JP7233440B2 - Dull-looking light-emitting device for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of lighting and/or optical signaling devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to lighting and/or signaling devices for motor vehicles.

Regulatory standards require that each motor vehicle be equipped with lighting devices to warn road users of the presence and intentions of other drivers. Particular mention may be made of side marker lights at the rear of the vehicle, red and medium intensity, to communicate its position, and also red, but of higher intensity, to warn of the braking of the vehicle. is a brake light.

These lighting devices include a reflective surface for directing the light beam emitted by the light source outwardly and in a desired direction. A metal surface such as chromium or aluminum is preferred due to its high reflection coefficient. In daylight, these metal surfaces are characterized by a light hue that can create an undesirable contrast with the body color. This is especially true when the bodywork is painted in dark tones, which locally and strongly alters the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle in daylight.

The present invention aims to solve this problem by proposing a lighting device which, when turned off, has a dark uniform appearance in daylight.

In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention proposes a lighting device for motor vehicles comprising a light housing in which a light source and a light reflector are present. A light reflector is positioned to direct light rays emitted by the light source through the opening of the light housing. An opening in the light housing is closed by an external indicator light to protect the light source and light reflector from inclement weather.

The present invention provides that the external indicator light has a dark tone color under daylight, and a translucent screen is inserted between the light reflector and the external indicator light, the translucent screen being spaced apart from the external indicator light. It is characterized by

The exterior indicator light has a dark or dim tone color to darken the interior of the light housing when the lighting device is turned off and exposed to daylight. Preferably, the external indicator light is characterized by a uniform color under daylight. Advantageously, a translucent screen is inserted between the light reflector and the external indicator light to even out the daylight reflected by the various elements present within the light housing. The translucent screen is positioned away from the external indicator lights to reduce the light intensity contrast of daylight reflected by the various elements that make up the light housing. Sufficient space is maintained between the translucent screen and the external indicator light to facilitate better dissipation of moisture between the translucent screen and the external indicator light.

According to a preferred embodiment, the external indicator lights are black. Of course, the color of the exterior indicator light may vary depending on the body color of the motor vehicle in which the lighting device is to be installed. Therefore, the color of the external indicator light can be blue, red, or another color.

According to another variant of the invention, the distance between the translucent screen and the external indicator light is between 1 mm and 10 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 4 mm. These value ranges are advantageous for obtaining a lighting device that appears very dark in daylight and when turned off, while limiting its magnitude in the direction of propagation of the light emitted by the light source of said device. do.

According to another variant of the invention, the external indicator light has a thickness of between 2 mm and 3.5 mm, preferably about 2.2 mm.

According to another variant of the invention, the external indicator light absorbs 80% to 95% of the daylight intensity, preferably about 90%.

According to another variant of the invention, the translucent screen diffuses the daylight so as to limit the daylight intensity inside the light reflector by 30% to 10%, preferably about 15%. According to this variant, the light housing is preferably opaque to daylight, so that daylight enters the light housing only through the external indicator lights.

According to another variant of the invention, normally incident light rays are diffused by the translucent screen with a divergence angle range between 0° and 41°, preferably between 0° and 20°.

According to another variant of the invention, the translucent screen has a pattern visible through an external indicator light when the light source is on. According to a preferred embodiment, the pattern is silk-screened and/or embedded in a translucent screen.

According to another variant of the invention, the lighting device comprises a frame arranged between the light source and the translucent screen, the frame allowing at least part of the light rays emitted by the light source to pass through. at least one opening for allowing Preferably, the frame obscures at least a portion of the interior of said housing to promote greater uniformity of light reflected by the interior of said frame.

According to a preferred embodiment, the frame closes part of the light housing containing the light source.

According to another variant, the translucent screen at least partially covers the surface of the frame facing the external indicator light, preferably the translucent screen covers the entire surface of the frame facing the external indicator light. do. According to another variant, the surface of the frame facing the external indicator light has a dark or dim tone color, preferably similar to the color of the external indicator light or black. Preferably, the surface of the frame facing the external indicator light is parallel or substantially parallel to the external indicator light to provide a uniform tone of the external indicator light when the lighting device is turned off and exposed to daylight. Facilitate.

