitters) or phosphor coated chips can be used. To generate white light, all of the emitters are turned on. To generate red light, only the red-orange emitter is activated. In order to generate yellow light, only yellow is illuminated.
In the case of binary complementary white light where yellow and blue emitters are used, selective activation of the emitter facilitates the generation of yellow, blue and white light. The emitter can be activated to generate a color of light that is compatible with the primary turn signal and braking signal lamps in the vehicle.

Another multiple ramp signal mirror 2900 is disclosed in FIGS. 29a-b. The illustrated signal mirror 2900 comprises a mirror assembly 2902 (FIG. 29b) having a lamp module 401 arranged to emit light through a transparent element 2906 through a window 2910 in the reflector surface 2908. . LED
The lamp 218 is mounted on a circuit board 216 (not shown) and has a heat sink 220. The LED lamp 218 is preferably of a type that emits red-orange light, yellow light, light of the main signal lamp color, and the like. The LED lamp 2 is formed using a snap connector (not shown), an adhesive, an adhesive tape, a mechanical fastener such as a screw or a clip integrally formed with the carrier 2911 during the molding.
It is conceivable to attach 18 to the carrier 2911 and to attach the heat sink to the transparent element 2906. Carrier 2911,
A mirror assembly 2902 including a transparent element 2906, a reflector surface 2908, and an LED lamp 218 is held on a motor 208 (not shown), which is mounted to support the bracket 204 and has a signal mirror 100. Is mounted in the mirror body housing 2915 in the same manner as described above with respect to FIG.

[0097] The mirror body housing 2902 is molded from clear polycarbonate or other suitable transparent material. The inner surface of the mirror has a coating 2930 which is, for example, an opaque paint that matches the color of the exterior of car A. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this is an approach that differs significantly from those commonly used to manufacture housings for vehicles. Typically, the exterior surface of the housing is painted in a color that matches the color of the car body. After the paint has dried, a clear coating is applied over the paint. A significant advantage of painting the interior surface of the mirror body housing is that when the paint is on the interior surface, there is no flaking or abrasion of the paint. The prior art is prone to flaking or abrasion when objects flying at high speeds hit the surface. Although such a state causes slight damage to the surface of the mirror body housing, the damage to the surface can be smoothed. A further advantage when the mirror comprises a lamp that emits light through the housing is that the windows 2930, 2932, 2934, 2
It is only necessary to provide a window such as 936 in the paint coating. For example, by applying a masking material, such as tape, to the window areas 2930, 2932, 2934, 2936 before applying the paint coating to the inner surface of the mirror housing, and after applying the paint, the windows are opened. The window can be formed by removing the tape. Next, LED lamps 2920, 2922, 2924, 2926
Can support the mirror body housing adjacent to the window, which will transmit light through the transparent body housing.

The mirror body housing 2902 is conveniently formed to include one or more integral lens structures. For example, lenses 2933, 2935
, 2937 can be integrally formed with the transparent housing at the location where it is desired to mount the LED lamp during molding of the housing, or alternatively,
After the housing is formed, the lens can be cut into the mirror body housing 2915 using any suitable conventional means, such as a laser etching process.
The lens will be described in more detail below with respect to the lamp used with the lens.

The LED lamp 2920 is mounted adjacent to the inner surface of the mirror housing 2915 at a window 2930 aligned with the lens 2933. LED lamp 2922
Is mounted on the mirror housing body 2915 adjacent to the window 2932 aligned with the lens 2935. The LED lamps 2920, 2922 are preferably mounted to the inner mirror housing using respective mounting brackets or sockets 2940, 2944. Each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 can be connected to the respective lamp module 1800 without using the Peltier cooler 1820.
Can be embodied. Therefore, the LED lamps 2920, 2922
Each have a rear wall 2924, 2945 of a bracket / socket 2940, 2944.
The heat absorbing members 400 are directly attached to the heat absorbing members 400, respectively. Furthermore,
Each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 has a respective connector 1802 (FIG. 2).
9a to 29d (not shown). LED lamps 2920, 29
22 for each of sockets 1802 associated with each of
Is attached either directly to the control device 304 or directly to a vehicle turn signal control device (eg, a car signal bus). The circuits 1400, 1500 for each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 are mounted in respective connectors 1802. The LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 may all be connected to receive different control signals, but are preferably connected to receive a common control signal.

In operation, the LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 provide a turn signal repeater. The highest intensity optical axes of the three signal lamps are intentionally at substantially different angles. As used herein, a substantial angle refers to an angle separated by at least 5 °, and may be, for example, an angle separated by 15 ° or more. By providing such a light distribution, the light source has better visibility over a wider viewing angle than can be achieved with a single lamp. Further, by combining the lenses apart and combining the lenses at different angles, using the LEDs with high power capability at a certain distance, the LEDs look like a single light. The diffusion lenses 2933 and 2935 increase the viewing angle, and the LED lamp 292
0, 2922 produces extremely bright light, which is visible even under low ambient light conditions.

More specifically, FIG. 29d shows the LED lamps 218, 2920 for car A.
, 2922 are plotted. As can be seen in this figure, the LED lamp 218 generates a light intensity distribution 2960 around the highest intensity optical axis 2916 that is easily visible within a viewing angle C. LE
D-lamp 2920 generates light that is dispersed by lens 2933 to form a broader intensity distribution 2961 around highest intensity optical axis 2917. LED lamp 2922 also produces light that is dispersed by lens 2935, resulting in a light intensity distribution 2962 about highest intensity optical axis 2918.
In these iso-candela plots, line 2960 represents a point where the light intensity emitted by LED lamp 218 is of a particular equal intensity. Similarly, line 29
Reference numeral 61 denotes a point at which the intensity of light emitted by the LED lamp 2920 becomes a specific equal intensity. Line 2962 represents the point where the intensity of light emitted by LED lamp 2922 is a certain equal intensity. It will be appreciated that the plot of iso-candela for the combined LED lamps will be different due to the added light from the lamps. Nevertheless, as can be understood from this distribution, the LED lamps 218,
2920, 2922 generate a distribution of light that is visible around the mirror 2900 from an angle of 180 °. This distribution can be achieved by providing a slightly different optical element to the LED lamp 2922 and / or moving the LED lamp 2922 toward the front of the mirror body housing 1915 so that the LED lamps 2920, 2922 are further separated. Can be improved. Further, if desired, L
The ED lamp 218 may be a low power LED lamp or an LED lamp array that emits light through a plurality of apertures or dichroic mirrors. Further, two or more LED lamps can be used in the mirror housing body. However, the high power LED lamp having a heat absorbing member disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795 uses a single LED lamp in the mirror body housing as the LED lamp 21.
8 or any conventional LED visible from behind or an incandescent lamp such as an incandescent lamp, allowing the signal repeater to be viewed from a substantially wider angle, thereby providing a wide viewing angle Satisfy legal requirements for signal repeaters in countries requiring angles.

The LED lamp 2924 is mounted on the front side of the mirror body housing 2926 and faces the front of the car. The LED lamp may generate high power infrared (IR) light for a communication device or camera device, light for a turn signal / brake light repeater, or any other desired light. The lamp is arranged to emit light through a window 2934 of the mirror housing 2915. Infrared LED lamp 29
26 can generate IR light that can be used by the on-board camera during low ambient light conditions, and strong IR radiation increases the range of the camera. Another preferred use is
Applications of IR transceivers, such as IR communication devices, where the intensity of the IR beam has a direct effect on the quality of the communication signal, thereby affecting the reliability of the communication link. An example vehicle application that uses high power LEDs where reliable communication signal quality is important is a drive-through toll payment booth where toll payments are made without stopping. If you use high power LED lamp, IR
The range of the link is increased, making communication more secure, increasing the time that the vehicle communicates with the toll payment device, and significantly reducing the chances of the toll machine not working. The emitter that generates visible light and the emitter that generates IR light are mounted within the same LED lamp 2924 and a separate controller is provided to control the LED lamp 2924 to control the LED lamp 2924 for visible and communication purposes for signal and / or illumination purposes. It is further conceivable to generate IR light for illumination purposes.

