Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – External alarm or indicator of movement
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-09
2002-10-22
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
External alarm or indicator of movement
C340S463000, C340S815410, C362S487000, C362S496000, C362S510000, C362S546000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06469622
ABSTRACT:
This invention claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 09-361659, filed on Dec. 11, 1997, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automobile lamp used as a back-up lamp or a turn signal lamp and an automobile rear combination lamp including it, and more particularly to a composition and a method of producing the automobile rear combination lamp and the automobile lamp included therein having high color uniformity when it is turned off. The automobile rear combination lamp is comprised of a plurality of automobile lamps, and the color of each automobile lamp differs respectively depending on whether the lamp is turned on or off.
FIG. 7
illustrates a cross sectional view of an automobile lamp
50
of a conventional automobile rear combination lamp. The automobile lamp
50
comprises a housing
52
having an aperture on its front portion, an outer lens
53
covering the aperture of the housing
52
, an inner lens
54
, and a light source
51
. The front surface of the inner lens
54
comprises one or more transparent window portion
56
and an opaque film portion
55
, which combine to form a mesh or striped pattern. The back surface of the inner lens
54
has prismatic cuts such that the light emitted from the light source
51
passes mainly through the transparent window portions
56
.
When the automobile lamp
50
is used as a back-up lamp, the automobile lamp
50
is required to emit white light. The outer lens
53
and the inner lens
54
are formed of colorless and transparent material. The opaque film portions
55
are typically red, or may be the same color as the automobile body or the bumper. When the light source
51
is turned off, the color of the opaque film portions
55
is perceived as the color of the automobile lamp
50
. When the light source
51
is turned on, the color of the light passed through the window portions
56
is perceived as the color of the automobile lamp
50
. When the automobile lamp
50
is used as a turn signal lamp, the inner lens
54
is formed of amber material, or the light source
51
may have an amber cap.
An automobile rear combination lamp is a combination of the automobile lamps. Since each automobile lamp
50
has one or more film portion
55
having a color that matches the automobile body, sufficient color uniformity is obtained when the automobile rear combination lamp is turned off, while each automobile lamp
50
performs its own function when it is turned on. When all the automobile lamps are turned off, the automobile rear combination lamp is perceived to have one uniform color in the front view from outside. When any automobile lamp
50
is turned on, the automobile lamp
50
respectively emits light having a predetermined color depending on its function.
The conventional automobile lamp
50
has the following problems. First, it is difficult to have an appropriate proportion between the opaque film portion
55
and the window portion
56
to satisfy both efficiency of the light emitted from the light source
51
and color uniformity of the automobile lamp
50
when the light source
51
is turned off. The opaque film portions
55
prohibit most of the light emitted from the light source
51
from passing through. In order to increase the efficiency of the emitted light from the light source
51
, the area of the opaque film portions
55
must be reduced, such that the area of the window portions
56
must be increased. However, in this composition, since the opaque film portions
55
are disposed close to the outer lens
53
the color uniformity of the automobile lamp
50
decreases when the light source
51
is turned off such that the color of the automobile lamp
50
does not match the automobile body. Second, in order to obtain high color uniformity of the automobile lamp
50
, the opaque film portions
55
must be enlarged. As a result, since the efficiency of the light emitted from the light source
51
decreases, it is required to use a light source having high luminance accompanying high power consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an automobile rear combination lamp and an automobile lamp included therein that substantially obviates one or more of the above problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the invention is to provide an automobile rear combination lamp and an automobile lamp included therein having high color uniformity when the light source is turned off, and improved power consumption efficiency.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of producing an automobile rear combination lamp and automobile lamp included therein with the improved properties described above.
According to the present invention, the above objects are achieved by providing an automobile lamp comprising a colorless and transparent light source, a housing whose front portion is an aperture covered with a lens, wherein the housing has a color to be perceived as a color of the automobile lamp when the light source is turned off, and reflecting portions arranged on the inner back surface of the housing to form a mesh or stripe pattern when combined with the remaining portions of the inner back surface of the housing.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an automobile lamp included in an automobile rear combination lamp having a light source, a housing whose front portion is an aperture, and a lens covering the aperture, where the automobile lamp further comprises an inner back surface of the housing having a color that is visible as a uniform color of the automobile lamp when the light source is off, and at least one reflecting portion disposed in a pattern on the inner back surface of the housing.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automobile lamp included in an automobile rear combination lamp having a light source, a housing whose front portion is an aperture, and a lens covering the aperture, the automobile lamp further comprising at least one concave and convex portions arranged in a predetermined pattern on an inner back surface of the housing, at least one reflecting portion disposed on the convex portion of the housing, and an inner wall having a color that is visible as a uniform color of the automobile lamp when the automobile lamp is off and being disposed entirely on an inner side surface and inner back surface of the housing, having at least one slit portion on the inner back surface of the housing in which the reflecting portion is disposed.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automobile rear combination lamp comprising a turn signal lamp, a back-up lamp, and a stop lamp; wherein the turn signal lamp further includes a light source covered with an amber cap, a first housing with a first aperture, a first lens covering the first aperture, and at least one reflecting portion arranged partially in a pattern on an inner back surface of the first housing, the back-up lamp further includes a colorless and transparent light source, a second housing with a second aperture, a second lens covering the second aperture, and at least one reflecting portion arranged partially in a predetermined pattern on an inner back surface of the second housing, the stop lamp further includes a colorless and transparent light source, a third housing with a third aperture, a third lens covering the third aperture, and at least one reflecting portion arranged entirely on an inner back surface of the third housing, wherein the first lens, second lens, and third lens are composed of two or more predetermined colors such that emitted light from the turn signal lamp, the back-up lamp, and the stop lamp have a color depending on the function of the lamp, and an inner side surface and the inner back surface of the housing corresponding to the turn signal l
Komatsu Takayuki
Seki Tomoaki
Tajima Masayoshi
Goins Davetta W.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Stanley Electric Co. Ltd.
Wu Daniel J.
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