Of course, the various features, variants and embodiments described above can be associated with each other in various combinations unless they are incompatible or mutually exclusive.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least one lighting device according to one of the preceding claims.

The following description with respect to the accompanying drawings is given as a non-limiting example and allows a better understanding of what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

1 shows a schematic sectional view of a lighting device according to the invention; FIG. Figure 2 shows the lighting device shown in Figure 1 illuminated by daylight;

As a reminder, the present invention provides a lighting device that has a dark, uniform color appearance in daylight when turned off.

Figures 1 and 2 show a non-limiting embodiment of a lighting device 2 according to the invention intended for use as a position light or side marker light by motor vehicles.

The lighting device 2 comprises a light housing 4 in which two light sources 6A and 6B are present. The first light source 6A is configured to emit an amber light beam to signal the driver's intention to change lanes or turn. A second light source 6B is arranged to emit a red light beam to signal the position of the vehicle and/or its braking. Each light source comprises one or more light emitting diodes held on the same front side of the printed circuit board 8 . As is known, substrate 8 enables a control device, not shown, to control the operation of light sources 6A and 6B.

To limit heating of the light source during use, light housing 4 also includes a thermal heater 10 that extends along the back surface of the substrate. The heat emitted by the thermal heater 10 is discharged to the outside of the optical housing 4 through the ventilation holes 12 .

The light sources are directed so that their rays pass through the same opening 14 in the light housing 4 . The aperture 14 is arranged at a distance from the light source 6 of 25 mm to 80 mm, preferably about 50 mm. A light reflector 16 is associated with each light source to direct the light beam through the aperture 14 in a desired direction. Light reflectors are characterized by surfaces with a high coefficient of reflection on their inner surface.

The opening 14 is closed by an external indicator light 18 to protect the elements present within the light housing 4 from inclement weather. Of course, the external indicator light is partially transparent to the light emitted by the light source, so that the lighting device can emit a light signal visible to other drivers.

As noted above, external indicator lights are typically transparent or translucent to daylight. Elements present in the light housing are therefore visible through the exterior indicator lights, which locally and significantly alter the appearance of the vehicle bodywork in daylight.

To solve this problem, the present invention modifies the commonly used external indicator lights to a uniform color of dark or dim tone in order to very significantly limit the amount of daylight that passes through said indicator lights. It is proposed to replace it with a featured external indicator light 18 . The term "daylight" means any form of light that comes from the sun, whether directly or indirectly. The external indicator has a color whose three color coordinates fall within the following values: red 0.4-0.5; green 0.35-0.45; blue 0.1-0.2. Preferably, the external indicator lights have colors whose trichromatic coordinates are approximately 0.441 red, 0.408 green, and 0.153 blue. The external indicator light 18 has a thickness of 2 mm to 3.5 mm, preferably about 2.2 mm. The thickness of the external indicator light 18 is defined here along the direction of incidence of the rays emitted by the light source 6 onto said indicator light. The exterior indicator light 18 is characterized by a daylight absorption of 80% to 95%, preferably about 90%. The external indicator light 18 is made from one of the following materials: polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate (PC).

Light housing 4 also includes a frame 20 that rests against the inner wall of light housing 4 to promote uniform tone color of the exterior indicator light in daylight. A frame 20 closes the portion of the housing containing the light source 6 and light reflector 16 . The frame has a front face 22 parallel or substantially parallel to the external indicator lights 18 . The front face 22 is opaque to daylight to create a dark, uniform colored background. The frame also includes a passageway 24 extending through the light reflector to allow a light source to illuminate the external indicator light 18 .

The entire surface of the front face 22 of the frame 20 is covered by a translucent screen 26. As shown in FIG. Translucent screen 26 is characterized by a thickness of 0.1 mm to 3 mm, preferably about 0.3 mm. Here, the thickness of the translucent screen is defined along the direction of incidence of the rays emitted onto said screen by the light sources 6A and 6B. The translucent screen diffuses the daylight so as to limit the daylight intensity within each light reflector 16 by 30% to 10%, preferably about 15%. Preferably, the front surface 22 of the translucent screen facing the external indicator light 18 facilitates reflection of normally incident light rays with a reflection angle range between 0° and 41°, preferably between 0° and 20°. For this purpose, the front surface 28 of the translucent screen 26 may include a relief pattern formed by molding techniques. Translucent screens are made of one of the following materials: polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate (PC).