The LED lamp 2926 (FIG. 29 c) is mounted flush with the window 2940 on the inner surface of the bottom wall of the mirror body housing 2915. The LED lamp 2926 is a paddle lamp that illuminates the area below the mirror and preferably generates light directed downward so as to illuminate the area adjacent to the door of the car A. LED lamp 2926
Can be located anywhere along the length of the mirror housing, so that it can be anywhere between the mirror post and the end of the mirror away from the car. Thus, it can be seen that a great degree of freedom in the position of the LED lamp on the mirror housing is allowed. This LED lamp is a high power white LE
It is preferably a D lamp, and most preferably an LED lamp having a heat absorbing member 2926 arranged with respect to the heat absorbing body 2950. LED lamp 2
926 abuts against the inner surface of housing 2915 aligned with lens 2937. The lens 2937 is a large-radius lens that illuminates a wide illumination area. The LED lamp uses any suitable means, such as a transparent adhesive (not shown), a mechanical fastener such as an integrally molded snap connector or screw or a bracket attached to the housing 2915. Can be attached to the inner surface of the mirror housing body.

Each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922, 2924, 2926 can be mounted on a bracket 2940, 2944, 2946, 2948, while the bracket is mounted inside the mirror body housing 2915. The mounting brackets or sockets 2940, 2944, 2946, 2948 may be attached to the mirror housing body using a mechanical fastener such as an adhesive or a snap connector integrally formed with the mounting bracket and / or the mirror body housing 2915 or the like. Attached to the inner surface. The mounting bracket can be molded from an organic polymer, stamped from a metal or metal alloy, or manufactured by any other suitable means. It is contemplated that the mounting bracket can be molded integrally with the mirror housing body 2915. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear walls 2942, 2945
, 2946 are thermally conductive but not conductive. If the bracket is molded from a dielectric material, the thermally conductive material can be dispersed in a non-conductive material to provide a thermal path through the rear walls 2942, 2945. For example, a plastic bracket can be impregnated with a metal piece, such as a copper piece. The bracket or socket 2948 can include a hole through which the heat sink 2950 protrudes.
The heat absorber 2950 can be embodied, for example, using the heat absorber 1704 shown in FIG.

The brackets / sockets 2940, 2944, 2946, 2948 provide an enclosure for sealing the LED module against water, dust and the like. Further, the bracket / socket can be opaque to prevent ambient light from passing through the windows 2930, 2932, 2934, 2936 and being visible from outside the mirror. Enclosures 2922, 2924 are attached to the interior surface of the mirror housing using adhesive, adhesive tape, fasteners or any other suitable means.

In operation, the LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 form a turn signal repeater that regenerates a blinking light synchronized with the vehicle's main turn signal. The turn signal repeater can be selectively illuminated with a constant light, if desired, so that the brake lights of the vehicle can be repeated. LED lamp 2946 has optical power I
It can be connected to an IR communication device associated with car A to provide an R transmitter. The heat absorbing member and the heat absorbing body enable the IR transmitter to generate an extremely strong communication signal. Finally, paddle light 2 in housing 2915
926 can be used instead of or in addition to the paddle LED lamp 201. Thus, the paddle lamp 2926 is a proximity detector,
It can be activated in response to a remote keyless entry signal, a manual operation of a door handle, a stop of a car, and the like, and can be automatically deactivated after a predetermined time has elapsed.

The internal signal mirror 3000 is shown in FIGS. 30 and 31. The internal signal mirror 3000 is of a type that generates information in the window 3002 of the mirror 3004. Mirror 3004 can be any type of mirror, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9-13, and is preferably an electrochromic mirror. The displayed information can be any information useful to the driver, such as information on tire pressure or information on the direction of travel of the vehicle if the vehicle includes an automatic tire pressure device. The display 3002 as an example indicates that the car is N
A signal is generated indicating whether the vehicle is proceeding toward (North), S (South), E (East) or W (West), or a combination thereof such as NE (North East) as shown. The electrochromic mirror can be embodied using any suitable electrochromic mirror. The image is generated by a back-lit liquid crystal display (LCD) 3100, which may be, for example, a reverse mode callable LCD.
It is. The LCD is controlled so that it can form an image by acting as a shutter that selectively blocks light transmission. Thus, backlighting is used to emit bright light in areas where the LCD does not attenuate the light. LCD in this way
Operate to generate graphic, alphanumeric, video or video images.

The LCD 3100 is mounted on the rear face of the electrochromic mirror element 3004 using a transparent optical coupling medium 3006. In particular, the optical coupling medium is adhesive number 4910, commercially available from 3M, ultra-violet (UV) cured silicone or epoxy resin, or about 1.5, substantially matched to the refractive index of the third transparent member 222. Is a transparent pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) such as a thermoplastic PVB laminate having a refractive index of A transmissive diffuser 3106 is optionally mounted behind the LCD to diffuse the light generated by the high power LED lamp 2200. This allows the LED lamp 2200 to be located near the LCD panel 3100, which is necessary if the mirror 3000 does not have a deep depth behind the LCD panel 3100. The LED lamp 2200 is a lens 31 having a large radius.
10 can be provided. Alternatively, a flat lens LED lamp 3200 (FIG. 32) that generates scattered light due to the wide beam emanating from the flat surface 3201
) Can be used to illuminate the LCD. As mentioned above, it is conceivable that the lens has a very large diameter and the lens focuses the emitted light light somewhat, but disperses the light over the entire area of the LCD panel 3100. . If such relatively out-of-focus light is combined with a weak diffuser 3106, the entire surface of the LCD panel is illuminated and the generated image can be easily made even through an electrochromic mirror that includes bright, semi-reflective windows. Ensure that it is visible. The emitters (not shown) in the LED lamp 2200 can be selected to produce any desired color, and thus produce white light, or shaded red-orange, blue, yellow, etc. It produces light that matches the color of the car's interior lights, which can be any color other than white.

The LED lamp 3110 (FIG. 31) is mounted together with the mirror 3004 in a common housing. LED lamps are, for example, integrated mounting brackets,
It can be attached to the interior of the housing by conventional means such as a snap connector, adhesive, one or more screws.

Mirror 3000 (FIG. 30) preferably includes map lamps 3012, 3014 located at the bottom of the mirror to illuminate the front seat of car A. These map lamps are preferably implemented using high power LEDs with heat sinks that can be mounted in a very small volume within the mirror housing 3009. In particular, the map lamp 3014 is described in the "Optical Assembly for Illuminators of Solid State Lighting Apparatus" filed July 2, 1998 by John Roberts et al., The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Assem
bly for Semiconductor Lighting Device
No. 09 / 109,5, entitled "E Illuminator)".
No. 27 can be embodied using a non-prism type optical assembly.
Map lamp 3012 may be embodied using a prismatic optical assembly disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 109,527. Most preferably, the optical assembly is modified to accept one or more LED lamps having a heat absorbing member as described below with respect to FIGS.

A description will now be given of some additional components and assemblies of the car with respect to the car 3300 shown in FIG. 33 and the car 3400 shown in FIG. Cars have a large number of lamps, any and all of which preferably employ LED lamps with heat sinks that produce brighter light than can be generated by conventional LEDs. . In particular, the car 3300 has the driver-side signal mirror 10
0 and a passenger-side signal mirror 3302. The drive-side signal mirror 100 has been described in detail in the above various embodiments, and includes a paddle lamp 201 and an LE
The D lamp has a window 223 for emitting light. Passenger side signal mirror 3
302 can be embodied using a conventional passenger side mirror, such as an aspheric mirror, which has an LED lamp (not shown) and a signal lamp window through which the light emitted from paddle light 3304 passes. A section 3303 is further provided. Signal mirror 330
The lamp 2 and the window 3303 are the LED lamps 218, 201 of the signal mirror 100.
And the window 223, and can be embodied, for example, in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. The CHMSL 3306 can be positioned to emit light through the rear window 3308 or, in the case of a car, mounted to the trunk or rear fins, but can be mounted to the rear of the car 3300 mounted adjacent to the rear window. It is shown in the state where it was done. CHMSL, which uses an endothermic LED lamp, attenuates the light from the less powerful lamp to a detrimental degree, producing bright light with the desired light pattern even through the privacy glass of the type currently used in cars. It will be appreciated that it can be generated characteristically from only a few LED lamps. The rear mirror 3000 is mounted in a conventional manner, such as mounted inside a vehicle and secured to a vehicle windshield or headliner. The vehicle also includes a tail / brake lamp 3310, a turn signal lamp 3312, and a reverse light 3314. The license plate illuminator 3316 is located in the rear hatch adjacent to the license plate 3318. Car 340
0 is a signal mirror 100, 3302, a braking light 3310 ', a direction indication signal 33
12 ′, a backward light 3314 ′, and a CHMSL 3406. The car also has cargo lights 3404, 3408 that illuminate the car floor (the car 3400 shown is a pickup truck), and as shown, the CHMSL 3406
And the cargo light is integrated into the lamp assembly 3402.

More specifically, CHMSL 3306 includes a housing 3500 (FIG. 35). Although the housing is shown as an elongated box, it can be in any shape desired by the car designer. Housing 3306 may be by any suitable conventional manufacturing method, such as molding from an organic polymer. The LED lamps 3502-3505 are mounted on a printed circuit board 3506 mounted on the housing 3500 using mechanical fasteners, adhesives or any other suitable mechanism. Optional member 3508 is illustrated as a rectangular, substantially flat, opaque shroud configured to extend over the entire housing opening, except for the lens portion of LED lamps 3502-3505. Member 3508 may comprise, for example, a molded black plastic strip, paper or, optionally, a reflector by a manufacturing method similar to that used to manufacture a blinking light reflector of the type extending around a blinking light lamp. Can be. If member 3508 is a reflector, this member is forwarded through lens 3509 by LED lamp 350
It will be appreciated that the shape is such that it can reflect light from 2 to 3505. A lens 3509 is provided on the housing and extends above the opening to work with the LED lamp to generate the desired light pattern for the CHMSL 3306, as described in more detail below. The lens is made of transparent or colored material,
For example, it can be formed of a transparent red acrylic resin or polycarbonate.

With further reference to FIG. 35, the LED lamps 3502 to 3505
A high power LED lamp of the type including 510 to 3513 is preferred. Each of the LED lamps 3502 to 3505 is provided with a heat absorbing member 3510 to 3513.
36, one or more red-orange emitters (e.g., reference numeral 360 in FIG. 36).
It is preferable to include the item 4). The emitter for each of the LED lamps is arranged to emit light through lenses 3514-3517. The lens has a radius of curvature that produces a normally focused light beam. Each of the heat absorbing members 3512 to 3513 of the LED lamp is provided with a respective heat absorbing body 3520 to 3520.
523. The heat sink can be etched from the conductive layer of the circuit board 3506 using conventional circuit etching techniques, especially if the circuit board has conductive layers on both sides, or the heat sink can be a dielectric. It can be formed by coating the substrate of a circuit board so that a heat conductive plate can be formed on the outer surface of the conductive substrate. Electric wires 3525 to 3527 of LED lamps 3502 to 3505
(Only one LED lamp is indicated by a reference number to reduce the complexity of the drawing) so as to extend through the bias of the circuit board 3506, and
6 can be electrically connected to a circuit 3612 (FIG. 36) mounted directly on the rear. Conductors 3525 through 3527 are electrically connected to circuit 3612 by circuit traces etched into the conductive layer at the back of the circuit board by conventional means. The circuit 3612 can embody the circuits 1400 and 1500, for example.

The lens 3509 is preferably a large radius cylindrical or non-spherical surface. The lens can be colored or transparent. To assemble the CHMSL 3306, the circuit 3612 and the LED lamp 3
502 to 3505 are attached to both sides of the circuit board 3506. In particular, the exposed surfaces of the heat absorbing members under each of the LED lamps 3502 to 3505 are juxtaposed with the respective heat absorbing members 3520 to 3523 on the circuit board, and the respective conductive wires 35 of the lamps are arranged.
26 to 3527 are soldered to the circuit board. The circuit board snaps two into the illustrated connectors 3600, 3602, but it is possible to provide more than one connector, the actual number of which depends on the stiffness and dimensions of the circuit board Will be understood. The shroud is preferably resilient and protruding tab 361
4, 3616, slightly bent and inserted, and when released, tab 36
00, 3602 can be retained in the housing. Each opening 3536 to 3539 is aligned with each of the lenses 3514 to 3517 to allow the light generated by the LED to pass. Optional lens 3509
Is attached to the housing 3500 using mechanical fasteners, snap fittings, adhesives and the like. The lens closes the housing and provides considerable environmental protection against insects and dust.

The CHMSL criteria for candela emitted at different angles is shown in FIG. Center C is 0 °, which is 0 in the figure, and represents candela emitted linearly from the center of CHMSL. The center cross section represents candela emitted at an angle of 5 ° above and below the center, and 5 ° to the left and 5 ° to the right of the center.
The area of the U-shape to the left is 5 ° left and 5 ° downward, 10 ° left and 5 ° downward, 10 ° left, 10 ° left and 5 ° upward, 5 ° left and 5 ° upward. Includes a point in direction 5 °. The U-shaped area for the right side of the central cross section corresponds to the point on the left side. The ribbon traversing the top includes points 10 above the center at five intervals of 10 ° leftward to 10 ° rightward. The number on each axis in the drawing represents the candela (cd) that needs to be emitted in each direction, and the actual emission must be at least 60% of the number given for each point. Thus, the emitted light in a direction extending linearly from the center of the CHMSL must be at least 15 candelas. Further criteria are that the total value of points in region 1 is at least 125 cd, the total value of points in region 2 is at least 98 cd, the total value of points in region 3 is at least 98 cd, and the total value of points in region 4 is at least 32 cd. That is something that must be done. A further criterion is the minimum area of the CHMSL is that must be at least 29.0322cm ² (4.5 in ^2). Another criterion is that the total power is 130 cd or less at an angle greater than 25 from any measurement point in a field that extends 10 ° upward from 5 ° downward and 10 ° left to 10 ° right. It is. The maximum value is measured within 60 seconds in the "on" state within the temperature range of 18-38 ° C. The minimum is measured when either the thermal equilibrium where the ambient temperature is in the temperature range of 18 to 38 ° C or 30 seconds occurs first.

[0116] US patent application Ser. No. 09/426, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
An equal candela ray plot using a dual red-orange chip LED lamp embodied according to No. 795 is shown in FIG. In particular, this plot shows that the emitter is a cube, the lens has a radius of 2.5 mm, the center is 0.4 mm from the top of the body curve, and the aperture is 4.9356 mm at the top of the cube. , The height of the cube is 3.8 mm, the distance from the top of the cube to the base of the lens is 2.77 m
m, for an LED lamp. The illumination profile of this LED lamp is shown in FIG. As can be seen from FIGS. 38 and 39, the focused output is directional. Has a strength of about 13 cd at a viewing angle of 0 ° and 45
At 0 ° or more, it drops to 0 cd. This intensity is about 8 cd at an angle of 10 ° leftward or rightward. This strength is about 11 cd at an upper angle of about 10 °. Since the output of the LED lamp is additive, a pair of such LEDs can be used to generate the required CHMSL signal strength. The LED lamp shown in the plot is mounted on a circuit board, with the top layer of the circuit board providing the heat sink. Thus, providing four LEDs would allow for redundancy and allow a significant degree of freedom when implementing CHMSL. In particular, the power supply to the LED can be reduced, and instead of the dual chip LED, a single chip LED is used.
Can be used and the CHMSL, which uses only four LED lamps, can be placed in a position behind the dark privacy glass and still generate the required intensity of light. This power can be further increased by improving the heat sink.