Frame 20 maintains translucent screen 26 at a distance from external indicator light 18 of 1 mm to 10 mm, preferably 2 mm to 4 mm, more preferably about 3 mm. These value ranges promote air circulation between the translucent screen 26 and the external indicator light 18 to avoid condensation phenomena, while at the same time promoting uniform tone of said indicator light in daylight. . Potentially, light housing 4 may include vents, not shown, to facilitate airflow between frame 20 and external indicator light 18 .

Of course, the light sources 6A and 6B described above are selected so as to be able to emit a light signal through the external indicator light 18 in accordance with the standards in force. As a non-limiting example, the first light source 6A is configured to emit light with a light intensity between 5lm and 200lm depending on the desired function. The second light source 6B is arranged to emit a light beam with a light intensity between 5lm and 200lm depending on the desired function.

In conclusion, the lighting device 2 according to the invention is characterized by a particular arrangement between the dark colored external indicator light 18 , the frame 20 and the translucent screen 26 . As shown in FIG. 2, this arrangement advantageously allows absorption of most of the light intensity of daylight 30 so that light sources 6A and 6B and their light reflectors 16 are illuminated. It is not visible from the outside of the device 2. As such, the lighting device appears very dark and very uniform in color in daylight when turned off. The lighting device according to the invention therefore makes it possible to avoid, or at least reduce, color contrasts with dark-colored motor vehicle bodies.

Claims (13)

A lighting device (2) for a motor vehicle comprising a light housing (4) in which light sources (6A, 6B) and light rays emitted by said light sources (6A, 6B) are arranged. There is a light reflector (16) arranged to point through an opening (14) in said light housing, said opening (14) being between said light sources (6A, 6B) and said light reflector (16). In a lighting device (2) closed by an external indicator light (18) to protect from bad weather, said external indicator light (18) being black or colored and a translucent screen ( 26) is inserted between said light reflector (16) and said external indicator light (18), said translucent screen (26) is spaced from said external indicator light (18), and said external indicator light is A lighting device (2) characterized by absorbing 80% to 95% of the intensity of daylight . A lighting device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that said external indicator light (18) is blue, red or another color. A lighting device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the distance between the translucent screen (26) and the external indicator light (18) is between 1 mm and 10 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 4 mm. ). A lighting device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said external indicator light (18) has a thickness of 2 mm to 3.5 mm, preferably about 2.2 mm. Claim characterized in that the translucent screen (26) diffuses the daylight so as to limit the intensity of the daylight inside the light reflector by 30% to 10%, preferably about 15%. Item 5. The lighting device (2) according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. The translucent screen (26) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a normally incident ray is reflected by said translucent screen (26) with a reflection angle range of 0° to 41°, preferably 0° to 20°. A lighting device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims. Any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said translucent screen (26) comprises a pattern visible through said external indicator light (18) when said light sources (6A, 6B) are on. 2. The lighting device (2) according to 1. 8. A lighting device (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the pattern is silk-screened and/or embedded in the translucent screen (26). It comprises a frame (20) arranged between said light sources (6A, 6B) and said translucent screen (26), said frame (20) being at least the light rays emitted by said light sources (6A, 6B). A lighting device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one opening allowing a portion to pass through. 10. A lighting device (2) according to claim 9, characterized in that said frame (20) closes a part of said light housing (4) containing said light sources (6A, 6B). The semi-transparent screen (26) at least partially covers the surface of the frame (20) facing the external indicator lights (18), preferably the semi-transparent screen (26) covers the external indicator lights. 11. A lighting device (2) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that it covers the entire surface of the frame (20) facing (18). 12. Any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the surface of the frame (20) facing the external indicator light (18) has a color similar to that of the external indicator light (18). 2. The lighting device (2) according to 1. Motor vehicle comprising at least one lighting device (2) according to any one of claims 1-12.

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