Referring to FIGS. 40a and 40b, the CHMSL and cargo ramp assembly 34
02 has a circuit board 4000 in the housing 4002. LED lamp 4
004 and 4005 provide illumination light for the left cargo lamp 3404. LE
D lamps 4006 to 4009 provide illumination light for CHMSL. LE
D lamps 4010, 4011 provide illumination light for the right cargo lamp. L
Each of the ED lamps can be embodied using an LED lamp having a heat absorbing member. The LED lamps are mounted in the same manner as described above with respect to CHMSL 3306, each of which has a heat absorbing member provided on heat absorbing material 4021-4027 located on the surface of the printed circuit board. The LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 preferably direct light down toward the floor of the car 3400, while the CHMSL LED lamps emit light as described above with respect to FIG. The illumination light directed downward is that the cargo light LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, and 4011 are CHMSL lamps 4006 to 4006.
When mounted in parallel, such as on a common circuit board for 009, it is conceivable to provide using optical means. An example of an optical assembly that can be used is described with reference to FIGS.

The cargo lamp assembly 4302 (FIG. 40a) is similar to the LED lamp 400 described above.
4 to 4011. Alternative mounting configurations for the LED lamps 4004 to 4011 are described with respect to the LED lamp 4004 in FIG. 40b. The LED lamps 4005 to 4011 can be mounted in the same manner as the LED lamp 4004, or all or a portion of the LED lamps 4004 to 4011 can be LE
It can be mounted in the same manner as the D lamps 3502 to 3505. LE
The D lamp 4004 (FIG. 40b) includes a heat absorbing plate 4030 and an electric insulating layer 40.
32, a circuit board 4000 'having a dielectric substrate layer 4036 and a conductive layer 4034, and a thermally conductive non-conductive layer 4038. Circuit board 400 in this configuration
0 ′ has a hole formed at a mounting position for each of the LED lamps 4004 to 4011. Each of these holes is preferably larger than each heat absorbing member of the LED lamp. Each of the LED lamps is attached to the circuit board at its non-conductive side, and the bent portion 90 of the wire is inserted into the circuit board bias. The conductors are electrically connected to the conductors of the conductor layer 4034 of the circuit board 4034, and these conductors are formed by etching the conductor layer 4034, applying conductive ink to the substrate layer 4038, or applying a conductive coating. You. An elastic, thermally conductive, conductive material layer 4038 is inserted into the opening below the LED lamp. Layer 4038 is commercially available from Bergquisut and is available from Silypad (
A pre-formed thermal coupler, such as a cut silicon-based resistive material identified as (Silipad) 600, can be provided. An adhesive is applied to both sides of the material 4038, and the adhesive is applied to the LED lamp and the circuit board or the heat absorbing plate 4.
030. Furthermore, screws such as nylon screws (
(Not shown) is inserted through the heat absorbing member and the circuit board and held in place or bolted (not shown) when tightened into the threaded hole of heat absorbing plate 4030.
Accept within. When the thickness of the circuit board is 1.562 mm (0.062 inch) and the thickness of the silipad is 0.2286 mm (0.009 inch), the LED lamps, the layer 4038 and the plate are tightened into engagement. , Bolts and screws can be used. The thermally conductive material can include a thermally conductive adhesive coating to adhere the layer to the heat absorbing member 4040.

The electrically insulating layer 4032 is coated with a heat sink at least in the region of the heat absorbing member that would otherwise contact the conductive layer 4034 of the circuit board. The insulating coating can be any suitable dielectric, for example, porcelain, powder, a suitable polymeric adhesive, or the like. The holes in the circuit board and the heat absorbing members are connected to the plate 403 through the circuit board.
It is preferably larger than the heat absorbing member 4040 so that the maximum amount of heat can be conducted to zero, but they may be formed smaller. For example, the heat absorbing member of the LED lamp
Smaller openings can be provided to allow for attachment to the surface of the circuit board.

Another alternative mounting configuration for LED lamps 4004 to 4011 and LED lamps 3502 to 3505 is illustrated in FIGS. 40c and 40d.
This alternative mounting configuration is described with respect to the CHMSL and cargo ramp assembly 3402. The configuration of FIG. 40c is compatible with CHMSL lamps 3502-3505 and 4006 and 4007, while the configuration of FIG. 40d provides the desired downward radiant illumination for LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011. It will be appreciated. In this alternative mounting configuration,
The circuit board 4060 is mounted in the housing 4002 generally perpendicular to the CHMSL LED lamps 4006-4009. As described above, the lead wires 4041, 4041 ′, 4043, 4043 ′ of the LED lamps 4004 to 4001,
4045, 4045 '(for convenience of illustration, designated only by lamps 4004, 4006) can be inserted into the circuit board using a conventional automated radial insertion device. As shown in FIG. 40c, the LED lamps 4006 to 4040
09 is attached to heat sink 4070 using a suitable adhesive, such as a thermally conductive adhesive. The heat absorber is supported on the housing 4002 by the legs 4072, 4074. The legs are attached to housing 4002 by feet 4076, 4078, which can be attached using any suitable conventional means, such as fasteners, adhesives, and the like. The heat sink may be of any suitable structure and material that has a low thermal resistance and provides a heat dissipation path from the LED lamp emitter to the surrounding environment, and may comprise, for example, a metal such as copper, aluminum or an aluminum alloy. It can be formed by, for example, punching out from a material or molding from a heat conductive material.

The cargo light LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 are mounted at a downward angle as shown in FIG. 40d. This downward angle is set so that the LED lamps can be focused on the floor of the car 3400 by conducting wires 4041, 4.
043, 4045 by bending. LED lamps 4004, 40
05, 4010, 4011 are heat absorbers 408 directly attached to the lamp.
0, these lamps are supported on a reflector 4082 which is used to focus light on the desired illumination area of the floor of the car 3400. The reflector may be of any suitable construction, such as a molded organic polymer having a chromium coating, or of any conventional construction, such as those used to form blinking light reflectors. .
As can be seen, the LED lamp and reflector are pointed downward. The reflector is LE
It can be attached to the enclosure of the D-lamp, the housing 4002 and / or the lens 3509 ', and such attachment can be made using adhesives, adhesive tape, mechanical connectors such as snap connectors or screws, or the like.

The lens 3509 ′ is embodied using a large radius, cylindrical or aspherical member that is transparent at the wavelength of interest, and the LED lamps 4006-4009 are red-colored.
If an orange or red element is included, it can be a transparent element over its entire length. For example, lens 3509 'can be molded of a transparent polymer material, such as an acrylic resin, and can include a diffusing surface on the outside of the element. The advantage of using a transparent lens 3509 'with a red LED is that when the brake light area is not illuminated by the LED, it is transparent and also becomes red when illuminated, thereby providing an illuminated state and non-illuminated state. It provides significant contrast between the condition. The disadvantage of the transparent element is that some observers expect the braking light to be red when not illuminated. Therefore, the lens is a cargo lamp 340
4, it can be transparent above the 3408 area and red above the CHMSL 3406 area.

The light of the cargo lamp directed downward from the LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 of FIG. 40a is generated or the map lights 3012, 3014 of FIG.
41 and 42 that can be used to generate light from
Is shown in FIG. The optical assembly is used with a high power LED lamp 4102 and an optical assembly 4100. This optical assembly is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 109,527, but has been modified herein to accept a high power LED lamp including a heat absorbing member. L
The ED lamp 4102 has an emitter 4104 mounted on a flat upper surface of a heat absorbing member 4106. The heat absorbing member 4016 is mounted flat on the circuit board 4110. The heat absorbing member 4106 is provided on the substrate 4114 of the circuit board 4110.
And juxtaposed. Emitter 4104 is covered by a transparent encapsulation 4108, which is preferably cylindrical to be received within TIR 4117, 4202.
In particular, the optical assembly includes one or more columnator lenses.
r lens) 4116, 4020 (two shown), one or more TIR lenses 4117, 4202 (two shown) and a prism 4118. The columnator lens and the TIR direct the light emitted from the emitter 4106 forward,
The prism redirects the light at the desired angle. Final face 41 of optical assembly
Numeral 30 is preferably a diffuser. The emitter 4104 can be a phosphor LED chip that generates white light, an LED using red, green, and blue components, or a binary complementary LED emitter. Each LED lamp is TIR4116
, 4204.

It will be appreciated that the optical assembly 4100 including the prism 4118 is used for the map light 3014, while the prism for the map light 3012 is omitted. The prism 4118 is a columnator lens 4116 (FIG. 41).
And surface 413 so as to extend at right angles to the rays generated by TIR 4117
By changing the angle of 0, a non-prism type can be obtained. Further, each of the map lamps 3012, 3014 is embodied using a single LED lamp, and more than one LED lamp is provided, where only half of the optical assembly 4100 is provided or the entire optical assembly 4100 is used. Can be done. It will be appreciated that the optics assembly accommodates more than two LED lamps by adding a columnator lens and TIR on a longer housing for each additional LED lamp.

[0125] US Patent Application Ser. No. 09/426, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A plot of the emission light of the candela for a binary complementary white lamp embodied according to No. 795 is shown in FIG. In particular, this plot shows a radius of 4.25.
For an LED lamp with a mm lens. The illumination profile of this LED lamp is shown in FIG. LED lamps are mounted on circuit boards with a conductor layer providing a heat sink. It can be seen that two such LED lamps generate sufficient illumination light. Due to the additional heat absorption, the LED lamp can generate substantially more light.

The lamp assembly 4500 (FIGS. 45-47) can be used to generate a dome ride, braking light, turn signal, number plate illuminator or any other light. The lamp assembly includes a housing 4502 having an integral socket 4504 for receiving a lamp 4506. Side wall 451
0 through 4513 circumscribe the socket and extend upward to define a rectangular opening. LED lamp 4506 may be embodied using any suitable high power LED, and is preferably embodied using a high power LED lamp having an integral heat absorbing member, No. 09 / 426,795. The LED lamp includes a heat absorbing member 4520, an emitter (4602 in FIG. 46) held on the heat absorbing member, and an enclosing portion 4522 covering the emitter. Electrical leads 4523, 4524 extend outwardly from the encapsulation and are bent downward so that they can connect to contacts 4530, 4531.
Socket 4504 has four conductors in LED lamp (only two of them are shown)
And the respective contacts (only two of them 4530 and 4531 are shown) into which the conductors are inserted. Contacts 4530, 4531
Is mounted, for example, on a circuit board 4540 that can include contact pads 4542 through 4545 to which respective contacts (only 4530 and 4531 are shown) are connected. The circuit component 4550 is connected at its lower surface to the circuit board and, in particular, can be directly mounted according to conventional techniques. When fully assembled, contacts 453
0, 4531 hold the LED lamp 4520 in the socket, as best shown in FIG.

A reflective coating 4550 (FIG. 46) is applied to the inner surfaces of the side walls 4510 through 4513. The coating and / or housing can be made of a thermally conductive material that extends into the socket to provide a large heat dissipating member for the LED lamp 4506. The heat absorbing member of the LED lamp 4506 is mounted in translation with the heat absorbing member to facilitate removal of heat from the LED lamp emitter. Diffusing lens 4
604 is attached to the housing 4502. The lenses can be manufactured according to known conventional techniques and can be molded, for example, from clear polycarbonate or acrylic resin.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the shape of the housing 4502 can be varied to provide dimensions suitable for the application. Furthermore, for applications such as number plate illuminators, the reflectors and lenses can be small and have a low profile shape. The license plate illuminator is shaped so that it can direct light to the license plate while blocking light emitted directly outward from the rear of the car. It will further be appreciated that the lamp can be assembled to include one or more sockets 4504, or that the sockets can have space to receive one or more lamps. In either case, one or more lamps can be received in the socket to generate more light.

A step-down circuit is shown in FIG. The step-down circuit is C
HMSL LED lamp, paddle lamp, map lamp, number plate illuminator,
The regulated current is supplied to a reverse light, a turn signal lamp, a braking lamp or any other lamp in the vehicle. This circuit is described by Robert Turnbull on Oct. 22, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Filed on March 31, 2008, entitled "Supplying Power to Electrochromic Mirrors in High-Voltage Automotive Power Devices (POWER SUPLY FOR ELECTROCHROM)
IC MIRRORS IN HIGH VOLTAGE AUTOMOTIV
E POWER SYSTEMS) in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,794. The circuit 4800 includes shunt transistors Q5, Q6 and preferably differs from the circuits of the other U.S. patent applications in the value of capacitor C5. In particular, transistors Q5 and Q6 are connected in parallel with respective emitters D7 and D8. These emitters can be, for example, binary complementary color LED chips that are both selected to produce white light. Alternatively, the emitters can be of different colors, selected so that they together produce the desired color or two chips that produce the same color light. The current controller 4802 generates a control signal input to the shunt transistors Q5 and Q6 so that the output of the shunt transistors can be dynamically adjusted. By selecting a sufficiently small capacitance value for the output capacitor C5, L
A shunt transistor can be used to deactivate the ED lamp 218 '. In addition, shunt transistors Q5, Q6 can be used to regulate the current at each of the emitters by varying the current in parallel bypass paths through the transistors. Furthermore, one or both transistors Q5, Q6 can be deactivated, allowing the entire current to flow through the respective LED emitters connected in parallel. Thus, the control device is a transistor switch and L
The current flowing through the ED lamp can be controlled. This causes the LED to blink in response to a control signal generated by the controller 304 of FIG. 3 in applications such as a signal mirror turn signal repeater instead of controlling the signal to turn the vehicle. It is useful when it is desirable. In addition, the light output of the LED lamp 218 'used for illumination may be automatically controlled to produce an "opera" effect, in which the light gradually disappears in response to manual control by the user or when the lamp is deactivated. It can be controlled to a desired strength. Another application where independent LED emitter control is desirable is when it is necessary to change the color of the LED lamp. If two or more differently colored LED chips are used in a single LED lamp, L
The input of current to each of the ED lamps can be independently changed to change the color emitted by the LED lamp. For example, white light can be generated from a lamp under one condition and colored light can be generated under another condition. For example, by choosing yellow and blue emitters, both emitters can be activated to generate binary complementary light, while only one of the LED lamps can be illuminated to generate blue or yellow light. . In these and other applications, independent current control is possible for the emitters connected in series. The use of binary complementary color emitters to generate white light is described in "Light Emitting Diodes" issued to Robert et al. On September 8, 1998, which is incorporated herein by reference. Illuminator assembly with built-in (ILLUMINATO)
R ASSEMBLY INCORPORING LIGHT EMITT
ING DIODES) "in U.S. Patent No. 5,803,579.

Although the disclosed circuit 4800 is for emitters connected in series, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the circuit can be modified to accept common cathode LED lamps as well. Let's do it. In the case of a general cathode emitter, the transistors Q5 and Q6 are connected in series with their respective emitters, unlike the parallel connection shown in the figure. Further, instead of the emitters 1502 and / or 1504, an emitter may be provided by connecting a plurality of emitters in parallel.

The lamp housing disclosed throughout this application can be made of a thermally conductive material. The housing for the lamps 3306, 6406, 4500 may be, for example,
It is believed that it can be molded using the thermally conductive polymer materials described above, such as those commercially available from Chipcoolers Inc. of Warwick, RI. The heat sink of the LED lamp can then be mounted directly to the housing so that an effective heat sink can be realized without using additional components. Alternatively, the housing may be thermally conductive to help increase heat dissipation from the lamp assembly, even when other endothermic techniques are used.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, many modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a higher light power LED lamp including a heat absorbing member is disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,497,306 and 5,3, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
It can be employed in mirror structures such as 61,190 and 5,788,357 to significantly improve its performance. Further, while these devices have been disclosed in connection with car applications, the lamps disclosed herein are equally applicable to home, industrial, commercial and other environments, and are therefore disclosed herein. A number of applications will be possible for the lamp assembly described above. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the claims and is not intended to be limited in any way by the details and structures that describe the embodiments described herein.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of two vehicles traveling on adjacent traffic lanes.

FIG. 2 is an exploded upper perspective view showing the signal mirror of the vehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a mirror according to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the circuitry used in the form of a block diagram.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp module taken along plane 4-4 of FIG. 6, where the lamp module can be used in the signal mirrors of FIGS. 1-3.

5 shows a side view of the lamp module according to FIG. 4 arranged adjacent to the rear face of the mirror;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the lamp module of FIGS. 4 and 5 disposed adjacent a rear surface of the mirror;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the mirror subassembly, taken along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3;

8 is an exploded side isometric view showing the mirror subassembly according to FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly.

FIG. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram showing a lamp circuit that can be used with the module according to FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 15 is a schematic circuit diagram showing one alternative lamp circuit that can be used with the module according to FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 16 is a side view of one alternative embodiment of the lamp module according to FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 17 is a top isometric view of another alternative embodiment of a lamp module.

FIG. 18 is a top isometric view of another alternative embodiment of a lamp module.

FIG. 19 is a top perspective view of the lamp module mating with the two-pin connect.

FIG. 20 illustrates one alternative embodiment of the signal mirror subassembly, FIG.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view along 7.

FIG. 21 illustrates one alternative embodiment of the signal mirror subassembly, FIG.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view along 7.

FIG. 22 illustrates one alternative embodiment of a signal mirror, including a bezel signal ramp;
It is an exploded perspective view.

FIG. 23 is a rear view showing another alternative embodiment of a signal mirror including a light pipe and a bezel signal lamp.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane 24-24 of FIG. 23, illustrating another alternative embodiment of a signal mirror, including a light pipe, a bezel signal lamp.

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of a bezel and a mirror of the mirror assembly according to FIGS. 23 and 24;

FIG. 26 is a rear view showing another alternative embodiment of a mirror including two lamps.

FIG. 27 is a partial side view showing the vehicle according to FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a sectional view along the plane 28-28 of FIG. 26 showing the mirror according to FIG. 26;

FIG. 29a is a side view showing another alternative embodiment of the signal mirror. 29b is a partial sectional view taken along the plane 29b-29b of FIG. 29a showing the signal mirror according to FIG. 29a. 29c is a partial sectional view taken along the plane 29c-29c of FIG. 29a showing the signal mirror according to FIG. 29a. 29d is a plot of the iso-candela of the mirror according to FIGS. 29a to 29c.

FIG. 30 is a rear view of the internal rear mirror, showing another embodiment of the signal mirror.

FIG. 31 is a side view, schematically illustrating a rear lighting panel in the mirror according to FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a sectional view along the center of the lamp module according to FIG. 31 with a flat lens surface;

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the car.

FIG. 34 is a rear view of the car.

FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle CHMSL lamp assembly according to FIG. 33;

36 is a sectional view of the CHMSL according to FIG. 35 along the plane 36-36 of FIG. 33;

FIG. 37 shows the required candela output of CHMSL at different angles.

FIG. 38 is a plot of a rectangular equal candela of a red-orange chip LED lamp including a heat absorbing member.

FIG. 39 is a plot showing a rectangular light distribution candela of the LED lamp according to FIG. 38;

FIG. 40a is a rear view of the CHMSL and cargo ramp assembly of the vehicle according to FIG. 34 with the lens removed. 40b is a cross-sectional view of one alternative circuit board assembly taken along plane 40b-40b of FIG. 40a. 40c is a cross-sectional view illustrating one alternative embodiment of the CHMSL lamp assembly along the plane 40c-40c of FIG. 40d is a cross-sectional view illustrating one alternative embodiment of a cargo ramp along the plane 40d-40d of FIG.

41 is a cross-sectional view of the optical assembly for the cargo lamp of FIG. 40a and the map lamp of FIG. 30, taken along the same plane 40b-40b of 40a.

FIG. 42 is a lower perspective view showing the optical assembly according to FIG. 41.

FIG. 43 is a plot showing a rectangular equal candela of a white binary complementary LED lamp including a heat absorbing member.

FIG. 44 is a plot showing a rectangular light distribution candela of the LED lamp according to FIG. 43;

FIG. 45 is an exploded perspective view of a lamp assembly including an integral socket that can be used to implement the illuminator and indicator lamp in the vehicle according to FIGS. 33 and 34.

FIG. 46 is a sectional view of the lamp assembly according to FIG. 45 along the plane 46-46 of FIG. 33;

FIG. 47 is a partial plan view of the lamp assembly according to FIGS. 45 and 46, showing the lamp connected in the socket.

FIG. 48 is a schematic circuit diagram showing a step-down power converter.

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 1, 2001 (2001.0.1)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 3

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 3

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 14

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 38

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 39

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 43

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 44

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Contents of correction]

FIG. 48

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID , IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72 ) Inventor Stam, Joseph S., South Lakeshore Drive, Holland, 49424, Michigan, USA 345 (72) Inventor Bonardi, Timothy A. 49107, Michigan, United States of America 49, Buchanan, Brotheus Road 14864 (72) Inventor Toner Turner, Robert Earl, 49424, Holyland, Michigan, USA Land, Barmay drive 3950 F term (reference) 2K001 AA10 FA06 3K039 AA01 AA03 AA08 DA02 5F041 DC07 DC21 EE23 FF11 FF16

Claims (139)

[Claims] 1. A signal mirror, comprising: a mirror; a heat-absorbing member; at least one emitter held on the heat-absorbing member; and two having a higher thermal resistance than a heat-absorbing member electrically connected to the emitter. A high power LED lamp having the electrical conductors described above, wherein the LED lamp is arranged to generate a visible signal. 2. The signal mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a reflective surface having at least one window, wherein the LED lamp is arranged to emit light through the at least one window. 3. The signal mirror according to claim 2, wherein at least one window has a higher transmittance than other regions of the reflection surface. 4. The signal mirror of claim 3, wherein at least one window is shaped to provide a direction indicator. 5. The signal mirror according to claim 4, wherein at least one window has a plurality of openings that together provide a direction indicator. 6. The signal mirror according to claim 2, wherein the window comprises one or more layers of partially transmissive and reflective material. 7. The signal mirror according to claim 6, wherein one or more of the layers comprises a metal, oxide or metal oxide. 8. The signal mirror according to claim 7, wherein one or more layers comprises a dichroic coating, and wherein the LED lamp is arranged to generate light transmitted through the dichroic coating. 9. The signal mirror according to claim 2, wherein the window has a reflective material and an opening alternately inserted. 10. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the mirror is an electrochromic mirror and the LED lamp is arranged to transmit a visual signal through the electrochromic mirror. 11. The signal mirror according to claim 1, comprising one or more layers of partially transmissive and reflective material. 12. The signal mirror according to claim 11, wherein one or more layers comprise a metal, an oxide or a metal oxide. 13. The signal mirror according to claim 12, wherein one or more of the layers comprises a dichroic coating, and wherein the LED lamp is arranged to generate light transmitted through the dichroic coating. 14. The signal mirror of claim 1, further comprising a bezel around at least a portion of a periphery of the mirror, wherein a high power LED lamp is arranged to transmit a visual signal through the bezel. A signal mirror. 15. The signal mirror according to claim 14, wherein the LED lamp transmits a visual signal through the bezel via the light pipe. 16. The signal mirror of claim 1, further comprising a biasing film, wherein the high power LED lamp emits light through the biasing film and has the highest intensity optical axis of output at an angle of 0 to 70 °. Signal mirror, which is arranged to obtain 17. The signal mirror according to claim 16, further comprising a porographic optical element (HOE), wherein the high power LED lamp emits light through the HOE and has a maximum output at an angle of 0 to 70 °. A signal mirror arranged to provide a strong optical axis. 18. The signal mirror according to claim 16, further comprising a grating, wherein the high power LED lamp emits light through the grating, and the highest intensity optical axis of the output at an angle of 0 to 70 °. A signal mirror, arranged to obtain. 19. The signal mirror according to claim 16, further comprising a prism, wherein the high power LED lamp emits light through the prism to obtain the highest intensity optical axis of the output at an angle of 0 to 70 °. A signal mirror, which is arranged to be positioned. 20. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the LED lamp is mounted on the surface of the heat absorber, the heat absorber is mounted on the surface of the mirror, and the surface of the heat absorber is a desired surface of the LED lamp with respect to the surface of the mirror. Signal mirror at an angle. 21. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the LED lamp is mounted on a carrier plate of the mirror assembly at a desired angle with respect to a surface of the mirror. 22. The signal mirror according to claim 21, wherein the desired angle is 0.
A signal mirror, not less than 且 つ and not more than 70 °. 23. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the LED lamp is inserted and mounted in a socket of the printed circuit board. 24. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the signal mirror is inserted into a socket of the housing. 25. The signal mirror of claim 1, wherein said socket comprises a thermally conductive material. 26. The signal mirror according to claim 22, further comprising a bezel, wherein the mirror is retained within the bezel and the socket is integral with the bezel.
Signal mirror. 27. The signal mirror of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit coupled to the lamp. 28. The signal mirror according to claim 27, wherein the control circuit comprises a constant current source. 29. The signal mirror according to claim 27, wherein the LED lamp comprises a number of emitters connected in series. 30. The signal mirror of claim 29, further comprising at least one transistor connected in parallel with at least one emitter to control the current. 31. The signal mirror of claim 29, further comprising at least one transistor connected in parallel with the emitter. 32. The signal mirror according to claim 27, wherein the LED lamp comprises a number of emitters. 33. The signal mirror according to claim 32, wherein the LED lamp comprises a respective current control for each of the emitters such that the emitters are independently controllable. 34. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the LED lamp is held in a housing such that the LED lamp can emit light from a neck of the signal mirror. 35. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein a partially reflecting surface is provided to provide indirect reflection of the signal generated by the high power light emitting device to the driver so as to confirm the operation status of the signal. A signal mirror, which is further provided. 36. The signal mirror according to claim 1, wherein the LED lamp comprises a plurality of emitters, all of which are activated to generate white light emitted from the mirror, and wherein the selected emitter is A signal mirror, illuminated to generate colored light. 37. The signal mirror of claim 36, wherein the LED lamp is selectively operable to emit light through the mirror and to provide supplemental signal and illumination light. 38. The signal mirror according to claim 1, further comprising an ambient light sensor that controls light intensity according to ambient light conditions. 39. The signal mirror of claim 1, wherein the high power LED lamp dissipates 0.6 watts or more through the heat absorbing member during the operating state. 40. The signal mirror of claim 1, wherein the high power LED lamp disperses more than 0.3 watts through the heat absorbing member in the operating condition. 41. The signal mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a heat absorber, wherein a heat absorber is attached to the heat absorber so that heat can be scattered through the heat absorber. 42. The signal mirror according to claim 41, wherein the heat sink is passive. 43. The signal mirror according to claim 41, wherein the heat sink is active. 44. The signal mirror of claim 42, wherein the LED lamp dissipates 1 watt or more during operation of the LED lamp. 45. The signal mirror of claim 1, further comprising a second high power LED lamp disposed adjacent to the mirror and providing illumination light. 46. The signal mirror of claim 45, wherein the signal mirror is adapted to be mounted on a car and the second high power LED lamp illuminates a keyhole area of the car. 47. The signal mirror of claim 45, wherein the second high power LED lamp illuminates the ground adjacent to the car. 48. A mirror assembly, comprising: a mirror disposed in a housing; and a high power LED lamp, disposed adjacent to the mirror so as to generate a visible signal, and comprising a 12 LED candela from a single LED lamp. And a high power LED lamp capable of generating light of a high intensity. 49. The mirror assembly of claim 48, wherein the mirror assembly has a reflective surface, and wherein the high power LED lamp is positioned to emit light through the reflective surface. 50. The mirror assembly of claim 48, wherein the mirror assembly is adapted to be mounted on a car, and wherein the high power LED lamp illuminates a keyhole area of the car. 51. The mirror assembly of claim 48, wherein the mirror assembly is adapted to be mounted on a car, and wherein the high power LED lamp illuminates the ground adjacent to the car. 52. A mirror assembly, comprising: a housing; a mirror disposed within the housing; and an LED lamp disposed within the housing, the LED lamp being continuously operable at about 100 mW or more. A mirror assembly comprising: 53. A mirror assembly, comprising: a housing, a mirror disposed within the housing, and a high power LED lamp positioned to transmit light out of the mirror assembly, wherein the LED lamp emitter is mounted. A mirror assembly comprising: the high power LED lamp having a heat absorbing member. 54. The mirror assembly of claim 53, wherein the housing is adapted to be mounted on a car, and the transmitted light illuminates an area adjacent to the car. 55. The mirror assembly according to claim 53, wherein a high power LED lamp is disposed within the housing to illuminate an area below the mirror housing. 56. The mirror assembly according to claim 53, wherein the high power LED lamp is disposed within a peripheral opening of the housing. 57. The mirror assembly of claim 53, wherein the high power LED lamp is disposed on the housing so as to emit light outward from the housing. 58. The heat sink of claim 53, wherein the housing is thermally conductive and the LED lamp is mounted to the housing, such that the housing is thermally connected to a heat absorbing member of the LED lamp. Provide a mirror assembly. 59. The mirror assembly according to claim 53, wherein the LED lamp is mounted on a neck of the mirror. 60. The mirror assembly according to claim 53, wherein the LED lamp is held in the mirror housing and emits light from the bottom of the mirror. 61. The mirror assembly according to claim 53, wherein the LED lamp is mounted on an overhang of the mirror housing. 62. The mirror assembly according to claim 53, further comprising a first LED lamp provided on the mirror neck so as to project light through the mirror, and a second LED lamp. 63. A mirror assembly, comprising: a housing; a mirror disposed within the housing, the mirror having one surface, and at least a portion of the surface being partially reflective; A mirror assembly, comprising: an LED lamp; and a heat absorber disposed within the housing, wherein a heat absorbing member is positioned relative to the heat absorber such that the high power LED lamp emits visible light. 64. The mirror assembly of claim 63, wherein a high power LED lamp is positioned behind the mirror such that light rays are emitted through the mirror. 65. The mirror assembly according to claim 63, wherein the high power LED lamp is located in the bezel. 66. The mirror assembly of claim 63, wherein the housing is thermally conductive to facilitate heat dissipation. 67. A signal mirror comprising: two or more lamps, each having a highest intensity optical axis onto which light is projected, at least one of which is an LED lamp; And two or more lamps mounted on the at least one support, wherein the axis of highest intensity of the first lamp is at an angle of 5 ° or more with respect to the axis of highest intensity of the second lamp. There is a signal mirror. 68. The signal mirror according to claim 67, wherein the highest intensity axis of the first LED lamp and the highest intensity axis of the second LED lamp are in the same plane. 69. The signal mirror according to claim 67, wherein the support comprises a housing and a mirror, the first lamp is held on the mirror, and the second lamp is held on the housing. 70. The signal mirror according to claim 69, further comprising a third LED lamp held on the housing. 71. The signal mirror of claim 69, wherein the third LED lamp emits an infrared communication signal. 72. The signal mirror according to claim 67, wherein the second LED lamp is a paddle lamp. 73. The signal mirror of claim 70, wherein the first, second and third lamps provide an auxiliary signal lamp over a wide viewing angle. 74. A mirror assembly, comprising: a mirror having a reflective surface; a lamp disposed adjacent to the mirror, the lamp having an emitter and a lens;
A mirror assembly wherein the lens has a highest intensity optical axis offset from the center of the emitter, whereby light generated by the emitter is emitted from the lens at an angle that is a function of the offset. 75. A signal mirror, comprising: a transparent housing defining an interior volume; at least one lamp retained in the interior housing to project light through the transparent housing; and a mirror disposed within the housing. A signal mirror comprising: 76. The signal mirror according to claim 75, further comprising a coating applied to at least a portion of the inner surface of the transparent housing, wherein at least one lamp has one of the inner surfaces that is transparent after applying the coating. Signal mirrors located adjacent to two areas. 77. The signal mirror of claim 75, wherein the coating is opaque and the inner surface area is uncoated. 78. The signal mirror of claim 75, wherein the transparent housing comprises an integral lens in one area adjacent the lamp, the lamp emitting light through the lens. 79. The signal mirror according to claim 75, further comprising a lensing prism. 80. A lamp assembly, comprising: a housing; and an LED lamp retained within the housing and having an emitter and a heat absorbing member. 81. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the LED lamp is a high power LED lamp. 82. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the CMHS
L, a lamp assembly. 83. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the lamp assembly is a paddle light. 84. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the lamp assembly is a dome light. 85. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the lamp assembly is a license plate illuminator. 86. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the lamp assembly is a braking light. 87. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, comprising a turn signal light. 88. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the housing comprises at least a first housing portion and a second housing portion, wherein at least one first LED lamp having a heat absorbing member is the first LED lamp. A lamp assembly, wherein the at least one second LED lamp having a heat absorbing member is retained within the second housing portion. 89. The lamp assembly according to claim 88, wherein the first L
A lamp assembly wherein the ED lamp generates white light and the second LED lamp generates red light. 90. The lamp assembly according to claim 89, wherein the first L
A lamp assembly, wherein the ED lamp comprises a phosphor white emitter chip. 91. The lamp assembly according to claim 89, wherein the first L
A lamp assembly wherein the ED lamp comprises a dual complementary emitter. 92. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the LED lamp is disposed on the rear mirror to illuminate the keyhole and the housing is a mirror housing. 93. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the LED lamp is disposed on an external mirror so as to illuminate the ground. 94. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, further comprising a control circuit connected to the LED lamp. 95. The lamp assembly according to claim 94, wherein the LED lamp comprises a plurality of emitters, and the control circuit drives the emitters, whereby the intensity of each emitter is generated by the respective emitter. A lamp assembly that generates an independent control signal to be independently adjustable so that the light can be changed. 96. The lamp assembly according to claim 95, wherein the emitters are independently controlled to generate different colors of light. 97. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, further comprising a reflector disposed in the housing, wherein the semiconductor emission package is disposed in front of the reflector. 98. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, further comprising a thermally conductive coating within the housing, wherein the heat absorbing member is thermally connected to the thermally conductive coating. 99. The lamp assembly of claim 98, wherein the thermally conductive coating provides a reflector surface. 100. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, further comprising a lens, wherein the LED lamp emits light through the lens. 101. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is a diffractive lens. 102. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is a reflective lens. 103. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the LE is
The lamp assembly further comprising a TIR located adjacent to the D lamp. 104. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is a Fresnel lens. 105. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is a pillow lens. 106. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, further comprising a diffuser. 107. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is a filter. 108. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is integral with the LED lamp. 109. The lamp assembly according to claim 100, wherein the lens is mounted in a housing separated from the LED lamp. 110. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, further comprising a heat sink within the housing, wherein the heat absorbing member is disposed on the heat absorber. 111. The lamp assembly of claim 110, wherein the heat sink is passive. 112. The lamp assembly according to claim 111, wherein the heat sink is integral with the housing. 113. The lamp assembly according to claim 111, wherein the heat sink is an active heat sink. 114. The lamp assembly according to claim 111, wherein the heat sink is a Peltier cooler. 115. The lamp assembly according to claim 111, wherein the heat absorber is a phase change heat absorber. 116. The lamp assembly of claim 111, wherein the heat sink is retained on a circuit board. 117. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the LED is
A lamp assembly in which the lamp is mounted in a receptacle. 118. The lamp assembly according to claim 117, wherein the receptacle is attached to the cable. 119. The lamp assembly of claim 117, wherein the receptacle is integral with the housing. 120. The lamp assembly according to claim 84, wherein the control circuit is connected to the control device to enable manual dimming of the LED lamp. 121. The lamp assembly according to claim 84, wherein the control circuit automatically dims the LED lamp. 122. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the housing comprises a thermally conductive material. 123. The lamp assembly according to claim 122, wherein the LE is
A lamp assembly wherein the D lamp is mounted on the housing, the heat absorbing member is thermally connected to the housing, and the housing provides a heat sink for the LED lamp. 124. The lamp assembly according to claim 123, wherein the housing comprises a polymer. 125. The lamp assembly according to claim 123, wherein the housing comprises a metal. 126. The lamp assembly according to claim 80, wherein the LED is
A lamp assembly in which the lamp is mounted on a circuit board. 127. The lamp assembly of claim 126, further comprising a heat sink held on the circuit board. 128. The lamp assembly according to claim 127, further comprising a thermally conductive, non-conductive member disposed between the heat absorbing member and the heat absorbing body. 129. An L having a circuit board, a heat absorbing body, a heat absorbing member, and an electric conductor.
A method of assembling a component assembly comprising an ED lamp, the method comprising: mounting an LED lamp such that a heat absorbing member is disposed with respect to a heat absorbing body; and connecting an electrical conductor to a circuit. 130. The method of claim 129, wherein said connecting comprises attaching an LED lamp to a circuit board. 131. The method according to claim 129, wherein said connecting step includes soldering the leads of the LED lamp to a circuit board. 132. The method of claim 129, further comprising attaching a heat sink to the circuit board. 133. The method of claim 129, further comprising the step of arranging the heat absorbing member to be retained on the circuit board. 134. The method of claim 129, further comprising attaching a heat sink to the mirror. 135. The method of claim 129, further comprising attaching a heat absorbing member to the thermally conductive housing. 136. The method of claim 135, further comprising forming a thermally conductive housing. 137. A signal mirror, comprising: a mirror, a high power LED lamp, a heat absorbing member, a plurality of emitters held on the heat absorbing member, and a greater heat than the heat absorbing member directly connected to the emitter. A control circuit connected to a signal mirror, said high power LED lamp having two or more electrical conductors having resistance and positioned relative to the mirror to generate a visible signal; And the control circuit operable to independently control the LED lamps, thereby selectively controlling the LED lamps to generate different lights. 138. The signal mirror of claim 137, wherein the high power LED lamp includes an emitter for generating white light and colored light, and the LED lamp generates white light and colored light to generate a signal. Signal mirror, controlled to obtain. 139. The signal mirror of claim 137, wherein the high power LED lamp comprises an emitter for generating infrared and visible light.